QSR1847/3/5/41

Depositions and examination - John Paine of Aspley Guise, pig dealer and horse dealer, charged wtih stealing 2 bushels of wheat (value £1) from Henry Durrant at Aspley Guise

20 June 1847

From: 1847 To: 1847

Henry Durrant of Aspley Guise, miller – he occupies a water mill in Aspley Guise, which does not adjoin the house. He had about 4 loads of wheat in a bin in the upper part of the mill which he had bought from Mr W Warr. It is a mixed wheat, red and white. On Tuesday evening he missed 2 bushels or more. On that day he had seen a little bak window was unfastened. He examined the sleeve from that bin to the room underneath and saw it was left in a way he never does. From information received he went next morning to the house of John Paine, a few hundred yards from the mill. He asked to see the wheat Paine had in his house. Paine at first said he might, then hesitated and said his wheat came from below Elstow. He went in and saw a sack standing in a back room. He took some wheat out and it corresponded exactly with his. Paine said he did not know who he bought the wheat from, that he had it in a swap at Elstow Fair. He said it was stolen wheat. He took another sample out of the sack (now produced). He is sure that at that time there were no split peas among the wheat. The sample corresponds with the sample of his own wheat in every way, with little chaff, some broken corns and a very little mice dung. He saw the sample in the blue bag taken out of the sack in the prisoner’s house last night. There are split peas in it. Paine could have done what he pleased with the sack since he was at Paine’s house yesterday morning. A man might have got in by the window which he found unfastened. Elizabeth Durrant, wife of Henry Durrant – on Tuesday evening she went to Paine’s house. She went into the back room and saw a sack standing there covered with a sheet. She put her hand on it and felt it was small corn in it. She did not say anything to Paine about it. Samuel Barratt of Aspley Guise, labourer – he knows Paine. On Monday morning he was coming from Durrant’s mill towards Woburn Sands at a few minutes after 3am. He was on his way to watch game for Mr Hoare’s keeper. As he was getting over the gate from Durrant’s premises into the road near Paine’s house he saw Paine and a young man about 20 yards away. The young man said it was a fine morning – it was then raining hard. Paine turned his back on him and walked towards his own house. Paine had an empty sack on his arm. About 3.45am that morning he was in the high road near the Sands. Paine passed him on the road towards Woburn with an empty sack on his arm and said good morning. The young man had a brown smock on and went towards the weathercock. He does not know Clem Emerton but has heard of him. He cannot say whether the young man was Clem Emmerton or not. John Paine – he was going to Aylesbury Fair on Mondyay morning and had a sack to put over his shoulders because it rained. About 5 or 6 weeks ago he was at Elstow Fair and and exchanged a horse for 8 bushels of wheat. The man he exchanged with brought the wheat to his house and then had the horse. They did not know each other. The man brought the wheat in a sort of dealer’s cart. The man did not tell him his name and said he came from beyond Elstow. He thinks this was in May. The split peas were in the wheat when he bought it. They disputed about it.

item

Paine, John,
Durrant, Henry,
Durrant, Elizabeth,
Barratt, Samuel,
Warr, W,
Emerton, Clem

ASPLEY GUISE, stealing, wheat, miller, pig dealer, horse dealer, fairs and markets