QSR1862/3/5/6-7

Depositions of Isaac Chambers, labourer's son of Sharnbrook. Frederick Steer, baker of Sharnbrook. Thomas Cook, police constable of Sharnbrook. William Jervis, labourer of Harrold. William Wykes, dealer of Sharnbrook. William Bayes, carrier of Sharnbrook. In the case of John Savage of Odell and Robert Barcock of Sharnbrook accused of stealing a sack and quantity of pollard.

6 May 1862

From: 1862 To: 1862

Isaac Chambers: he was employed by Mr William Wykes, a corn dealer of Sharnbrook. He was sent in the afternoon by his master, on horseback, with a sack containing a cwt of pollard for Thomas Perkins of Colmworth. When he got part of the way up the coach road towards Colmworth the string on the sack came untied. He placed the sack by the side of the road and went back to Mr Wykes, where he saw his father and asked him to go back with him. A man was sent with him and they walked across the field to where he had left the pollard. When they got there it had gone. He had since seen the sack in Mr Graham’s possession. The sack had the name Wykes on it. Frederick Streer: he was a journeyman baker in the employment of Mr Wykes’s father. On 25 April he directed the last witness to take a sack of pollard to Colmworth. After Chambers had been gone some time he returned and said the string on the sack had united and he wanted help. He went with Chambers to where he said he had left it and they found it gone. He made enquires of the sack of pollard. Between 6 and 7pm he saw Bayes, a labourer near Mr Wykes house and asked him if he had heard of it. Bayes said he had not. John Savage, the prisoner was with him and heard the question put to Bayes. Savage and Bayes went away laughing. Savage and Bayes had been at the wood cart that day drawing wood from Colmworth and must have passed the sack of pollard that had been left. He had since seen what he believed to be the same sack and pollard in the possession of Mr Graham. Barcock was also with Savage and Bayes carting the wood. PC Thomas Cook: from information received he made enquiries and saw Savage between 9 and 10pm on the night of 25 April. Savage was coming along with a cart and 2 horses on the Colmworth coach road. He asked Savage if he had been down the road in the afternoon and if he had seen a sack by the side of the road. Savage said he had seen a sack of pollard but had been riding on a load of wood and knew no more about it. The following morning he went with Superintendent Graham to Savages’s house at Odell. Savage was taken into custody and his premises searched. They found an empty sack in the outhouse and an old chest full of pollard. Savage said he had the pollard from Mr Robert Allen of Harrold and had not paid for it. Savage was taken to Sharnbrook. Steer identified the sack and believed the pollard to be only part of that he had sent. He noticed Savages cart contained some loose pollard. On weighing the pollard in the chest they found it to weigh about 100lbs. Mr Graham apprehended Barcock and brought Barcock to him. Barcock said in Savage’s hearing that Savage had induced him to fetch the sack. When at Odell Savage said “Barcock is the man you must look to for he put the sack into my cart. I’ll take my oath I never touched it”. William Jervis: he was employed by Mr Robert Allen of Harrold, a seller of corn, pollard and bran. He took some bran to the prisoner Savage from his master on 2 May and he had also brought some bran on 3 April. About a month previous he had taken pollard to Savage but he had no pollard from Mr Allen since then. William Wykes: he had seen the sack in the possession of Mr Graham and knew it to be his. He believed the pollard produced by Mr Graham to be part of that stolen. He had sold pollard to Savage but it had not been of this kind. William Bayes: he was working wood with Savage and Barcock. On returning from Colmworth with a load of wood, they saw a sack of pollard by the side of the road. They stopped and Barcock gave him the sack of pollard, which he then gave to Savage. They took it in the cart to Mr Dowdy’s, for whom they were working, and Barcock took it from the cart and put it in Dowdy’s coach house. He saw no more of the pollard. He had been engaged to carry wood for Dowdy and got Savage and Barcock to help him. Savage provided the 2 horses and a cart. The sack was carried away on Savage’s cart. Statement of the accused: nothing to say.

item

Savage, John,
Barcock, Robert,
Chambers, Isaac,
Steer, Frederick,
Cook, Thomas,
Jervis, William,
Wykes, William,
Bayes, William,
Dowdy,
Perkins, Thomas,
Allen, Robert

ODELL, SHARNBROOK, stealing, sack, pollard, baker, dealer, carrier