Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1838/3/5/16
  • Title
    Depositions and examinations - Jonathan Garratt and Thomas Halsworth, charged with stealing a quantity of deal, the property of John Hubbard
  • Date free text
    31 May 1838
  • Production date
    From: 1838 To: 1838
  • Scope and Content
    Mary Garratt – she is the wife of John Garratt of Upper Shelton in the parishes of Marston Moretaine and Wootton (or one of them). Jonathan Garratt is the son of her husband by a former marriage and lives in an adjoining house. Over 12 months ago – a few days before the wootton Inclosure Rate was paid (6 Dec 1836) she saw Jonathan Garratt and Thomas Halsworth carry a long deal board into her husband’s garden about 1 or 2am. It was moonlight. She was in bed and heard steps in the yard. She got up in her bed and looked out of the window, and distinctly saw Garratt and Halsworth. They put the deal in the garden then went away. About 1 ½ hours later she again heard footsteps in the garden and saw them carry another deal about the same length and put it with the other. She heard Garratt’s wife call out of her door to her husband and say “Jonathan, what be you at?” Halsworth said to her “damn you woman, get in”. She knows Halsworth quite well and his voice and is sure it was him who spoke. She saw no more of them that night. The deals remained in the garden about a couple of days. She went with her husband into Jonathan Garratt’s house. Her husband said to him “Jonthan those deals shall not lie upon my ground – if you don’t move them and do something with them I will or I shall suffer the same law you will”. Jonathan ordered his father out of the house. She said to her husband she would ask the first man she saw to move them into the road the next morning for anyone to see. The deals remained in the garden until the next night. She did not see them removed but they were gone the next morning. She has not seen them since. While the deals were in her husband’s garden they were covered with litter. Only the ends could be seen. John West of Marston Moretaine, bailiff of a farm there belonging to John Hubbard – there are always a quantity of new deals kept ready for use on Mr Hubbard’s farm. There were some stacked for use in December 18356. He has not missed any himself, but the carpenter employed on the farm, William Bettles, has informed him that deals were missing. All the deals on the farm are the property of Mr Hubbard. Jonathan Garratt has worked for Mr Hubbard on the farm for the last 3 or 4 years except occasionally for about a month at haytime. He knows Halsworth, who has also worked for Mr Hubbard, but not lately. William Bettle of Marston Moretaine, carpenter – he is employed by Mr Hubbard as carpenter on his estate at Marston. Hubbard keeps a quantity of deals on the farm for repairs. He missed one over 12 months back. It was remarkable for an oval knot in it, and is the one produced by the constable. He was present with George Monk when the rake head now produced was found in Garratt’s loft. He knows it to be Mr Hubbard’s property. He made it. James Faulkner of Marston Moretaine, retail beer seller – over 12 months ago Jonathan Garratt offered him some deals for sale. He never saw them. He told Garratt he would not buy them because he thought he did not come by them honestly. Garratt said “it makes no odds – here they are if you have a mind to buy them”. George Monk, constable of Marston Moretaine – from information given to him by Henman (the other constable) he went to Garratt’s house on May 29th with John West and William Bettle. In a loft over Garratt’s bedroom he found 3 deals 10 ½ feet long. Bettle said they belonged to Squire Hubbard, and pointed out a particular mark on one of them. Two of them came together exactly and he is sure they were from the same deal. He also found the rake head now produced by Bettle as well as the deals. It has been marked I W in three places. It appears there has been an attempt to cut out the marks. Philip Hart Henman, constable of Marston Moretaine – last Monday morning (May 28) he went to Garratt’s house in search of other things and found three deals in a loft above where he sleeps. As he was taking Garratt to Bedford later that day he asked where he got the deals. Garratt said he bought them at Mr Green’s 7 or 8 years ago when his room was built. He told George Monk about the deals. Jonathan Garratt of Wootton – he bought the deals from William Young of Wootton who is a bricklayer about 8 years ago. He bought some bricks and lime of him and gave him a sovereign for the lot. Thomas Halsworth of Marston Moretaine – “I am innocent of those deals and know nothing about them”.
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