QSR1857/3/5/15

Depositions of Louisa Tompkins, wife of Humphrey, a labourer of Dunstable, Jane Tompkins, single woman and John Thorogood, police sergeant of Toddington. In the case of Rebecca Sinfield accused of receiving a stolen plaid dress.

29 June 1857

From: 1857 To: 1857

Louisa Tompkins: on the evening of 9 May she hung a plaid dress on a line at the back of their home to dry. On the following morning she found it was gone. She had since seen it in the possession of Sergeant Thorogood. The dress produced was the one she had lost but it had been altered. Jane Tompkins: she was the daughter of Humphrey Tompkins and the last witness. She was at Toddington on 21 June and saw the prisoner there with her mother’s dress on. Her sister was with her. She remarked to her sister that the prisoner had on her mother’s dress. She thought the prisoner may have heard her as she hurried away. She told Police Sergeant Thorogood. She knew the dress produced to be her mothers. Sergeant John Thorogood: on 22 June he went to the prisoner’s house and asked her what coloured dress she had been wearing on Sunday afternoon. The prisoner said a light one. He asked her whether she had the light one when the Primitive Preacher was preaching in the lane. She said she had. He told her she had a plaid one on at the time and she replied ‘oh yes’ she had and she had put the light one on afterwards. He asked her to fetch the dress, which she did and he asked her how she came by it. The prisoner said she had bought it from a rag stall in Luton and had given 3d for it 9 weeks ago. She did not know the man she had bought it off. He told he should take her into custody for receiving the dress knowing it stolen either from John Burrows or [?] Cheshire. Both men lived in the same house with her at the time the dress was stolen. She later said she had bought it from John Burrows and gave him half a quartern loaf and some halfpence for it. Burrows was in prison on another charge. The prisoner said she had altered the dress. Statement of the accused: she bought the dress from John Burrows and what Mr Thorogood said she gave for it she gave.

item

Tompkins, Louisa,
Thorogood, John,
Sinfield, Rebecca,
Tompkins, Jane

DUNSTABLE, TODDINGTON, receiving stolen goods, dress