QSR1836/3/5/16

Deposition, examination and character reference - John Clark of Langford, charged with stealing about a quart of wheat from William Croseley

10 May 1836

From: 1836 To: 1836

William Croseley of Langford, farmer – this morning as he was at breakfast George Street, who lives with him as a servant in husbandry, came to him in a great agitation. Street told him he had seen John Clark dressing his wheat up and he believed Clark was going to take it away. He went to the barn and found Clark on the mow with a small bag in the fan with wheat in it. He asked what it meant and Clark said “nothing”. He then said Clark was robbing him, on which Clark emptied the wheat into the fan. Afterwards he searched Clark’s house with a constable, but did not find any more wheat. George Street – as he was in the stable at breakfast time he thought he heard some one winnowing wheat. He went to the back of the barn and looked through a crack in the boarding. When he saw Clark dressing some wheat he immediately went to the house and told his master. He knew no orders had been given for any wheat to be dressed, and that Clark ought to have been straw drawing. He had seen yesterday morning a small bag of wheat, as he believed, tied up in Clark’s hands by the side of the mow and there was some dressed wheat in the fan. John Clark – he had never been in trouble before, and he had meant to boil the wheat for his children’s dinner. Character reference - signed by inhabitants of the parish of Langford, certifying that they had known John Clark for 10 to 20 years and had not heard or know of his dishonesty before and had always considered him an honest, industrious man, bringing up hitherto a large family without parochial aid. [11 signatures]

item

Clark, John,
Croseley, William,
Street, George

LANGFORD, Old Warden, stealing, wheat, farmer, farm labourer