QSR1846/3/5/17

Depositions - Robert Fenn charged with breaking into the barn of Charles Tomson and stealing one sack and two bushels of wheat.

11 May 1846

From: 1846 To: 1846

Henry Randall of Sundon, labourer – he was at work in the barn with Fenn on Friday. They were threshing wheat with a machine. He fastened the great doors of the barn but not the little door. When he left the sacks of corn were standing in the left corner as you go in close to the door. There were 4 or 5 sacks. When he left the barn that night they were full of corn and there was no corn on the floor. In the morning some of the corn had been taken out and left on the floor. Charles Tomson the younger of Sundon – last Friday night between 7 and 8pm after the men who worked there had left he tried the doors of the barn and found them all fastened. Fenn used to wear a “wide awake” just like the one now produced by PC Kitchener. He saw Fenn leave the yard on Friday night about 6.30 with the other men wearing it. When Fenn came back the next morning he had a straw hat on. John Armsden of Sundon, labourer – he works for Mr Tomson. On Friday night he returned from Luton about 12 o’clock and found the barn doors open. He looked in and saw nobody. He called his master who got up and went with him to the barn. Fenn generally wears a wide awake hat like the one produced. He was wearing it the day before the robbery, and the day after had a straw hat on. Charles Tomson the elder of Sundon, farmer – Fenn has worked for him for some years. On Friday he was in the barn threshing wheat. Between 11 and 12 on Friday night he was called by Armsden who said the barn doors were open. They went to the barn and found one of the sacks of corn half emptied and the corn on the floor. The black wide awake produced was lying on the corn that was on the floor. He had seen Fenn with a hat like it that morning. On Saturday morning he wore a straw hat. The sack had been moved a little from its place. He fastened the doors up again and the next morning found them opened again. Charles Kitchener of Barton, police constable – last Saturday 9 May he found Fenn at work in Tomson’s barn and took him into custody. Fenn denied breaking into the barn. He then said he was the man who did it and was drunk at the time. He showed Fenn the wide awake and Fenn said it was his. Charles Maffey of Luton, police constable – on Saturday night he went to the cage and asked Fenn what he was brought in for. Fenn said it was no use to tell lies about it. Fenn said he had left his hat in the barn when he left work and broke in to get it back.

item

Fenn, Robert,
Tomson, Charles,
Randall, Henry,
Armsden, John,
Kitchener, Charles,
Maffey, Charles

SUNDON, LUTON, Barton, breaking & entering, stealing, wheat, farm labourer, hats, police constables