QSR1857/3/5/11b

Depositions of Edward Goodhall, servant of Dunstable, William Whinnett, servant of Dunstable, Mary Burt, single woman of Dunstable, PC Jeremiah Cuttriss of Dunstable and PC John Lambert of Dunstable. In the case of John Burrows accused of stealing a live fowl, a pair of shoes, 3 brushes, a bag and a gridiron.

8 June 1857

From: 1857 To: 1857

Edward Goodhall: a servant to Mr William Medland of Dunstable. Sometime in April he lent a half bred Dorking hen, belonging to his master, to John Pratley. On Tuesday the PC Cuttriss showed him a hen which he believed to be the same as he had lent to Pratley. He knew it by its comb. William Whinnett: he lived at Mr Pratley’s Saracen’s Head in Dunstable. Sometime in April, Goodhall lent him a hen for sitting. The hen was on his masters premises until 1 June. He saw the hen safe with the chicken on 1 June and missed her the next morning. The same day he saw the hen in the possession of PC Cuttriss. He had a pair of button shoes on a shelf in his masters’ boot house. He also missed them on the morning of 2 June. He saw them again in the possession of PC Lambert. He missed some other articles the same day including 2 brushes and a bag. The brushes and bag were in the boot house. Mary Burt: a servant to Mr Pratley at the Saracen’s Head. On 2 June he saw the 3 brushes, gridiron and bag were in the possession of the police. He saw them all safe the day before. PC Jeremiah Cuttriss: on 1 June he heard a horse on Mr Farr’s premises which was within 4 or 5 doors of Mr Pratley. He went to the yard and found the prisoner there. He asked him what he was doing. The prisoner said he was a stranger at Dunstable and had lost his way. He perceived the stranger had something in his pocket. He searched him and found the warm fowl in his pocket. He asked the prisoner where he had the fowl from and he replied he had bred it, later he said that he had bought it from 2 travellers, and later he said from 2 navvies. The prisoner later said he had picked it up from the road. He also found a bag and one of the brushes in his pocket. The prisoner said they were his own. The next day he searched his house and in a cupboard he found the stove brushes and in the bedroom a scrubbing brush. He found the gridiron in a hovel near the back door. PC John Lambert: he assisted PC Cuttriss in searching the prisoner’s house and found button shoes in a tin boiler outside the back door. Statement of the accused: he took his little boys down the town for a walk to see if they could see his brother. He went down Church Street and through Church yard and into Mr Marshall’s field. He saw something in a ditch. It was the bag, the iron, the brushes and the boots. He picked them up and took them home. He left them at home except for the brush and the bag which he had in his pocket. He later went down town and met 2 men against the Saracens’ Head and they asked if he knew anyone who bought fowls. He replied no and asked if they had any. They asked him to buy one but he said he only had 9 pence. He told them he’d give them 9 pence and a knife, which he’d paid a shilling for. They would not tell him where they had the fowl from but they wanted rid of it as they were going up the Hay Country. After that he went to the Saracens’ Head and stopped about an hour and took 2 or 3 pints.

item

Burrows, John,
Goodhall, Edward,
Cuttriss, Jeremiah,
Whinnett, William,
Burt, Mary,
Lambert, John,
Medland, William,
Pratley, John

DUNSTABLE, stealing, servant, shoes, fowls, Dunstable Saracen's Head