QSR1861/3/5/5

Depositions of Sophia Stone, wife of James, labourer of Leighton Buzzard. Shadrack Tompkins, farmer of Newton Longville. John Line, drover of Hockcliffe. George Harris, farmer of Battlesden. William Clough, superintendent of police at Leighton Buzzard. In the case of Alfred Giles accused of stealing a lamb.

28 May 1861

From: 1861 To: 1861

Sophia Stone: the prisoner had lived with her for 4 months. On 14 May he came home in the morning with a lamb which he asked to put in the barn. The prisoner told her it was Yates or Gates lamb of Brickhill and that he was going to call in an hour and give the prisoner a shilling for seeing to it. She allowed him to put it in the barn. The prisoner said he had been minding some sheep and lamb in the market. The prisoner brought the lamb home with a brace tied to it but put it into the barn loose. The lamb remained there until Thursday morning. She went to see Mr Gates and could ascertain nothing about the lamb, either there or elsewhere in the neighbourhood. On Friday dinner time the prisoner said he was going to take the lamb away and she told him she had made inquiries and what he had told her was not true. The prisoner said he had found the lamb and was taking it to Wing. She told the police. Shadrack Tompkins: he knew nothing of the prisoner. On 13 May he had 27 ewes and 27 lambs at his house. On 14 May he took them to Leighton and sold them to Mr Harris. He was afterwards informed there were only 26 lambs. On 21 May he saw the lamb in the possession of the police and it was a half bred lamb like the one he had lost. The value of the lamb was a sovereign. Some of his lambs had been marked and some not. The lamb he lost had not been marked. He could not say it was his lamb. John Lines: he was at Leighton market on 14 May. He saw the ewes and lambs brought by Mr Tompkins and sold to Mr Harris. He had charge of them. On leaving the town after the lambs and ewes had been sold he found a lamb to be missing and refused to take charge of them until he had seen Mr Harris. On 21 May he saw a lamb at the station and it was like the lamb he missed. George Harris: on 14 May he bought 27 ewes and 27 lambs from Tomkins. On 22 May the superintendent came to his house with a lamb. One of the ewes was without a lamb and it was put to it. When the lamb bleated, the ewe answered it. Clough put down the lamb and picked up another. When that lamb was put down it ran to the ewe and attempted to suck. The ewe rejected it. The lamb was drawn across the yard by Clough and the ewe followed it. The lamb and ewe were of the same breed. Superintendent William Clough: on 17 May he received information from the witness Stone and went to her house. The prisoner was in bed. He told the prisoner he had come about the lamb and was told by the prisoner that Mr Gates of Brickhill had given it to him to care for until he called for it. He took possession of the lamb and took the prisoner into custody. On 21 May he showed the lamb to Tompkins who said it was similar to that missed. The following day he took the lamb to Mr Harris’s farm and put it down. The lamb endeavoured to suck and appeared to have found its mother. He asked the prisoner what he was going to take the lamb to Wing for and he replied “because David Birdsey told me it belonged to some one there”. He went to David Birdsey who said he had not seen the prisoner or spoken to him before. The prisoner disputed this. Statement of the accused: he did not know he had anything else to say.

item

Giles, Alfred,
Stone, Sophia,
Stone, James,
Tompkins, Shadrack,
Line, John,
Harris, George,
Clough, William,
Birdsey, David

LEIGHTON BUZZARD, Hockcliffe, Newton Longville, BATTLESDEN, stealing animals, lamb, farmer, drover