QSR1863/4/5/16a

Depositions of William Holmes, farmer of Husborne Crawley. Sarah Martha Foxley, wife of Joseph, shopkeeper of Woburn. William Ralph Young, superintendent of police for the Woburn division. In the case of James Burgess accused of stealing 5 live fowls from his master William Holmes.

16 October 1863

From: 1863 To: 1863

William Holmes: the prisoner had been in his service as a labourer up to 2 October. The prisoner did not come to work on that day as he ought to have done. On 3 October he missed about 10 fowls. They had been safe earlier in the week. He had sold Burgess a hen about harvest time. On 5 October he was shown some fowls at Woburn by Mrs Foxley. There were a dozen or 15 and he saw them all alive in the road. He pointed out 5 of the fowls which corresponded with those he had lost. They were dark, about half grown and of the Dorking breed. He also pointed out the hen he believed to be the one he had sold to Burgess. The value of 5 chickens was 5 shillings. Sarah Martha Foxley: on 29 September 2 lads came to her shop and brought with them a hamper containing 5 chickens and a hen. The lads wanted her to buy them and she told them to wait until her husband came home. They sat in her room and her husband returned after about ¾ of an hour. Her husband bought the fowls for 5 shillings. They were turned out among her own fowls. On Monday 5 October Mr Holmes came and she showed him the fowls. Holmes picked out 5 of them. The prisoner looked very much like one of the bys who brought the fowls. William Ralph Young: the prisoner was in the exercise yard of the lock-up with another prisoner, Hirdle. Hirdle said he was not the chap who had gone with Burgess to Foxley’s. He told Hirdle that if that was the case Burgess was a blackguard for not clearing him. About 10 minutes later Burgess came to the window and said Hirdle had not been the young man with him at Foxley’s. Burgess also said he had sold Foxley his hen. Statement of the accused: nothing to say.

item

Burgess, James,
Holmes, William,
Foxley, Sarah Martha,
Foxley, Joseph,
Young, William Ralph

HUSBORNE CRAWLEY, ASPLEY GUISE, stealing, fowls, farmer, shopkeeper