QSR1856/4/5/5,6,19

Depositions of Joseph Beaumont Gregory, farmer of Milton Bryan, William Eastaff, labourer of Milton Bryan, PC Benjamin George of Eversholt, PC Alfred Ing of Potsgrove, William Burrows of Milton Bryan, Fanny Burch, wife of Thomas of Milton Bryan, PC John Thorogood of Toddington, William Clarke, labourer of Toddington, Ann Baker, widow, John Spacey, labourer of Milton Bryan and Joseph Baker, a plumber and glazier of Toddington. Witnessses for the defence; William Freeman of Great Gadsden, Samuel Pepps of Toddington, Mary Ann Miller of Toddington and Ann Pepper. In the case of Charles Athews, George Holmes and James Philpot accused of stealing 5 bushels of wheat.

8 August 1856

From: 1856 To: 1856

Joseph Beaumont Gregory: Son of George Gregory who had a farm at Milton Bryan. On 28 July PC George came about 2.30am and informed him he had caught 2 men with 2 bags of wheat and asked if he had lost any. He got up and checked his father’s barn where men had been cleaning wheat on 26 July. He could not tell if any was missing. The PC had the bags at the Red Lion at Milton and he went to look at them. He examined the contents and knew immediately that it was his father’s property. The wheat was half dressed. There was a hole in one of the bags and he traced the droppings of the wheat from his father’s barn to the close of a farmer by the name of Cook. The bags contained 4 or 5 bushels of wheat and were valued at 40 shillings. It was missed red and white wheat. William Eastaff: he was employed by George Gregory. On 26 July he and others had been dressing wheat in his master’s barn. They left about 5pm and swept the wheat up into a heap against the side of the barn. He noticed the wheat reached a certain height by a crack in the boards. The barn door was shut but unlocked. It was customary for some of the master family to lock up. On Monday Joseph Gregory asked him if he could tell if any wheat had gone and as soon as he saw the heap he knew some of the wheat was missing. He thought about 5 bushels to be missing. PC Benjamin George: on 27 July he was on duty at Milton Bryan and his attention was caught by several men who he knew to be reputed thieves. He watched them until 11pm. They had a donkey and cart which them. George Holmes, who went by the name Brandy Holmes, was one of the men. He remained at Milton Bryan until 1.30am and hearing some dogs bark and the voices of men he went into William Burrows yard. He saw a partly open gate leading into the premises occupied by James Philpot. He waited near the gate and saw 2 men with bags on their back come through Burrows yard and towards Philpot’s gate. Athews had hold of the gate and was in the act of going through and the other man was close behind. He laid hold of Athews and the other man dropped his load and struck him with a stick. He continued his hold on Athews and also took hold of the other man. A struggle ensued and there all fell to the ground. He kicked out at the other man and called out ‘Thieves’. The other man put his hand across his mouth and George bit his finger. He retained hold of Athews and the other man ran off through Philpot’s yard. PC Ing came to the spot where he had Athews in custody and went in pursuit of the other man. The other man had on a loose slop jacket and was a tallish man. PC Ing returned and took Athews into custody whilst he examined the bags and found them to contain 2 and a half bushels of wheat each. There was a small hole in one of the bags. He found Philpot’s barn open. He went to Gregory’s farm and found the door unlocked. He called up Joseph Beaumont Gregory and showed him the bags which he identified as his father’s property. The prisoner Athews was removed to the lock up at Woburn. He received a cap and skelton keys from Burrows, the landlord of the Red Lion. He obtained a sample of the wheat from Gregory’s barn and the bags. He suspected George Holmes to be the other man and shortly after he had made his escape he directed Police Sergeant Thorogood at Toddington to look after Holmes. He went to Toddington next morning and saw Holmes in the street. PC Alfred Ing: on 28 July he was on duty at Milton Bryan in the company of PC George. He had left George for a short time when he heard him call out ‘thieves’. He went to the spot at the Red Lion and found George and Athews struggling on the ground. There were 2 bags lying by the side of them. He had some difficulty getting into the yard and when there he was informed a man had escaped. He went in pursuit and soon after returned to the Red Lion. He took Athews in custody and conveyed him to the lock up at Woburn. PC George had blood on his face. William Burrows: he kept the Red Lion at Milton Bryan. On 28 July he went into the yard on his premises having been informed a robbery had taken place. He found a cap and a skeleton key. He handed them to PC George. Early that morning he had heard a disturbance upon his premises and found Athews in the PC’s custody. The previous evening George Holmes had been in his house in his working dress and had on a cap similar to the one he found. Holmes had been at his house with several other men. He overheard some conversation and one of the party, a woman, said Holmes had been to Philpot’s premises. People left the house about 11pm and he heard no mention of a Christening. George Holmes’s father and sister were at the house and a man names Freeman. Fanny Burch: wife of Thomas and they lived in a house adjoining Philipot’s. She heard some mooing about 1am and in consequence of hearing further noise she looked out of the window. Philpot’s barn door was open and she saw a man come out of the barn. She called out several times but no one answered. The man ran out of the barn and she called out and went through Philipot’s premises into the yard of Burrows. Shortly after she saw PC George with a man in his custody and she saw another man run from Burrows yard and through Burrow’s gate leading up the road. The barn she referred to as Philpot’s had been taken into her husband’s occupation 3 days before and she had a set of shelves and an iron boiler in it. The barn was shut and a piece of wood put in the staple. Philpot had 2 barrows in the barn. Police Sergeant John Thorogood: about 4am on 28 July he received information regarding the robbery. He called at the house of Holmes about 5am. Holmes was upstairs and came down and appeared agitated and was trembling. He asked Holmes what time he went to bed and he replied about 1am. He asked when he had left Milton Bryan and was told about 11pm. He examined Holmes hand and found blood on it. He left. The same morning he went to Milton Bryan to Philpot’s house and asked if George Holmes had been there the previous night and was told he had. He received a cap from PC George and accompanied by George went to Toddington. They met Holmes who was wearing a new cap which he said he had bought at Hampstead on his way back from the hay country. He noticed a spot of blood of Holmes breeches. Asked if he had been to Philpot’s, Holmes said he had been to see Philpot’s daughter but she had not been home. He went to Philpot’s and asked if he had sent Athews to the Bell the preceding evening and he said he had not but he had seen Athews in the passage. Philipot said he had neither given Athews beer nor money. He took Philpot into custody for being concerning in the robbery. Philpot said he had been home asleep. On 3 August he apprehended Holmes. On examining him he found bruises on his legs apparently some day old. He asked Holmes where his old cap was and he said it was at home. He took Holmes to the lock up. The same evening he asked the prisoner’s father for his cap but the cap shown to him he believed to have been that of the prisoner’s brother in laws. William Clarke: on 27 July he was at the Bell in Toddington. James Philpot came in and asked for someone to fetch Charles Athews saying he would give them a pint of beer. He said he would fetch Athews and Athews returned with him to the Bell. He went to the bar and ordered a pint which Philpot paid for. He left Philpot and Athews together in conversation in a passage. Ann Baker: a widow and keeper of the Bell at Toddington. On 27 July she saw Athews and Philpot together in the passage leading to the tap Room. Philpot gave Athews something which he put into his pocket. Just before Philpot had asked her to change a piece of money but she had been busy at the time. The prisoners remained in the house about 5 minutes and then went away. John Spacey: on 27 July he had been returning from Toddington to Milton Bryan with his wife when he saw Athews and Philpot in conversation. They were stood at the side of the road. He passed them and just before he got to Milton, Philpot overtook him and they entered Milton together. Philpot had a married daughter and a single daughter. Joseph Baker: on 27 July he saw Philpot standing near Mrs Holmes’ talking to her. Mrs Holmes was the mother of George Holmes. Witnesses for the defence: William Freeman – he lived at Great Gadsden, Hertfordshire. He had worked for Mr Mead of Hudnell and on 27 July he had been at Toddington in the house of Holmes’s father. He left at 9am and William Hart lent him and George Holmes a donkey and cart to go to Woburn to fetch Holmes’s sister, Mrs Colburn, and her 2 children. One of the children was to be christened at Toddington. He spent the day with Holmes. Holmes went to the church and stood for the child. In the evening he went in the donkey and cart with Holmes, his father, Sam Pepper, Ann Pepper and his wife to the Red Lion at Milton Bryan. Sam Pepper went on with his sister and Mrs Colburn and her 2 children. They left Burrows about 11pm and were overtaken by Sam Pepper and the donkey on the way to Toddington. Holmes had not been out of his company. They all reached Toddington together. He, his wife and Holmes’s father went to Holmes’s father house and Holmes took the donkey back to Hart’s with Pepper and his wife. He saw Holmes about an hour later and slept with him that night. The clock struck 1am before they went to bed. About 4.30am Holmes’s father called him and said Thorogood wanted him. He remained in bed and Holmes returned to bed. Witnesses for the defence: Samuel Pepper – a foreman to Mr Bass at Toddington. He married a sister of the prisoner Holmes. On 27 July was at Holmes house and he and the prisoner went to Milton in a donkey cart. They went to Burrows house. He took Mrs Colburn towards Woburn and returned to Milton. He overtook Holmes, Freeman and others on the way to Toddington. He accompanied them. They got to Toddington about 12.30am. Holmes remained in his company whilst Freeman went on the direction of Holmes’s house. Holmes, he and his wife went to Hart’s with the donkey and cart. Holmes unharnessed the donkey. He saw no more of him. Mary Ann Miller: on the evening of 27 July she saw George Holmes with a donkey and cart going in the direction of Hart’s premises. She saw Holmes after and he asked her the time. She replied it was gone 12. She had been up so late because she had been attending her sister. Holmes went in the direction of his father’s house. Ann Pepper: wife of Samuel. She returned with Holmes, her husband and others to Toddington. It was 12.30am. Statements of the accused: Charles Athews – he was there but had nothing to do with the wheat. Nobody was along with him. George Holmes – he was innocent. James Philpot – he had nothing to do with it. He had been at the Bell to see Athews and had given a man a pint of beer to find him. It was about 2 old guns. Athews had asked him to get him a gun about 6 months previous. Half an hour after he left the Bell he met him again at the gravel pit and Athews asked him to trust him for one of them. He told Athews he would not. He told Athews to be quick in finding him a customer as they were sure to go. He wished Athews goodnight and said no more to him. He was at home in bed by 10.20pm. He was ill in the night with his bowels.

item

Athews, Charles,
Holmes, George,
Philpot, James,
Gregory, Joseph Beaumont,
Eastaff, William,
George, Benjamin,
Ing, Alfred,
Burrows, William,
Burch, Fanny,
Thorogood, John,
Clarke, William,
Baker, Ann,
Spacey, John,
Baker, Joseph,
Freeman, William,
Holmes, George,
Philipp, Edward,
Pepper, Samuel,
Pepper, Ann,
Miller, Mary Ann,
Freeman, William,
Colburn

MILTON BRYAN, TODDINGTON, Great Gaddesden, stealing, wheat, plumber, victualler, Milton Bryan Red Lion, Toddington Bell, christening