QSR1866/4/5/3

Depositions of Henry Eyre, farmer of Blunham. William Hills, police constable of Blunham. William Knight, of Girtford. Thomas Vincent, police constable of Girtford. John Holden, labourer of Girtford. In the case of Thomas Goodman accused of receiving 2 ducks knowing them to be stolen.

29 August 1866

From: 1866 To: 1866

Henry Eyre: he occupied a farm at Blunham and kept ducks. On 25 August he had seem them all safe in the course of the day and the following Sunday morning there were 8 ducks missing. He had examined the 3 ducks produced by the police constables and they were part of the 8 he had lost. The ducks were worth 2 shillings each. William Knight: a parish constable of Sandy. On Sunday morning Thomas Goodman came to him and said he had bought 2 ducks and asked if he wanted one. Goodman said they were all right and belonged to a person by the name of William Cullip of Blunham. The accused said the price of one of the ducks was 18d. He told the prisoner he would have it, the prisoner went and fetched it and he paid for it. He afterwards gave the same duck to PC Vincent and it was one of the ducks. After he had bought the duck he went to Blunham and heard that some ducks had been stolen from Mr Henry Eyres. He then went to PC Vincent at Sandy and they went to Thomas Goodman. Vincent asked Goodman where he had the duck from and Goodman said he would not tell. Goodman said he had also sold a duck to John Holden. PC Thomas Vincent: the information given to him by Knight was the first he had heard of the loss of ducks. When Goodman refused to say where he had got the ducks from he took him into custody. He left him in the charge of William Knight. He saw Mr Eyres and took him to Knights at Girtford. Eyres identified the ducks. A man by the name of John Holden lived next door to Knight and he brought in another duck which Eyres identified. He asked Goodman again where he had got the ducks and he said he would tell by Eyres. They left the house and Goodman told Eyres he had the ducks from Joseph Darnell of Blunham. Goodman said he was guilty and must suffer for it. Goodman and Darnell were taken to the police station at Biggleswade. As they were going along Goodman told Mr Eyres he would give him a sovereign to settle it but Eyres said it was Vincent’s charge and he had nothing to do with it. He afterwards went to Blunham and apprehended George Manning and locked him in the cage there. John Holden: Goodman came to his house and asked if he wanted to buy a duck. Goodman fetched it and said he wanted 14d for it and left it. He later heard some ducks had been stolen from Mr Eyres and went into Knights. He saw Goodman there and said to him that he had got him into a b----- fine mess. Whilst the others were talking Goodman told him Manning and Darnell were involved. PC William Hills: he had charge of the lock up at Blunham and whilst Manning was having his breakfast he asked him if he really had stolen the ducks. Manning made no answer for some time and then said he did go with Darnell to steal ducks but did not know what became of the ducks. Statement of the accused: he reason he objected to saying where he had bought the ducks was that he had been in a great fight. He had no idea if they were all right when he bought them. The reason he offered Mr Eyre the sovereign was that he had never been locked up before and did not want to be that night.

item

Goodman, Thomas,
Eyre, Henry,
Hills, William,
Knight, William,
Vincent, Thomas,
Holden, John,
Manning, George,
Darnell, Joseph

Girtford, BLUNHAM, farmer, receiving stolen goods, ducks, parish constable, parish lockups