QSR1836/4/5/35-38

Depositions of James Liles, farmer of Wilshamstead. In the case of Thomas Taylor, Abraham Notley, Daniel Keech and Thomas Bridges, charged with stealing one load of wood value 5s from James Liles at Wilshamstead

18 October 1836

From: 1836 To: 1836

James Liles: a farmer from Wilshamstead. On Tuesday morning on 11 October there were a great many windfalls laying on my ground which had been blown from the trees during the high wind on Monday. While his men were taking the wood away on the Tuesday morning, the prisoners came on to his land and began to gather the wood. He asked the prisoners to desist from taking the wood and told them it was his property and they must not take it. The prisoners answered that the wood was as much theirs as his and they would have it. The prisoners took some of the wood which his men were chopping and also forced some away from one which he had hold of. The prisoners carried the wood which they took off his ground into Wilshamstead wood and when they had collected a quantity of it, fetched a cart and dragged it away. It was about a cart load of wood to the value of 5s. He has been in possession of the land for about 10 years and during this time had claimed and had the windfalls. Abraham Notely: the poor of Wilshamstead have always reckoned on having the windfalls and were never interrupted before but always went and got what they liked. Thomas Taylor: the poor were never interrupted before when they went to get windfalls. Daniel Keech: he always believed it was a common thing and allowed. He saw other people collecting wood and he has done it before and was never interrupted. Thomas Bridges: he heard folks say they might get windfalls - he got some last year and was not interrupted.

item

Taylor, Thomas,
Notley, Abraham,
Keech, Daniel,
Bridges, Thomas,
Liles, James

WILSHAMSTEAD, stealing, wood