QSR1856/1/5/17

Depositions of Richard Reddall, farm bailiff of Toddington, Ann Baker, widow of Toddington and John Thorogood, police constable of Toddington. In the case of George Athews, labourer of Toddington, accused of stealing 10 tame fowls.

31 December 1855

From: 1855 To: 1856

Richard Riddall: farm bailiff to John Cotching, a farmer at Toddington. He resided at Farm House. Mr Cotching kept fowls which he and his wife looked after. On 29 December the fowls had all been there when he had fed them some maple peas, which was different to their normal food. The next morning he saw some fowl feathers lying in the hovel under where the fowls roasted. Upon looking he missed 10 at least. He found the fowl produced in the hovel with its neck broken. PC Thorogood produced a plucked fowl and the feathers on its head were similar to some of the lost fowls. Thorogood produced some grains of barley and peas. The peas were maple peas and similar to those he had given the fowls. The barley was like that on his masters premises. The value of the fowls was about 15 shillings. Ann Baker: a widow and keeper of the Bell Inn at Toddington. She knew the prisoner and he came in on 30 December and asked if she wanted to buy a couple of fowls. He had heard she wanted some and shortly after he fetched her a fowl with no feathers. He pressed her to buy it. She told him she did not want it but he said he had nothing for dinner, so he would leave it and perhaps she would give him a shilling for it. She gave him a shillings and he went away. Later the same day PC Thorogood came and told her some fowls had been stolen. She told him Athews had been at her house about selling fowls. Thorogood returned with Athews in custody and she gave Thorogood the fowl she had bought. PC John Thorogood: he was advised of the robbery and he went to Cotching house. Cotching’s wife gave him a fowl which she had received from the first witness that morning. It had had its neck broken. He went to several public houses and among them that of Ann Baker. Baker informed him Athews had been to her that morning. He took Athews into custody and asked where he had the fowls from. Athews was agitated and it was some time before he replied he had only one fowl which he had found the night before. Joseph Bunker came up and Athews tried to get him to support this but Bunker said he wasn’t being part of it. He returned to Mrs Bakers and took possession of the fowl which she said she had bought from the prisoner. Whilst conveying the prisoner to Woburn he said “If I have to suffer I shall have to suffer for another man”. He later cut open the throats of the fowls he had retrieved and found peas and barley. He took a sample for the first witness to identify. Statement of the accused: he had found the fowl which he sold to Mrs Baker between the church wall and Joseph Harts about 11pm Saturday. It had been in a basket wrapped in a darkish apron. He had shown the fowl to Mary Fowler and Hannah Marsden in his house. He had asked Mrs Baker to buy it.

item

Athews, George,
Reddall, Richard,
Baker, Ann,
Thorogood, John,
Bunker, Joseph

TODDINGTON, stealing, fowls, farm bailiff