QSR1858/1/5/12

Depositions of James Brace, herdsmen of Little Barford, Thomas Lovell, farmer of St Neots and William Bedlow, police constable of Eaton. In the case of Thomas Upchurch accused od stealing a bull's skin, a calf's skin and a sheep's skin.

9 January 1858

From: 1858 To: 1858

James Brace: herdsman to Mr Alington. On Monday 26 October he skinned a [?] at Little Barford and hung the skin on a beam in the cart hovel at Mr Alington’s homestead. He saw it there about midday on the Tuesday. There was also calves skin and a sheep skin in the hovel. On Wednesday he checked the hovel and found the skins gone. The cart hovel was about a chain from the high road. The skin was shown to him on 30 November, at Mr Lovell’s yard, by PC Bedlow. He identified them as the same skins as he had hung up in the cart hovel. Thomas Lovell: a farmer of St Neots. On 29 November the prisoner brought a skin to his yard and offered it for sale. The prisoner said he had brought it from Royston. He bought the skin for 12 shillings. He handed the skin to PC Bedlow on 31 December. PC William Bedlow: a member of Bedfordshire Rural Police. He went to Mr Lovell’s yard on 30 November and he showed him a young bull’s skin. He afterwards showed the skin to Mr Alington’s herdsman, who identified it. Mr Lovell was unable to give the name of the man from whom he had bought the skin. From something he heard he went to Huntingdon and apprehended the prisoner in the pig market. The prisoner said he had come through Little Barford with a bull’s skin which he had bought between Barkway and Royston from a man who had a wagon drawn by 3 horses. The prisoner said he did not know the name on the wagon and he had hidden the skin near Eynesbury. The prisoner went with him to the place he had hidden them. He said he had slept at Huntingdon and had gone to Cambridge on the Wednesday and back to St Neots on Thursday. The prisoner had borrowed a wheelbarrow and retrieved the skin from its hiding place, before selling it to Mr Lovell. Statement of the accused: on Tuesday he went from Barkway to Royston and happened on a man on the Royston Road with a wagon and 3 horses. He asked the man for a ride and he agreed. He asked the man what he had rolled up in his wagon and the man replied a skin which he would sell to him if he wanted to buy it. The man wanted 15 shillings for it and he bought it for 10 shillings. The man said he was going to Bedfordshire and would take him and the skin as far as he was going. This was said on the Potton Road. He left the man between Potton and Sandy. He took the skin and came through Sandy and Tempsford and Eynesbury. He thought it was too late to find lodgings and so hid the skin and went to Huntingdon. He returned for the skin on Thursday and sold it to Mr Lovell for 12 shillings.

item

Upchurch, Thomas,
Brace, James,
Lovell, Thomas,
Bedlow, William,
Alington, John

Little Barford, St Neots, herdsman, stealing, sheepskin