QSR1865/3/5/11-12

Depositions of James Dalton, porter of Woburn Union Workhouse. William Whinnett, police constable stationed at Woburn. In the case of William Eames and William Buckingham accused of stealing 2 blankets, the value of 10 shillings.

28 April 1865

From: 1865 To: 1865

James Dalton: the parish of Toddington was situated within the Union. On Saturday 8 April the prisoners, William Eames and William Buckingham, aged 19 years and 17 years respectively were inmates of the workhouse. They were chargeable to the parish of Toddington. Eames had been in the workhouse since Christmas and Buckingham had been there about a fortnight. On 8 April, Buckingham came to him and asked for his clothes and for Eames’s as they were both going to leave the workhouse. Buckingham said that Eames was poorly and could not get up. Eames had complained he was ill and could not get up for breakfast and was so bad he could not attend dinner. He went to Eames room to see what the matter was but he did not see there was much the matter with him. Both Eames and Buckingham slept in the same room with others. He gave the both prisoner’s clothes to Buckingham and ordered them out of the yard into the Receiving Ward. The prisoners went together and he noticed Eames looked very bulky and he suspected Eames had something about him which did not belong to him. He did not notice if Buckingham looked bulkier than usual. He bolted both of them into the Receiving Ward and gave them time to dress themselves and change their clothes. He went into again and Eames seemed confused. Eames had nothing on but his stockings and shirt. He saw Eames put his breeches under one of the beds in the ward. He pulled the breeches from there and found a blanket partly in the breeches. The blanket belonged to the Board of Guardians of the Union. He accused Eames of stealing the blanket and he denied it. He then noticed Buckingham had shifted into his own clothes except for his smock frock. He thought he looked at little large. He asked Buckingham what he had inside his trousers and he replied nothing. He undid Buckingham’s trousers and found a blanket wrapped around him. It was the property of the Guardians. He found that the Union mark on the 2 blankets had been defaced by rubbed in chalk. When the blanket was found Buckingham began to cry and said he had not put it there, Eames had. Eames said a blanket had not been found on him. He told Eames it may not have been in his possession but he had it when he’d left the yard. The yard was about 50 yards from the Receiving Ward. It was the business of Eames to keep the room where he, Buckingham and the other slept, in order. Eames had to sometimes take blankets from the bedroom to the stockroom. The blankets were missed from the prisoner’s beds. He reported the prisoners to the master and they were taken into custody. Blankets were never allowed to be taken into the Receiving Room. PC William Whinnett: he took the prisoners into custody. Buckingham said he was going to take the blanket to his grandmother in Toddington and that Eames had put the blanket around him. Statements of the accused: nothing to say [both]

item

Eames, William,
Buckingham, William,
Dalton, James,
Whinnett, William

WOBURN, TODDINGTON, stealing, household linen, Woburn Poor Law Union, porter