QSR1867/1/5/16

Depositions of Margaret Brown, dressmaker of Girtford. Catherine Carter, widow of Girtford. Thomas Usher, labourer of Girtford. Thomas Vincent, police constable fo Girtford. In the case of John Cope accused of indecently assaulting Margaret Brown.

19 December 1866

From: 1866 To: 1867

Margaret Brown: she lived in Girtford with her aunt Mrs Carter and was an apprentice to a dressmaker at Sandy. She slept at her aunt’s house and would go to Sandy every morning and return in the evening. On 15 December she left Sandy a little after 8pm to go home. When she had got about half way, which was about half a mile, a man passed her and then turned back and caught hold of her shoulders. The man tried to put his hand up her petticoats, which she resisted. He then threw her down on the ground. He forced his hand up her petticoats and on to her private parts. He said something but she could not tell what. He hurt her a little but not much. She did not think he had undone his own trousers but he lay down beside her and kept his hand up her petticoats for 2 or 3 minutes. She was very frightened and screamed as hard as she could. Mr Usher came up and the prisoner ran away. John Cope was the man that used her and he lived at Girtford. She had seen him a good many times and did not recognise him at the time she saw him on the Sunday and knew it to be him as soon as she saw him. As soon as the prisoner had gone she went home and told her aunt. Her jacket and frock had been dirtied. Catherine Carter: her niece came home on the Saturday night about 8.30pm or 8.45pm. Her niece came in crying and told her she had been insulted. Her niece told her the same particulars as her niece had relayed in the statement. Her jacket and frock were very much dirtied as if she had been in the ground. Thomas Usher: he was going from Sandy to Girtford between 8pm and 9pm and heard a scream behind him. He ran towards the spot and met Margaret Brown coming towards him running and crying. He asked her what was the matter and she said she had been insulted by a man. She pointed to the field in which the prisoner had gone. He tried to find him but could not. Thomas Vincent: he received information about what had gone on and on Sunday morning he apprehended Cope from the description given by Margaret Brown. On being told the charge, the prisoner said between 8pm and 9pm he had been walking from Sandy to Blunham by the back way. This was the road on which the assault was committed. He took the accused to Margaret Brown and she identified him. Whilst they were preparing to take the prisoner to Biggleswade, the prisoner said “I did not know who it was and I should not have done it”. The prisoner said he had thrown her down but had not got down himself. Statement of the accused: nothing to say.

item

Cope, John,
Brown, Margaret,
Carter, Catherine,
Usher, Thomas,
Vincent, Thomas

Girtford, SANDY, indecent assault, assault, crime, dressmaker, apprenticeship, women's history