QSR1848/2/5/11

Depositions and examination - Samuel Woods of Swineshead (Hunts)

28 March 1848

From: 1848 To: 1848

William Freeman of Great Catworth (Hunts), labourer – he is in the service of John Smith, a corn factor of Great Catworth. On 11 March, a Saturday, he was driving his master’s team from Melchbourne to Catworth with a load of tiels. At Melchbourne he had a light brown great coat given to him to take to Catworth by John Hobbs of Podington for Mr Pashler of Great Catworth. He put the coat in the fore part of the wagon on the tiles. It was covered by 2 wagon cloths. He did not see it again. He stopped at Dean to take some sacks off the wagon at the house of Mr Milliken, a farmer there. He stopped there about 7 or 8 minutes. During that time no one had charge of his team. He had tied the first horse to the gate. When he got to Dean way post, in about 1 ½ miles, he looked for the coat and it was gone. The coat produced by Mr Pashler is the same one. George Maile of Dean, one of the rural police – on 20 March Mr Pashler said he had lost a great coat from the wagon driven by Freeman and had heard it was at the house of Samuel Woods and Swineshead. He went to Woods’ house. Woods was not at home. He asked Woods’ housekeeper some questions and saw a light coloured brown coat hanging in a corner of the room. He recognised it as Pashler’s from the description. He sent for Woods, who said he found the coat on Wednesday 15 about a chain from the Melchbourne brickyards on the Dean Road. Woods took the cart with him to Swineshead where Pashler was. He told Pashler that Woods’s housekeeper had stated Woods had had the coat ever since she lived with him, which is over 2 months. John Pashler of Great Catworth (Hunts), farmer – the great coat produced is his. He had heard that a coat like his had been seen hanging in the garden of Woods’ cottage o Monday 13 March. Woods later said he had found the coat on the road on Wednesday 15. When he said it had been seen on his premises on 13th Woods said he was a liar. Woods left and a ¼ hour later returned and said he had made a mistake, and had found it on the Friday before. The value of the coat is 10s. Samuel Woods of Swineshead (Hunts) – he found the coat on Friday 10 march about 4pm, not a chain fromt eh Brickyard Gate on the road. On Sunday it was hung on the hedge to dry. It was hung out again on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That is all he wishes to say.

item

Woods, Samuel,
Freeman, William,
Maile, George,
Smith, John,
Hobbs, John,
Pashler, John,
Milliken

SWINESHEAD, Great Catworth, DEAN, MELCHBOURNE, Melchbourne Dean Road, stealing, coat, corn factor, police constable, brickworks