QSR1861/1/5/4-8

Depositions of Mary, wife of James Mayne, plumber and glazier of Stukeley, Bucks. John Bayliss, labourer of Chelsea. George Hall, labourer of Leighton Buzzard. Joseph King, labourer of Heath & Reach. Sarah, wife of Joseph Turney, grocer of Slapton. Charles Reeves, victualler of Chelsea. Benjamin Smith, labourer of Leighton Buzzard. Balzar Ludwig, lodging house keeper of Leighton Buzzard. John Stuart, William Champkins, George Woodward, police constables. In the case of Jane Green, Henry James Green, George Brown, William Jones and John Robinson accused of stealing a bank note of Leighton Buzzard Bank for the payment of the bearer on delivery and 2 sovereigns and a half sovereign.

30 October 1860

From: 1860 To: 1861

Mary Mayne: on 23 October she had been at Leighton Buzzard. She purchased some articles at the drapers shop there (Ridgways) and paid for them with a £10 note. She received a £5 Country Bank note and 2 sovereigns and a half sovereign. She put the note and gold into a purse in her pocket and went to a stall in the market. Whilst there a man caught hold of her arm and asked if she had lost anything. She examined her pocket and found the purse gone. Her pocket was cut and some silver and copper rolled out on the ground. To the best of her knowledge the prisoner were present when she was at the stall. There were a good number of people about and she knew none of them. She was sure she had put the money safe in her pocket. John Bayliss: he was employed on the railway. On the morning of Tuesday 23 October he saw Mary Mayne at a stall in the market. He saw Jones, Brown, 2 other men and the female prisoner near the witness. He was watching them as he suspected them. The male prisoner pressed against Mary Mayne whilst she was at the stall and the female prisoner stood behind her. Another prisoner stood as if to conceal what was going on. He thought he saw the female prisoner pass something to Brown who put it in his pocket and walked away. All of the prisoners went after him. He saw Jones speak to Robinson. He then asked Mary Mayne if she had lost anything and she replied she did not know. She put her hand in her pocket and some silver and half pence came out and fell to the ground. Mary Mayne said she had lost £5. All the prisoners were stranger to him. [cross examination – Jane Green] he had first seen her at Mr Reeves at the Nags Head in the company of Green and Robinson. He did not follow her but saw her near Mary Mayne. He was sure he had seen her at her dress. [cross examination – Henry James Green] he saw him standing in Reeve’s doorway with the woman. They were talking together. He could not say where they had gone when he left the house and did not follow them until after the robbery had been committed. He followed them for ¾ of a mile and they were all together. [cross examination – Brown] he believed the woman had passed him something and he had not come to the court with him. [cross examination – Jones] he saw him speak to Robinson and Brown. He saw him in the company of the other 4 prisoners when the robbery was committed. When the robbery was done they did not quite all go away together. [cross examination – Robinson] he saw him first at the Nags Head with the Greens. He saw him go to the stall after and try to conceal the robbery. Mrs Mayne suspected she was robbed. He judged she was being robbed form the way they were all around her. There were lots of people around Mrs Mayne. Robinson was about an arms length from her. He believed Mrs Mayne’s pocket to be on the right hand side of her dress. He did not see anyone pass anything to him. He saw him in conversation with the rest of the prisoners. He saw Mrs Mayne put her hand in her pocket and some money fell to the ground. He was sure the purse did not fall to the ground and did not pick up any of the money. He followed them for about ¾ of a mile. George Hall: he was in the company of John Bayliss and saw Mrs Mayne at the stall. The prisoners were as close as they could be to her. He saw the female prisoner at Mrs Mayne’s dress and saw her pass some things to Brown. He could not say what Brown put in his pocket. Brown walked away and the others followed. He and Bayliss asked Mrs Mayne if she had any money and she put her hand in her pocket and said she had lost about £5. He went with the police after the prisoners. The prisoners went in the direction of Union House and saw the prisoners all standing on the corner. The prisoners separated, with 2 coming towards town and 3 walking towards Union House. He gave the 2, Brown and Jones, into the charge of the policeman. He then went towards the station to prevent the other 3 from catching the train. [cross examination – Jane Green] he first saw her at the Nags Head with Green and Robinson. He saw her at the robbery. The woman’s dress was up as if to keep it out of the dirt. She was on the right hand side of the woman, close as she could get. Brown was next to her and he saw her pass something to Brown. He could not say what. [cross examination – Henry James Green] he saw him first at the Nags Head in the company of Jane Green and Robinson. He was with John Bayliss at the stall and he did not follow the prisoners directly, but after about 5 minutes. He was with the constable when Green was taken. He lost sight of Green whilst he went for the police. [cross examination – William Jones] he first saw him opposite the Nags Head. He did not see them all go together from the Nags Head. He saw him when the robbery was committed. He and Bayliss saw the robbery committed. All the prisoners went away one after another. Brown went first, the female prisoner followed. He next saw him by the gas house. All the prisoners were together. The policeman was with him and when they saw them the prisoners separated. They passed them as they stood still and he gave Brown into the policeman’s charge. He then went to the Town Hall. [cross examination – Robinson] he had not been with Bayliss all day but was with him when the robbery was committed. The prisoners were all around the woman and he could see what was going forward. John King: on 23 October he met Robinson, Jones and Brown against the gas house. They were talking about some money. They stopped. The female prisoner and Green came up to them and she said “what a haul”. Robinson said “a paltry seven pound ten”. He went away. He had stood in the road and heard what was said. Benjamin Smith: he had been at his house near the Union and had seen a woman and 2 men pass by. He did not see their faces. One was a tall man and one was a stoutish man. He noticed several people running but did not see a policeman. The woman spoke to the man and said “They’re following us” and one of the men said they had better not turn as it would show guilt. They kept on up the road. The 2 men were on one side of the road and the woman on the other. Balzar Ludwig: keeper of a lodging house in Leighton. On 22 October Jane Green, Henry James Green and Robinson went to his house and slept there. They went away the following morning. PC John Stuart: on 23 October, in consequence of the robbery, he went down Lake Street and saw all 5 of the prisoner in an unfinished building in Union Street. Jones and Brown came towards him and the others went towards Union House. Hall was with him and he pointed out Brown as the man he believed to have the money. He apprehended Brown and PC Champkins took Jones. He asked Brown where he came from and he replied ‘Blington’ and when asked he replied he had not seen or spoken to Jones ever before. Brown was searched and a knife found. On 24 October he spoke to Henry James Green at the station and he said he had come from Dunstable with his wife on 23 October. The female prisoner said the same. PC William Champkins: on 23 October he heard of the robbery and went with Bayliss down Lake Street. He went to the Gas House and passed Jones who was coming towards the town very fast. Hall pointed Jones out and he apprehended Jones. Jones denied all knowledge of the charge. He asked Jones where he came from and he replied ‘anywhere’. He searched Jones and found a half sovereign, a 3d piece and a penny. PC George Woodward: on 23 October he went in pursuit of the prisoners. He came up with Robinson, Henry James Green and Jane Green at Ivinghoe Aston. He told them the charge. Henry James Green denied being at Leighton and denied knowing Robinson. He took the men into the custody and the female accompanied them to the station where he took her into custody. When he told Robinson the charge he refused to sit near Green and said he was a rough looking fellow. He searched Robinson and found half a sovereign in gold and 3s 6d in silver and 8d in copper. On Henry James Green they found 2s and a penny and they found sixpence on Jane Green. Statement of the accused: Jane Green – she knew nothing about it. Henry James Green – he did not wish to say anything. George Brown – he knew nothing about it. William Jones – he did not wish to say anything. John Robinson – nothing to say.

item

Mayne, Mary,
Mayne, James,
Bayliss, John,
Hall, George,
King, Joseph,
Turney, Sarah,
Turney, Joseph,
Reeves, Charles,
Smith, Benjamin,
Ludwig, Balzar,
Stuart, John,
Champkins, William,
Woodward, George,
Green, Jane,
Green, Henry James,
Jones, William,
Robinson, John,
Brown, George

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, Slapton [Buckinghamshire], Chelsea [Buckinghamshire], Ivinghoe Aston, HEATH & REACH, victualler, Leighton Buzzard Nags Head, Lake Street, plumber, glazier, lodging house keeper, grocer, pickpocket