QSR1836/1/5/31

Depositions and examination - John Bradshaw

23 December 1835

From: 1835 To: 1836

William Mason of Tempsford, labourer – he works for Mr Cole who let him a bit of one of his fields in Tempsford where he grew some potatoes. He had dug the potatoes and put them in a pit in the same field. There were 11 bushels altogether. His people brought the potatoes home to his house about 3 weeks ago and he then found there were only 6 bushels. He heard his potatoes were in the house of Robert Hale Blain of Girtford. He went to Blain’s house and found about 2 bushels of his potatoes there. He knew them by the colour of the earth that they grew in and by the sort of potatoes. He met John Bradshaw the next morning who said he would give him a couple of bushels of potatoes to make it up. He said he would not take it. John Mason of Tempsford, labourer – William Mason is his father. He was with him when he found the potatoes at Blain’s. That evening they went to Bradshaw’s house at Tempsford as they heard he had sold the potatoes to one James Goss who had sold them to Blain. Bradshaw denied taking their potatoes but as they were leaving Bradshaw called him back and said “Jack, boy, I did have the potatoes” and asked him to send his father to him. He told Bradshaw he had better go himself, but Bradshaw said he did not like to. John Bradshaw – he never had the potatoes.

item

Bradshaw, John,
Mason, William,
Mason, John,
Blain, Robert Hale,
Goss, James

TEMPSFORD, stealing, potatoes