QSR1837/1/5/28

Depositions and examination - Westley Gillett

31 December 1836

From: 1836 To: 1837

John Wildman of Keysoe – he is woodman to Samuel Crawley and has the charge of Keysoe Park. He sees after the cutting down and selling of the underwood and ash poles. He had reason to believe that people went into Keysoe Park in the night and moved poles from one dozen that they had not bought to another which they had bought. He, John Hardwick and Thomas Stapleton watched there the night of 22 Dec but nobody came. The next night he ordered Hardwick and Stapleton to watch. From what they told him on the Saturday morning he went up to Keysoe Park and found that 2 ash poles had been taken from some wood which had been cut down but not sold, the property of Samuel Crawley. They were placed on or near to a dozen which Westley Gillett had bought. John Hardwick of Keysoe – he has lived in Keyssoe 20 years or so and knows Westley Gillett who was born there and has almost always lived there. He is employed by John Wildman to cut down the underwood in Keysoe Park. He and Stapleton are the only people employed there. They watched with Wildman on Thursday night. On Friday the moon was not shine very brightly but it was light enough to see Westley Gillett with an ash pole on his shoulder. He saw Gillett coming from where the underwood was not sold to a dozen which he [Gillett] had bought. Gillett put the ash pole on the top of that dozen. He went up to Gillett and told him the pole was not his. Gillett said he had picked it up in a place where some underwood had been taken away. Some underwood had been taken away for Mr Crawley’s tenants which he gave to them for draining. He knew it was not true because Gillett came from a part of Keysoe Park where no underwood had been carried away. He and Stapleton told Mr Wildman on Saturday morning and he went with them to Keysoe Park where they found that this ash pole had been taken from a dozen of unsold underwood. The value of the pole is about 3d. Gillett appeared frightened when he spoke to him. A short time before he saw Gillett with the ash pole on his shoulder he heard something that sounded like wood fall on Gillett’s dozen. He was about 30 yards away behind a small piece of uncut underwood. He saw William Whitelark close to Gillett’s dozen and drop an ash pole. Thomas Stapleton of Keysoe – what Hardwick says is correct as far as it relates to him. While he was watching he heard the footsteps of two men coming up to Gillett’s dozen. When they got there he heard a noise like wood thrown on the dozen. He could not see them because there was some standing wood between them and him. They went from Gillett’s dozen to some underwood which was cut down but unsold. He went round and caught William Whitelark with an ash pole on his shoulders. He then went to Gillett’s dozen and found Gillett and Hardwick. He told Gillett he had no business with the poles. Gillett said he knew he had not and had taken them when the underwood had been carried away. Hardwick showed him the pole Gillett had thrown down. He knew it was taken from one of the dozens of wood cut down which was in a different direction from where Mr Crawley’s tenants had fetched the underwood and left the ash poles. William Whitelark of Keysoe – he lives at Keysoe Row. Westley Gillett lives next door to him. On Friday 23 about 7pm Gillett came into his house and asked him to go to the wood (meaningn Keysoe Park) to get a little wood. He went with Gillett. When they got into the Park they came to a place where the underwood had been taken away and several ash poles left. Gillett said they might as well one apiece. They each took one and went to a dozen which Gillett said was his and threw them down on his dozen. They later went to some wood which was cut down. Gillett went first and he followed. Gillett took up an ash pole, put it on his shoulder and carried it away. He did the same. He had carried it about 20 or 30 yards before Stapleton caught him. [annotated – case not to be brought against him, but to be used as a witness against Gillett] Westley Gillett – nothing to say

item

Wildman, John,
Gillett, Westley,
Hardwick, John,
Stapleton, Thomas,
Crawley, Samuel,
Whitelark, William

KEYSOE, Keysoe Park, stealing, wood, woodman, ash