QSR1866/1/5/1

Depositions of Thomas Malden, farmer of Luton. John Parkins, groom of Luton. Edward Shepherd, stiffening maker of Luton. William Scales, blocker of Luton. Elizabeth Punter, wife of Joseph a blocker of Luton. John Andrews, publican of Luton. David Jaquest, police constable of Luton and James Haynes, police constable of Luton. In the case of Samuel Fleckney accused of stealing 28 live guinea fowls, the value of £2 2s 0d.

23 October 1865

From: 1865 To: 1866

Thomas Malden: he was a farmer residing at Copt Hall, Luton. On 3 July he had 32 young guinea fowls in the garden of his farm. They were placed in separate coops under 3 hens. On 4 July he missed 28 of them. He informed the police and on 7 July PC Jaquest and Haynes showed him 8 fowls. He put the guinea fowls with the hens and the hens took to them at once. He identified the guinea fowls as his property. The 28 he missed were worth £2 2s 0d. John Parkin: he was groom for Mr Malden and it was his duty to look after the guinea fowls. On 3 July between 8pm and 9pm he saw all of his master’s guinea fowls under 3 hens in 3 coops in the garden. He missed 28 of them about 6am the next morning. They were of 3 sizes. On the evening of 7 July PC’s Jaquest and Haynes showed him 8 guinea fowls. They put them with the hen in the coops and the hens took to them. 8 guinea fowls were present to him on a previous occasion and he believed them those which were lost. Edward Shepherd: he was a stiffening maker and lived at 21 Duke Street, Luton. On 4 July, about noon he went to the Tiger beerhouse. He saw William Scales there. Scales sold him 16 brown chickens for 5 shillings. He kept them about half an hour and then sold them back to Scales for 2 shillings. 8 guinea fowls were produced on the former occasion and he believed they were 8 of the 16 which Scales had sold to him. William Scales: a blocker living at 24 Hitchin Road, Luton. On 4 July, Impey asked him to sell 16 guinea chickens for him. He sold 16 to Shepherd and afterwards bought them back. Impey went and fetched Fleckney to his house and Fleckney emptied them from his coat. Fleckney went away and Scales took the chicks to sell. When he bought them back from Scales he took them to his mother’s in a basket and put them on a board in the back of the house. Fleckney came to his house, at the back of Gaitskell Terrace and asked if he had sold the guineas chicks. He replied no and that they were at his mothers and he told Fleckney he could fetch them. Fleckney went away and he saw no more of the guineas until 8 were produced by the police. He believed them to be part of the 16 he had to sell. Elizabeth Punter: she was the wife of Joseph and they resided at the back of Gaitskell Terrace in Luton. On 4 July she saw a basket with some chickens at her mother, Mrs Scales, house. The same day Samuel Fleckney and a boy named Munn came to the house and asked for the basket. Fleckney took the chickens out of the basket and put them in Munn’s pocket. They went away together. She saw 8 guinea chickens at the Court House when Munn and Impey were there. She believed them to be the same chickens which had been in the basket at her mother’s house. John Andrews: he kept the Garibaldi public house in Chase Street, Luton. On 4 July a lad named Munn brought some guinea chicks to the house. There were 11. He bought the chicks from him. On 6 July, 3 of the chicks died and on 7 July PC’s Jaquest and Haynes came to the house and asked about the chickens. He gave them the 8 that he had left. He saw the chickens at the Court House and believed they were the same. The chickens were the same sort and 3 different sizes. PC David Jaquest: on 6 July he received information and went to John Andrews and got 8 guinea chicks there. He took them to Mr Malden’s and was present when they were put with the hens. The hens seemed to take to them. The chickens were of 3 sizes. There were 4 of the large size, 3 middle sized and a small one. He produced the 8 chicken when the evidence was taken against Munn and Impey at the Court House. PC James Haynes: on 14 October he apprehended Fleckney and charged him with stealing the guinea chicks. The prisoner had absconded and he had not seen him until he apprehended him. Fleckney said “Impey asked me to go with him and show him where Scales lived. I did so. Impey had something in a skip like chickens and took them with him. I didn’t know they had been stolen”. Statement of the accused: Impey came and asked him to go with him up to Bill Scales and he asked Impey what he wanted. He went with Impey and carried a skip and a bag for him. In the skip there were some guinea chicks. He asked where Impey had got them from. Impey said he bought them. They stopped outside Bill Scales house and Impey went in. Impey came out and told him to bring in the bag and “pull ‘em out”. Impey told him to go for the money and he went to Scales who told him he had not sold them. Scales said they were at his mother’s and so he went and fetched them. Munn took them out of a basket and put them into a bag. They took them to Impey. Impey asked why they had not sold them and began to swear. Impey said he had stolen them and that they’d be brought into the mess as if he was taken he would split and say that they had stolen them. He told Impey he wished he’d told him they were stolen and then he would not have had anything to do with it. He left Impey and went away.

item

Fleckney, Samuel,
Malden, Thomas,
Parkins, John,
Shepherd, Edward,
Scales, William,
Punter, Elizabeth,
Punter, Joseph,
Andrews, John,
Jaquest, David,
Haynes, James

LUTON, Luton Gaitskell Terrace, stealing, fowls, farmer, groom, blocker, publican, Hyde Copt Hall Farm