QSR1867/1/5/8

Depositions of Joseph Turner, retail beerseller of Chalgrave. Henry Quenby, police constable stationed at Hockcliffe. In the case of George Currant, shoemaker of Chalgrave, accused of stealing a hen and 2 ducks.

9 November 1866

From: 1866 To: 1867

Joseph Turner: he knew the prisoner as he was a shoemaker at Houghton Regis. Between 4pm and 5pm on the 4 November the prisoner and 3 others came to his house. They wanted to come in a have beer. He refused them because it was not time. They all went into the brickyard where he kept his fowls and ducks. He heard one of them say “this is where the ducks lay”. The hens were roosting. Someone remarked that they were nice fowls. After this all the men came in the house and stayed drinking until about 10pm. The other men left, leaving the prisoner behind. About 2 minutes later the men came back and the prisoner went with them. Before the prisoner went he gave him one of his shoes to make a pair from. The prisoner tried it up in a handkerchief. Next morning he missed a hen and in the afternoon he missed 2 ducks. They had a value of 10s 6d altogether. There was gap in the hedge adjoining the house. A new gap had been made through to the stream where the ducks lay. Near the gap he found the shoe and the handkerchief. [cross examination] he went to the prisoners house on Monday night and a policeman searched the house. He found neither a hen nor the ducks. He saw no footmarks. His house and yard were open to the road. The gaps led into a field. He had 9 or 10 customer on the Sunday evening. The prisoner had appeared sober until about a quarter of an hour before he left, when he suddenly appeared drunk. There was 7 quarts drunk. PC Henry Quenby: he receiving information about the robbery on Tuesday morning. He went to the prisoner at Houghton Regis, where he was at work and asked if he was at the prisoners on Sunday evening. The prisoner said he had been at the Star beershop and had left between 9pm and 10pm. He asked the prisoner if he had a shoe from the landlord. The prisoner replied he had but he did not know what he had done with it. The prisoner said he stopped to do a job for himself by the side of the road and believed he had lain it down there. He took the prisoner into custody but the prisoner said he knew nothing about the hen or ducks. When in custody the prosecutor told the prisoner where he had found the shoe and the prisoner said he couldn’t think how it got there. He did not search the shop where the prisoner was at work. The prosecutor told the prisoner he was quite sober until just before he went and then he showed to be drunk but he did not think he had been. Statement of the accused: he was not guilty and would leave it to his solicitor.

item

Currant, George,
Turner, Joseph,
Quenby, Henry

Hockcliffe, CHALGRAVE, HOUGHTON REGIS, shoemaker, stealing, hens, ducks, beer shop keeper