QSR1847/4/5/21-22/c

Depositions - Thomas Hunt and William Hunt charged with stealing a quantity of beech wood from Thomas Langton, Daniel Langton and Walter Langton

28 September 1847

From: 1847 To: 1847

Thomas Miles of Luton, labourer – he is foreman employed by Messrs Langton, timber merchangs in London. They have purchased the fall of timber in Luton Park in Luton from Charles Thomas Warde Esq. None of the woodmen are allowed to sell any wood over 2 feet long. If the pieces are under 2 feet and they do not charge for cross cutting they are allowed to have them. He marks the wood he has paid them to cross cut with red chalk to show it is Messrs Langton’s property. He had marked the piece of split beech now produced with red chalk. One of the round pieces produced is also marked with an “H” and the other piece with a “T.L”. He can swear they are Messrs Langtons’ property. He made the “H” mark himself and the piece with “T.L.” has been cut in two just where he marked it and part of the “H” is now on it. On 15 April he went to Thomas and William Hunt who were sawing wood. They had no chips. He told Bent and Hale, two of the woodmen, to go and split any wood they found lying around the pits marked with an “H”. On the afternoon of that day he left and did not return until April 23. He marks the wood that is split up for sale with an “H” to show it is Messrs Langton’s property. John Bent of Harpenden (Herts), labourer – on 17 April he was working for Messrs Langton in Luton Park. Thomas Hunt and William Hunt were at work sawing close by him. William Fleckney came to the Hunts and they told him to roll some pieces of wood down to the palings while they cut out the piece they were at work at. Fleckney did so, then fetched his cart. The Hunts lifted the wood over the palings to him and they put it in his cart. The pieces Fleckney rolled down to the palings were round pieces of beech. He saw Mr Akers go to Fleckney and Fleckney brought the pieces back in his cart. Mr Akers put a round mark on the end of them. He matched the pieces of round beech now produced with what was left – they are some of the pieces Miles had told Hale and himself to split up and are two of the pieces Mr Akers marked in his presence. Joseph Hale of Harpenden (Herts), labourer – on 17 April he was at work in Luton Park with John Bent. He agrees with Bent’s evidence. He had seen the Hunts saw the pieces of wood in two before Fleckney. One piece was 5 feet long before it was sawn. Zacharaiah Akers of Luton, woodman – he is bailiff to Charles Thomas Warde, the owner of Luton Park. Mr Warde told him that Messrs Langton had purchased all the timber trees that were marked. The woodmen were employed to fell those trees. On 17 April he saw a cart standing by the side of the Park palings. Some men appeared to be lifting wood over the palings. He was not near enough to see who they were. A man drew the cart across the road to a side road. He followed it. The man with it was William Fleckney. He stopped Fleckney and found 4 pieces of round beech in his cart. He made Fleckney take it back to the Park. When he was going after the cart he saw a heap of 33 pieces of split beech lying in the lane under a hedge. The split piece now produced is one of them. Fleckney said the Hunts had given it to him. He measured the round pieces when they were taken out of the cart – they averaged 2 feet 6 inches long. He marked them at the time. He left them near the pit and they were later lost again. On 4 August he found the 2 pieces now produced on a faggot pile, which are the same two he took out of Fleckney’s cart on 17 April. William Fleckney of Caddington (Herts), labourer – on 17 April he went to Luton Park and bought a load of wood from the Hunts. They were round pieces of beech like thos now produced. Mr Akers stopped him and asked who he bought them from. He told him he bought them from the Hunts. He took the wood back to the Park. Charles Maffey of Dunstable, police constable – he received the split piece of beech now produced last April from Zachariah Akers and has just received the 2 round pieces from him. The Hunts absconded last April.

item

Hunt, Thomas,
Hunt, William,
Langton, Thomas,
Langton, Daniel,
Langton, Walter,
Miles, Thomas,
Warde, Charles Thomas,
Bent, John,
Hale, Joseph,
Fleckney, William,
Akers, Zachariah,
Maffey, Charles

LUTON, Harpenden, CADDINGTON, DUNSTABLE, stealing, wood, beech, timber merchant, woodman, foreman, bailiff, carts, police constable