Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1837/4/5/2
  • Title
    Depositions - William Garrett
  • Date free text
    1 August 1837
  • Production date
    From: 1837 To: 1837
  • Scope and Content
    Margaret Kitely of Roxton – at the time Mr Stern’s house was broken open the garden of the house where she lived joined Garrett’s. Just before Garrett came back from [??] his wife complained how very bad her linen was and she did not know how she should get any more. A short time after Mr Stern’s robbery she saw 5 new sheets hung out and several shirts which appeared to be new. Garrett’s wife was very ill at this time and she saw Mary Jervis who is niece to Garrett’s wife and was attending her hang the sheets out in the garden. George King of Roxton – on the night Mr Stern’s house was broken open about 10 minutes after they were gone to Chapel he saw Garrett in the lane leading from his [Garrett’s] house to Stern’s, going in that direction. It was very dark. William Ward, who is now dead, came up to him soon after and said how quick they went about Mr Stern’s room with a light. He said he thought they were all gone to Chapel but there were some of them at home. He looked at the house and saw light through the upstairs window. This was about 15 or 20 minutes after he had met Garrett. He stood about there until after they came from meeting. Garrett did not come back that way whilst he was there. If Garrett had gone out of Mr Stern’s back door he could have got to his own house over Mr Metcalfe’s park where he would not be likely to meet with anyone. James Holden of Roxton – Garrett lives close to him not more than 100 yards from Mr Stern’s house. On the night Mr Stern’s house was broken into he saw Garrett in his yard. Garrett asked if he was going to meeting and said Mr Stern and they were all gone. Charles Kitely of Roxton – he and Garrett are both about the same age, 35. He worked with Garratt on the Tempsford Road 18 or 19 years ago. Thomas Litchfield was the foreman and their wages were 11d per week. The money was paid regularly every Saturday in the afternoon between 3 and 4 as the foreman had several miles to return home after he paid the men. Garrett worked there 8 or 10 weeks. Litchfield lived at Elstow, and there was no other foreman while they were there, certainly no Thomas Brown of Cardington. Mr Litchfield used to pay the men in a field and call over the names and the man whose name was called went up to Mr Litchfield and received his money. John Read, constable of Roxton – he apprehended Garrett on suspicion of breaking open Mr Stern’s house and brought him before Mr Standly. One of the items stole was a guinea. Before Mr Standly Garrett said the guinea was paid him by Thomas Brown of Cardington the foreman of the works at Tempsford Bridge for work done by him there about 16 years ago. Garratt said his wages were 11s per week and Mr Brown paid him for two weeks together the guinea and a shilling and he had kept it ever since, and that he was only paid once a fortnight by Mr Brown. Charles King of Eynesbury (Hunts) – he was at the Waggon and Horses at Eaton Socon kept by John Dexter last Saturday. During the afternoon Garrett produced a guinea. He gave Garrett a sovereign and a shilling for it. He produces the guinea. Sarah Stern, wife of Thomas Stern of Roxton – Garrett lives very near to them. She, her sister Elizabeth Bond and her husband went to Chapel about 6pm on 2 November. Nobody was left in the house. She locked the front door, the back door was fastened with pins, and she locked the door between the cellar and the house. When they returned they went in at the front door. Her sister called out to her that the door between the cellar and the house was open. She looked into the cellar and saw a hole in the wall. She went to the back door and found that was undone. She went upstairs into the bedroom where the money was kept in the drawers, which were shut but not locked when she went to Chapel. The drawers were open and the clothes in them tumbled about. The gold was in a box under the clothes and the silver in canvas purses which were not covered up. The purses and the silver were gone and the box open and the gold taken away, including a guinea which had been in her possession for a long time, ever since they ceased to circulate. She recognises the guinea by a mark.
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