QSR1865/3/5/1

Depositions of Joseph Billington, police constable of Great Barford. William Dimbleby, labourer of 2 Little Butts Street, St Mary, Bedford. Benjamin Brown, farmer of Moggerhanger. In the case of Samuel Cutler accused of stealing 7 pounds weight of wool.

18 March 1865

From: 1865 To: 1865

Joseph Billington: on 15 March, in consequence of information received, he went to Cutler’s house at Great Barford. He told Cutler he knew he had been selling a fleece of wool at Bedford. Cutler said he had not. Next morning he went to Mr Featherstone, a fellmonger, and one of his men fetched him a fleece of wool. He took the fleece to Benjamin Brown of Moggerhanger and compared the fleece with Mr Brown’s wool. It corresponded. Both had barley straw and chaff among them. He apprehended the prisoner and charged him with stealing Mr Brown’s wool. Cutler said he had bought the wool from a man on the road between Kimbolton and Eaton Socon. He asked the prisoner why he had denied selling the wool and he said he was put out. He searched the prisoner’s barn and found 12 pieces of wool and a basket. The prisoner said it was the basket he had sent the wool in and the bag was the bag the fleece had been in. The prisoner was asked how much he gave for the fleece and replied that the man had wanted 12 shillings and he had paid 11 shillings. William Dimbleby: he worked for Mr Featherstone, a fellmonger. The previous Wednesday the prisoner brought some wool, a fleece rolled in a bag. The prisoner said the wool belonged to another person. He told the prisoner he may leave it if he thought that proper. The wool was left for Featherstone to see. He delivered up the wool to Joseph Billington. Benjamin Brown: a farmer of Moggerhanger. The prisoner had shorn sheep for him on the last 5 Fridays. On the previous Thursday Joseph Billington the publican came to him and showed him some wool. He compared it with his and it exactly corresponded. The wool was teg wool. After washing the sheep they put them in a hovel to keep them dry. The prisoner sheered 55 fleeces for him and they all had barley on them. He weighed his wool and found some missing. He believe the fleece brought to him was his property. The sheep had barley straw to lie on in the hovel. Statement of the accused: he had never had Mr Brown’s property. He knew Mr Brown said he littered with barley straw but he had put wheat straw in the hovel when he began in the morning. He was ordered by Mr Brown to do so. There was pea straw among it. The policeman said he had brought the wool and had not liked to leave it without the money. How could he sell the wool if the man was not there to pay the money for it.

item

Cutler, Samuel,
Billington, Joseph,
Dimbleby, William,
Brown, Benjamin,
Featherstone

Moggerhanger, wool, stealing, Great Barford, Bedford St.Mary, farmer, fellmonger