QSR1847/4/5/3/a

Depositions and examination - Charles Hopkins

17 July 1847

From: 1847 To: 1847

James Whitbread of Aspley Guise, labourer – he works for Mr William Warr. He was at plough yesterday (16 July) in a field called Ash Meadow in Aspley Guise. He left off about 2.30. He left eh plough in the field with the share on. He believes the plough share produced is the one he left on the plough. He took the wheels off the plough and put them under the hedge. When he went to work that morning at 6.30am the wheels and plough share were gone. He informed Mr Warr’s nephew. John Smith of Aspley Guise, labourer – he is employed by Mr Warr and was at plough in Ash Meadow on Thursday 15 July. The broken share now produced was affixed to the plough he was using. He knows it by the number and letter. He was present when the truck was examined and the broken plough share found in it. John Assbee of Aspley Guise – about 6.15 that morning he saw Hopkins wheeling the truck through Aspley. Hopkins stopped and had some beer at their house. Hopkins said he had got some iron in the truck which he was going to take to the foundry at Woburn. He helped Hopkins up the hill with it. He later saw William Adkins search the truck and find the whole pklough share and one of the ribs now produced. William John Adkins – he lives with his uncle William Warr who is a farmer at Aspley Guise. This morning (17 July) he was informed by James Whitbread that two plough shares had been stolen out of his uncle’s field. He saw Hopkins about an hour earlier coming from the field. Hopkins was pushing a truck which seemed to contain something very heavy. From information he later received he went up Woburn Lane and on the top of the hill on the left hand side he found the same truck he had seen Hopkins with previously. He later came down again and was with Read the constable when they met Hopkins. They all three went back to the truck. Hopkins said it was not his and he believed it belonged to a young man at Leighton. He later examined the truck and found the whole plough share now produced. He has since found amongst other broken pieces of iron the two ribs of plough wheels and the broken plough share now produced. He knows the largest of the ribs is his uncle’s property as it is very much worn at both ends. He does not know if the 2 plough shares belong to his uncle. Charles Hopkins – he has nothing to say. He bought the iron but does not know where from.

item

Hopkins, Charles,
Smith, John,
Assbee, John,
Adkins, William John,
Warr, William

ASPLEY GUISE, Aspley Guise fields, stealing, agricultural implements, ploughs, ploughman