QSR1856/3/5/18

Depositions of Emery Cranfield, farmer of Elstow and Henry Ison Jebbett, superintendent of police at St Pauls, Bedford. In the case of William Whittamore accused of stealing 3 bushels of wheat.

19 May 1856

From: 1856 To: 1856

Emery Cranfield: on 17 May he went into his stack yard upon his premises and saw something hidden under a bit of straw. He found some wheat in a sack and untied it. The sack was turned the wrong side outwards. He saw his name in the sack. He tied it up and covered it over. The prisoner had been working for his for about 16 years. Superintendent Henry Ison Jebbett: he went to Mr Cranfield’s stack yard and placed one of his men a few yards from the spot where he saw the wheat in the sack. From information given to him by William Crouch he went to the prisoner’s house at Elstow and found the prisoner in bed. Upstairs he found the sack he had previously seen at Mr Cranfield’s and another sack containing about 2 bushels of wheat. He also discovered some peas in a wash tray. He asked the prisoner about the wheat who said he had bought it from John Peskell. He told Whittamore he had only recently just left the wheat in Mr Cranfield’s premises. He took the prisoner to Mr Cranfield’s premises and he said he was very sorry he had taken it and that it was Mr Cranfield’s property. Asked about the peas, Whittamore said they were also Mr Cranfield’s property as he had them to feed the sheep and had forgotten to take them back. Whittamore said he hoped his master to be merciful. He took samples of the wheat and peas.

item

Whittamore, William,
Cranfield, Emery,
Jebbett, Henry Ison

ELSTOW, stealing, wheat, farmer