QSR1860/4/5/7

Depositions of Joseph Brightman, market gardener of Clophill. John Bottoms, plasterer of Clophill. John Eddy, labourer of Clophill. Thomas Worsley, police constable stationed at Clophill and Edward Scott, police constable stationed at Westoning. Int he case of John Sear accused of stealing a mixed cotton tweed coat and a cotton pocket handkerchief.

11 October 1860

From: 1860 To: 1860

Joseph Brightman: on 29 September he tied up a coat in a cotton handkerchief and placed it in a flat in his cart. He had been in Luton when he placed the flat in the cart. He left Luton about 3pm, by himself, and drove to Gravenhurst. He then sent the cart and horse with his boy, John Eddy. Before Eddy took the horse and cart home, he had some celery and rabbit from the flat. The coat and handkerchief were safe. He tied the flat down again. He did not return to Clophill until the following Monday morning and on examining the flat he missed the coat and handkerchief. He made enquiries about them but could learn nothing. On 2 October he informed the police and went with PC Worsley to Steppingley were he saw John Sear. As soon as Sear saw him he said “you lost a parcel on Saturday night. I found it about 5 or 10 yards from your house about 5 o’clock on Sunday morning and it is now at my place”. He accompanied the prisoner to his house and he fetched the parcel from his premises. It was the parcel he had lost. There had also been a parcel of dirty linen in the flat which remained safe. John Eddy: he was 11 years of age and lived at Clophill with his parents. He was employed by Joseph Brightman. On the afternoon of 29 September he was at Gravenhurst and met his master there. He took the cart and horse home to Clophill. His master remained in Gravenhurst. He put the cart in the hovel and it had been in the same state as when he had taken it from his master. He saw the flat in the cart and it was covered over with sacks. He did not notice what was in the flat. Nobody rode with him from Gravenhurst to Clophill. He did not know the prisoner. John Bottoms: he knew John Sear and recollected seeing him on 30 September at Clophill. He entered conversation with him and kept in conversation with him down to the prosecutor’s yard where he also lived. PC Worlsey passed by. The prisoner asked if he could lie down anywhere and he replied there was not much straw on his premises but there was some on the next (Joseph Brightman’s). He gave the prisoner a lift on to the straw. It was about 1am. He left the prisoner and went in to bed. PC Thomas Worsley: on the night of Saturday 29 September he had been on duty at Clophill and on the Sunday morning he saw John Sear talking to John Bottoms close to the prosecutor’s yard. He said to the prisoner “Hello Jack are you lurking about here at this time of night”. The prisoner replied “yes I know my way home” and he left Bottoms and Sear standing there. Clophill was about 5 ½ miles from Steppingley. He went to the bottom of Clophill and on his return the prisoner was gone and on passing again he saw nothing lying in the street. It was a bright moonlit night. The following Tuesday, 2 October, he was informed of the loss. He accompanied the prosecutor to the house of PC Scott at Westoning. They all set to Steppingley together to go to the prisoner’s house. The prisoner was out but soon came up the road. Sear told Brightman he had lost a parcel which he had picked up for him. He told Sear he had come for the parcel and that he suspected him of taking it. He accompanied Sear to his house and out to the stable. Sear pulled a sack to one side and lifted up a round smock which was rolled up. In the smock was a coat tied in a handkerchief. The prosecutor identified the coat and handkerchief. The prisoner was taken into custody and charged. Whilst being conveyed to the lock up at Ampthill he told the prisoner he had no business sleeping there and the prisoner replied he had lay down until 5am and then came outside and picked up the parcel close to the wall. On being taken before the Magistrate he told the prisoner he would not have got into the mess had he not slept there and the prisoner replied he had not lay there for more than an hour as it was very cold and he had gone towards the New Inn and then came back and lit his pipe. It was 5am when he started off and picked up the parcel. PC Edward Scott: on 3 October the prosecutor and last witness came to his house. He accompanied them to Steppingley in search of John Sear. He ascertained Sear was in a field carting oats and went to him. He told the prisoner there was someone at the gate and as soon as he saw the prosecutor, Sear said that he had lost a parcel and he had found it at 5amon Sunday morning. Sear said the parcel was at his place. They went together to the prisoner’s house and the coat and handkerchief were produced. Statement of the accused: he could say no more than he had said. He had asked whether he (Bottoms) had anywhere he could lay and Bottoms had said he’d asked his missus. He told Bottoms anywhere would do. He had picked up the parcel about 5am close to the wall.

item

Brightman, Joseph,
Bottoms, John,
Eddy, John,
Worsley, Thomas,
Scott, Edward,
Sear, John

CLOPHILL, WESTONING, STEPPINGLEY, stealing, coats