QSR1838/3/5/30

Deposition and examination - Joseph Brunt of Warden charged with stealing 2 sheep from Dennis Woodward

6 June 1838

From: 1838 To: 1838

Thomas Robinson of Langford, labourer – he was in Mr Weston’s yard one day in February when Brunt brought some wool into the yard and offered it for sale. Brunt said he was one of the Wheatleys of Warden. He belongs to Warden and knows the Wheatleys and knew Brunt was not one of them. Fanny Hull of Warden, spinster – she is servant to the family of Mr Lindsell of Warden and has been so since last Michaelmas. Soon after the snow fell (about 4 months ago) Joseph Brunt was in Mr Lindsell’s service too. He lodged in the house sometimes. She observed that for about a fortnight Brunt used to bring in a quantity of mutton and fry it – she thinks he bought it 3 or 4 times and must have brought 5 or 6 lbs. Before that Brunt was very badly off and could hardly get bread to crunch into his milk. Brunt used to begin frying it when she was out of the kitchen. Whenever she came back he used to tuck it under the chair or table to hinder her from seeing it. He used to seem frightened. He said his wife bought it in Bedford. Dennis Woodward of Warden, farmer – on the night of 5 February 2 long wooled Leicester teg sheep were stolen from his flock. On the morning of 24 February he came over to Mr Weston’s at Biggleswade, who is a wool stapler. Weston’s foreman Joshua James Pointing showed him about 14 lbs of wool which was the same sort as the sheep he lost and about the quantity that would come from 2 sheep. He believes it was his wool. Samuel Marsom of Biggleswade, yeoman – he was in Mr Weston’s yard on 23 February when Brunt came in with a bag full of wool for sale, about 14lbs weight. He suspected that it had been stolen and asked where he got it and what his name was. He said his name was Philip Wheatley of Warden. A man who came from Warden was in the yard and said to the prisoner that he was not a Wheatley as he knew them all. Brunt stuck to it that he was, and said he had bought the wool from some woman at Cardington whose name he did not know, and that she had said she picked it off hedges. He is accustomed to handling wool and is sure it was not picked off hedges – it appears all to have come from 2 sheep. He told Brunt it was stolen. Brunt then asked to be allowed to take it away, but they detained it. Brunt left the yard. Joshua James Pointing of Biggleswade, wool stapler – he manages the wool business for Mr Weston. He was away on 23 February. The next morning John Phillips, one of the wool sorters gave him the wool now produced. It is the wool of Leicester sheep and has come from one or more animals. It has every appearance of having been taken off after the animals were killed. It is not wool that has been picked off hedges. Joseph Brunt – “it was not me that brought the wool into Mr Weston’s yard. I never did any such thing”.

item

Brunt, Joseph,
Woodward, Dennis,
Robinson, Thomas,
Hull, Fanny,
Marsom, Samuel,
Pointing, Joshua James,
Phillips, John,
Weston

Old Warden, BIGGLESWADE, LANGFORD, stealing, stealing animals, sheep, snow, mutton, food, general poverty, servant, farmer, wool, wool stapler