Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1845/4/5/8-9
  • Title
    Depositions and examinations - Joseph Schofield and William Young charged wtih uttering counterfeit half crowns at Leighton Buzzard on 26 July 1845
  • Date free text
    8 August 1845
  • Production date
    From: 1845 To: 1845
  • Scope and Content
    Lydia Reynolds, wife of John George Reynolds of Leighton Buzzard – about 8.30pm on Saturday July 26 a man (not one of the prisoners) came into her shop, bought 2 cigars and paid for them with a “Victoria” half crown. She did not like the appearance of it and put it on the one side of the till to look at again. She did so and thought it must be good so put it in the till. About 8.45 Schofield came in and asked for ½ lb of loaf sugar. She said they had none broken up but would soon break some for him. He said never mind, he could not stop for that they would break it. She served him and he paid with a “William the 4th” half crown. It had the same appearance as the other but she thought it must be good. That night she put the money from the till in a drawer in her bedroom. She only had one other half crown in the till which was a “George the 3rd or 4th”. When her husband went to the drawer in the morning he told her 2 of the half crowns were bad. She recognizes the half crowns produced by PC Chapman as the two she took. She has not seen the first man since, and is sure Schofield gave her the second half crown. John George Reynolds of Leighton Buzzard, grocer – he found 3 half crowns in the drawer that his wife had put there. Two of them were bad – the “George” was a good one. He handed the two bad ones to PC Thurlow. He saw his wife mark them and the two produced have that mark. Caroline Buckmaster of Leighton Buzzard – she lives with her father William Buckmaster. On Saturday 26 July she was at Mrs Reynolds when Schofield came in and asked for loaf sugar. He was served by Mrs Reynolds and paid her with a half crown. George Thurlow of Leighton Buzzard, police constable – on Sunday 27 July he received 2 bad half crowns from John George Reynolds. He gave them to PC Chapman and are the two he now holds. John Chapman, police constable stationed at Leighton Buzzard – he received the 2 half crowns from PC Thurlow. He saw Young and Schofield and the 2 women now present in company, drinking with several others at Leighton on Saturday 26. He saw them together several times during the day. About midnight he was called to take Young into custody for passing a bad half crown at Mr Young’s public house, the Feathers. Schofield and Young and two other men were together. Young said he did not know the coin was not a good one and that he had taken it in payment for 2 razors he had sold. He found 2 dozen razors on him. He later found more bad money had been passed and went to Brickhill and apprehended Schofield on the Monday morning. That morning Young was in the cage at Leighton and the prisoner Eliza Cockburn (who previously called herself Eliza Young) came and said to Young “I should advise you to tell all you know for I have split to the police all I know”. Young said “Oh my God you have transported me”. Cockburn also said to Young “never mind old boy you’ll get over this, here’s the little girl that will stick to you as long as you live”. There was a great deal of conversation besides in slang language he did not understand. He had seen all four prisoners together several times in the course of that day. On the Monday morning he found Schofield in bed with the prisoner Mary Ann Perkins. He produces a half crown he received from Mr Ridgeway, a draper at Leighton, and another from Mr Young of Leighton, publican, which is marked different to the others. He has assisted in searching the river for the half crowns Stone says he threw there but could not find any. From what he sees of the place he does not think any have been thrown there. Sarah Nursall – she is servant to George Young of the Plume of Feathers Public House in Leighton. She saw Young in the house on 26 July and served him with a pint of ale. He gave a half crown. She took it to her mistress who said it was not good. She took it back to Young who showed it to the company in the taproom. She does not know what became of it. Horatio Sorell of Leighton, saddler – he was in the tap room of the Feathers on 26 July and saw Sarah Nursall give back the half crown to Young. Young then threw it on the table and asked him to look at it. He did so and said “I think you have travelled too many miles not to know a gammy half crown”. Young said whether gammy or no he had taken it for a pair of razors. He took the half crown and gave it to Mr Young the landlord. Schofield and two other men who all appeared to be companions of Young were in the room. The women prisoners were not present. They drank together and whispered together. When the half crown was said to be bad Young said he would not pay for his pint of beer. He aid to Young he had better ask his partner (Schofield). Schofield said “he is no partner of mine, I never saw him before”. He said “that’s a lie for I saw you come in the town together soon after 12”. He picked up the bad half crown and gave it to Mr George Young. When the policeman came and was searching the four men Schofield said he would see him another day and would mark him. He also heard Schofield say “Blast the half crown I wish he had swallowed it”. George Young, landlord of the Plume of Feathers public house 0 on Saturday 26 June he received a bad half crown from Horatio Sorel. He marked it and gave it to PC Chapman. He saw Schofield and Mary Ann Perkins at a lodging house in Brickhill in bed together. When Young was taken into custody Schofield was there and was searched by Chapman and said “blast the half crown I wish he had swallowed it”. William Ralph Young of Woburn, police superintendent – on Sunday morning he searched the prisoners but found nothing. Schofield said he was a hawker and did not get his living by passing bad money. He had no doubt there was a party at Leighton, but they did not belong to them, though he dare say they were in their company. He asked if Schofield knew Young. Schofield said he did and the goods found on Young were his, and that he met Young at Chesham last Tuesday. He had since been with Young to Hempstead on Thursday, to Eaton Bray on Friday and to Ivinghoe market and Leighton Fair on Saturday. In consequence of what Schofield said before a magistrate on Monday he made inquiries at the Ewe and Lamb public house where Schofield said he had been from 8 to 10.30pm on Saturday. The landlord said Schofield had been there no more than ½ hour and his house was clear at 10.30. James Wild, police constable stationed at Woburn – he was at Leighton on 26 July and saw the two female prisoners walking together as if coming into the town on the London Road, and the 2 male prisoners about 5 yards behind them. He suspected them and watched them, but lost sight of them in the Horse Fair. James Stone of Leighton Buzzard, labourer – on Monday 28 July he saw Mary Ann Perkins standing near the Cross in Leighton talking to some young men. He asked if it was her husband in the cage – she said it was. He said she must look for another and had better take to him. They went to the Greyhound Public House and had some gin and water together. She said several times “I hope they won’t split”. He asked what about and she said “I’ve got a quantity of something about me I don’t like to have”. He asked what and she said “bad half crowns”. He agreed to get rid of them. She took four from her bosom and 12 more from a bag which hung between her thighs. Joseph Tearl was in the room, but he thinks he did not hear. He took the coins in his hand and put his hand in his pocket. They agreed to meet at Crawley Feast the same night. She had said while standing near the Cross that it was her man in the cage and he said to her “never mind him you see he’s locked up – you may look to me now”. In the Greyhound she asked him if he would go with her or not, and if he would go, if he would be a tramp. He was not to pass the bad half crowns, he was to do away with them. When the two men in custody were brought to Woburn she went after them. He went and put the 16 bad half crowns in James Sapwell’s barn and in the evening told Forth the constable and his landlord John Hopkins who advised him to do away with them. In the morning he threw them into the river near Flemon’s Mill. He can show the place exactly. Perkins told him her man gave her the bad money. He has shown the place in the river and helped to search there but nothing could be found. A bag now produced is one of the bags which had the 12 half crowns in – there were two bags, one inside the other. [Pencil annotation: “It is not believed that they were thrown here. Witness a very bad character”] Joseph Schofield – he is innocent. The parties mistake him for the man who passed the first half crown. It was one of the persons the policeman searched at the Feathers public house, who left town directly afterwards. He does not believe Mrs Reynolds and Buckmaster mean to perjure themselves, but that they really think he is the person. He will be able to prove he was not. He was in 3 shops in Leighton that day – a baker’s, a grocer’s to buy some bacon, and another for ½ oz of tobacco. He was by himself most of the day. William Young – he has nothing to say but that he did not know it was a bad half crown. He got it for 2 razors and a case he sold. He showed it to the people in the taproom before he ordered the beer. He only had 2d besides and was obliged to pay with the half crown. He did not whisper with Schofield and the other men before he offered it. The razors and case belonged to Schofield – they were his goods so the money was his. Schofield did not tell him to pass it. He did not know it was not good.
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