QSR1857/4/5/7

Depositions of Thomas Wooding, labourer of Arlesey, John Wright, police constable of Sandon, John Hilsden, Inspector of Police of Royston and Ann Shepherd, widow of Arlesey. In the case of Thomas Ambrose accused of stealing a pound of horse hair.

17 September 1857

From: 1857 To: 1857

Thomas Wooding: a bailiff to Christopher and Richard Toller. On 7 June he went into the close where the cart horses where. His masters were with him and one of them called him attention to one of the horses. Upon examining it he saw that a great piece of hair from its tail had been cut off. About 12 inches. It was a black horse with a few grey hairs in his man and tail. The hair produced by the policeman compared with the horse tail both in colour and in quantity. Part of the mane had also been cut off and more hair produced by the policeman compared with this. He had seen the horse the day before. PC John Wright: on 12 June he apprehended the prisoner and he had a bundle with him in which he found a quantity of black horse hair. It had a few white hairs in it. It appeared to have been cut off. He asked the prisoner he it came into his possession and he said he got it from a man at a farm house and gave a pair of scissors for it. He could not say where but it had been some miles off. He took the prisoner to the station and delivered the hair to the Inspector. On the prisoner he found a card with the instruction ”Please to relieve the poor Deaf & Dumb”. Inspector John Hilsden: on 12 June the prisoner was delivered into his charge by PC Wright. He also received a bundle of horse hair and other articles. On 13 June he went to Waterloo Farm at Arlesey where he saw Mr Toller who showed him the horse which he recently had it mane and tail cut. He compared the hair in his possession with the horse and it corresponded. He had taken the prisoner to Arlesey but he was not present when the hair was compared. The prisoner said he knew he would suffer for it but he had not cut off the hair and he had been at Buntingford the night it was cut off. Ann Shepherd: a widow living about a mile from Mr Toller’s farm. On 6 June the prisoner came to her house and pretended to be deaf and dumb. He was showing a card to a man who lived at her house. Statement of the accused: nothing to say.

item

Ambrose, Thomas,
Wooding, Thomas,
Wright, John,
Hilsden, John,
Shepherd, Ann,
Toller, Richard,
Toller, Christopher

ARLESEY, Sandon, Royston, stealing, horses