Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1846/2/5/11-12
  • Title
    Depositions and examinations - Robert Read, James Pearson, John Burr and John Nash. [Only Read and Pearson prosecuted]
  • Date free text
    6 April 1846
  • Production date
    From: 1846 To: 1846
  • Scope and Content
    John Peacock of St Mary Bedford, carpenter – he is employed by Mr Putteril, a carpenter and sub-contractor under Mr Jackson on the Bedford and London and Birmingham Railway for buiding a jetty at the end of the line terminating at the River Ouze in Saint Mary’s Bedford. Last Saturday 3 April he saw 1 cwt of coals in a sack on the line about 30 yards from the river. The coals belonged to Mr Jackson. He believes they were ordered from Messrs Green for his use. On Saturday morning he ordered his men to cover up the coals with earth. About 11am finding they were obstructing the works they were uncovered. He missed the coals at about 12.45pm today (6 April). He made enquiries and returned to the line. Burr was going onto the line from the road and had a wheelbarrow with him. He asked Burr where he had been – he said “down the town” and that he had taken his tools in the barrow. Burr then said he had taken a sack of coals up to the Red Lion for Read. He then went to Read and asked him about the coals. Read said he bought them from Pearson for two quarts of ale, and said if he would say nothing about them he would send for them back. [Further statement] He has seen the sack and coals and is certain they are the ones he saw on the line that morning. William Coombs, chief constable of Bedford – he went to Read and heard him say that the coals were taken to his brother in law who has a cart at the Red Lion. He went to the Red Lion and later to the Windmill in the parish of St Mary. All 4 prisoners were at the Windmill. He asked Read who had helped him to wheel the coals away. Read pointed to Pearson and said he was to give him some beer for them. Read said they were all to have the beer together. John Paviour, police constable of Bedford – Read, Burr and Nash were given into his custody that morning. Read was asked how he came to take the coals back again – Read said it was because he thought there was something wrong about them, so he sent Nash to fetch them back. He took Read to where the coals were lying on the line, a little after 2pm. They are the coals now produced. William Clarke of St Cuthbert, Bedford, coal porter - he has looked at the sack produced and believes it to be the same sack he took with 1 cwt of coals onto the line on Friday, and that it is the property of Mr Green. John Nash of St Mary, Bedford, labourer – Mr Peacock asked him where Read was. Read came to him and asked if he would go to the Red Lion and fetch one cwt of coals that he had sent there and bring them back to the line and take them to the River where they were pile driving. He asked Read where they were. Burr said they were in the Red Lion yard. He was to ask the ostler for them. He did so and the ostler said they were in a cart in the yard. They were in a black sack. He told the ostler to tell Read’s brother in law that Read had sent for them back again. He took them back to the line and asked Pearson to help him to take them up on his back to the River. Pearson told him to tip them where he was and he did so. James Pearson of St Mary, Bedford, labourer – there is a man named Joseph Church working on the line who told him he dug a sack of coals up. Church thought someone had stolen them as they were quite covered up. Church said he enquired of the boatmen whether the coals belonged to them, and said he thought he’d get a drop of beer for them. He met Read that morning as he was coming to work and told him about the coals. Read said if he might have them he’d stand a drop of beer for them. He said he did not care who had them. John Burr of St Mary, Bedford, labourer – he did not know anything about them until Robert said he had bought some coals and asked if he could go and help him get them up to Bedford, which he did.
  • Reference
  • Level of description
    item
Hierarchy browser