QSR1848/3/5/2

Depositions and examination - Richard Gamby charged wtih stealing a quantity of fowls from Samuel Haydon

12 April 1848

From: 1848 To: 1848

Samuel Haydon of Luton, farmer – he lives at New Mill End. On Tuesday 4 April his henhouse was locked up. On the morning of 5 April he found the tiles had been taken off the roof. A short ladder was set against the eaves of the henhouse and there was a bludgeon by it and some feathers. He had lost about 20 fowls. He has no doubt those now produced are his property. One of the pullets produced is a very large one. He had only 6 young cocks – there are 4 left and he believes the 2 cocks are his. There were eggs in the next henhouse where they did not go, and there were none in the henhouse that was broken into, which made him remark that they had taken the eggs. Richard Gamby – a week last Tuesday night (April 4) he and 3 others were drinking together. They came out of Denhams about 11.30pm and were playing about the road for half an hour. Then they all went in except Hobbs and himself. They stopped a while longer. Hobbs said he would be locked out and wanted him to go and lie down somewhere. They went round by the lane into Mr Haydon’s farm yard. Just as they got against the hen house they heard one of the hens hollow. He lifted Hobbs up and let him put his hand into a hole. He went and fetched a ladder from the barn door. Hobbs stood on that and put his hand into the hole again. Hobbs went to the top of the ladder and said he would pull the tiles. Hobbs pulled them off and gave them to him. Hobbs then cut a piece of wood in two that went across the top. Hobbs went inside and passed the fowls out. They put them in Hobbs’ round frock and tied them up. Hobbs gave him 5 eggs. They took some of the fowls to his house which they put in a basket, and left some in a meadow which they tied up in a handkerchief. They went down the road to Daltons Mill, went into a meadow just on the other side of the Dalton’s Mill to a stack, laid the hens there, then laid down and went to sleep. When they got up it was daylight. They covered over the hens and went to Harpenden until the people got up. They then went to Robinson’s house and had some bread, cheese and beer, and 4 of the eggs – they broke one. Frederick Ivory of Kimpton (Herts) – on 8 April he saw Richard Gamby. They went down the road together toward Kimpton. He talked to Gamby about Haydon’s fowls. He said it was being laid to William Hawkins. Gamby said it was not Hawkins and that he knew who it was. Gamby said the fowls were hidden in a rick along the bottom, that 5 eggs were also taken, two of which he had for breakfast, and that young Pire was with him and had the rest of the eggs. John Millard of Luton, police constable – hearing Mr Haydon had lost some fowls he went to Haydon’s premises with PC Keating on 5 April. He saw a number of tiles had been removed and replaced, that there was a bludgeon and some spots of blood on the wall. On 11 April he again went over to Haydon’s, where they sent for Gamby. He asked Gamby if he had told Ivory anything about the fowls. Gamby said he had not, but had later told him what he had been told at Harpenden Common by two strangers, which was that they were hidden at the bottom of a rick at the side of the footpath leading from New Mill End to Harpenden. Gamby said he told them it was Mr Dalton’s rick. They took Gamby to the rick, searched and found 12 fowls at the bottom of it, the skins of which he produces. This morning Gamby told him they did not think of doing it even 3 minutes before they did. Gamby said he stood outside on a ladder while Hobbs was inside and gave him the fowls. Gamby said that he and another on the morning of the steeple chase when to a public house at Harpenden where there was a new sign and had some bread and cheese and a pint of beer. The steeple chase was on Wednesday 5 April. William Robinson of Harpenden (Herts), victualler – he keeps a public house at Harpenden. On the morning of the steeple chase Gamby and another man came to his house about 8am and had some breakfast – 3 pennyworth of bread, 2 pennyworth of cheese and a pint of beer and some onions. They asked if he could oblige them with a saucepan as they had 2 or 3 eggs which they wished to boil. They had the eggs with them. William Edward Bayldon of Luton, police superintendent - he took Gamby to Bedford Gaol. He asked Gamby if he had found any birds nests this year. Gamby said he had, in the stack where the policeman found the fowls. He asked what fowls. Gamby said "them that we stole. He asked who stole them. Gamby said "Hobbs and me".

item

Gamby, Richard,
Haydon, Samuel,
Ivory, Frederick,
Millard, John,
Robinson, William,
Bayldon, William Edward

LUTON, New Mill End, Harpenden, Kimpton, stealing animals, fowls, farmer, police constable, victualler, Hertfordshire inns, horse racing, police superintendent