QSR1836/4/5/12

Depositions and examination - James Armstrong

9 August 1836

From: 1836 To: 1836

Samuel Dudley of Little Staughton – he is a farmer at Little Staughton and also Guardian for the parish. He was at Mr Minney’s last night where James Armstrong was, and also Emma Dudley. He has heard what Emma Dudley has said as to what Armstrong told them at Minney’s and that is correct. Some time ago James Armstrong was placed in the workhouse at St Neots. Armstrong remained there some time, then broke out and came home without having given any notice to the workhouse master. Since that time Armstrong has been lying about the parish of Little Staughton not having anything to do. Armstrong might have had work if he had wished it. William Small of Little Staughton, labourer – on Tuesday night his house was broken open. Some one broke a pane of glass in the window, put in his hand, undid the hook and got in. He lost about a quartern of bread, some cold pudding, some salt, a piece of pork, some potatoes and a knife. Emma Dudley lodges in his house. He pays the rent and the house is his. She is only a lodger. On Thursday night his house was again entered through the same window, and some crusts of bread and a teapot were taken. Emma Dudley, wife of William Dudley of Little Staughton – her husband William Dudley is a labourer and she lodges at Little Staughton in the house of William Small, a labourer at Little Staughton. Her husband lodges at Nichols. She has been married 15 weeks. She has the use of the house (the sitting room) with William Small and she has a bed upstairs. She pays William Small 6d a week for her lodgings. She has known James Armstrong for 10 years. Last Thursday this bag (a bag taken from Armstrong’s person produced) was in her lodgings. She is sure it is her bag. It has in it 6d worth of cotton pieces of her gown, pieces of new calico, a wristband of a shirt, two babies caps and some other things (pieces of cotton etc found in the bag produced). The pieces of cotton produced are like what she had in the bag, but there were more when she saw it last. She is sure the wristband is hers. The bag was hung up against the wall of the house in the downstairs room. On Friday William Small and his wife came down before her, and when she came down they told her the house had been broken open. She looked about and immediately missed her bag. She and Small and his wife looked about to see how the persons had got in and saw a pane in the window where a hand had been put in and turned the hasp which fastened the window. The window was fastened before they went to bed, and a window curtain fastened over the window was in the way of any person getting into the house. The string of this was cut. The value of her things which were taken that night was about 1s 6d. There were 4 yards of new tape in the bag. Armstrong has part of that tape tied round his trousers. She asked him yesterday if that was not part of the tape taken from her and he said it was. She also asked him if he took the bag and he said he did. She asked him where the other things were and he said the boy had some and some were left in Mr Donsett’s straw where he said he laid for several nights. William Small had lost a teapot and some pieces of bread from his house on Thursday night. She asked Armstrong whether he had the teapot. Armstrong said he did but the boy broke it. Armstrong also said he had the crusts out of the cupboard. Last Tuesday night Small’s house was broken open and at that time about a quartern loaf of bread, a cold pudding, some potatoes, a piece of pork, some salt and a knife were taken. Yesterday Armstrong told her that after he left Small’s house on Thursday he lost the knife in Scotch Street, which is in the direct way from Small’s house to Donsett’s where Armstrong said he slept. On Friday Rebecca Nichols brought the knife and showed it to Sarah Small and asked whether it was hers. Rebecca Nicholas said her husband had found it in Scotch Street. Small lives in Scotch Street and Nichols the other side of the road. Mrs Small said it was her knife. Armstrong also said he had taken the bread etc from Small’s that night, and that he had been into William Warner’s and had taken a plum cake, a piece of ham and some bread. He said he had been in at Warner’s three times and that he had been in Goodliffe’s on Saturday night and taken an iron spoon which he left against the stile. He said that on Sunday the boy and he watched Mr Donsett going to church and after he was gone they got into his house and stole a bottle of gin, a basin of sugar, some butter, all the bread in the house and a razor (the razor was found on him). He also said he had broken into Mrs Flanders last Wednesday night and stole a little sugar and all the halfpence and the drawer they were in. He said the boy had the drawer. He also said that yesterday he took the dinners of James Glover and John Caress. James Armstrong – “It is all true. I did all the things Mr Dudley and Mrs Dudley mention. It is all true what I said at Mr Minney’s and I broke into all the houses and stole all the things they say from the different houses”. When shown the bag sworn to by Emma Dudley Armstrong said “This is the bag I took from Small’s house on Thursday”.

item

Armstrong, James,
Dudley, Samuel,
Dudley, Emma,
Dudley, William,
Small, William,
Warner, William,
Glover, James,
Caress, John

Little Staughton, St Neots, breaking & entering, farmer, Poor Law Union Workhouses, stealing, bread, pork, potatoes, cutlery, household goods, sugar, butter, cake, ham, money, gin