QSR1867/3/5/5-6

Depositions of William Clarke, farmer of Luton. George Brown, shepherd of Luton. Ann, wife of Amos Cox, innkeeper of Luton. Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Cox, labourer of Luton. Isaac Mariner, police constable of Stopsley. George Smith, inspector of police of Luton. In the case of Thomas Cox and George Poulter accused of stealing a sheep, the value of £3 10s 0d.

6 May 1867

From: 1867 To: 1867

William Clarke: he was a farmer at the Brache Farm at Luton. Part of the farm was on Hart Hill, Luton. On 12 February 1866 he had some sheep in turnips on Hart Hill. From what he heard he went to the sheep the next day and missed one. It was a very large Teg sheep, a rig. Part of its ear had been cut off when it was a lamb to mark it. He informed the police and on the same day he saw some mutton and a sheep skin at the police station. He knew it to be the skin of the sheep he had lost. The sheep was worth £3 10s 0d. George Brown: he worked for Mr Jonathan Seymour as a shepherd. In February 1866 he was shepherd to Mr William Clarke and on 13 February he had been looking after some sheep in turnips on Hart Hill. Soon after he had gone to work in the morning he missed a sheep from the pen. It was a big sheep, a light faced rig sheep. The right ear had been cropped as a lamb. It had been safe the afternoon before. He sent word to his master and afterwards went down Hart Hill to a hedge in Mr Dancer’s [?] field behind the Waggon & Horses. He saw marks there where a sheep had been killed. He found blood and parts of some guts in the hedge. He picked up an old knife where the blood and guts were and found a sheep’s leg in the hedge. He gave the knife and leg to the Stopsley policeman and he could see some marks of a wheelbarrow up and down the meadow. The marks went to a gate into the Hitchin Road by the Waggon & Horses public house. It was about 500 yards from the pen to the place where the sheep had been killed. He went to the police station and saw some mutton there. It did not look as if it had been killed by a butcher and was freshly killed. He saw a sheep skin there and it was the skin of the sheep that had been lost. He knew it by the face and the ear. Ann Cox: she was the wife of Amos Cox, the prisoner’s brother. They kept the Waggon and Horses public house in Hitchin Road, Luton. She knew the prisoners very well. They had been at the house on the afternoon of 12 February but she did not know if they were drinking together. There was a great many more in the tap room. Both prisoners were in the house the next afternoon when the police came in and Cox went away and she did not see him again. She was present on 13 February 1866 when Inspector Smith fetched a barrow out of the skittle grounds. It was her husbands. She did not notice the state it was in when the Inspector found it. The barrow had not been lent to anyone. Elizabeth Cox: she was the wife of the prisoner Thomas Cox and lived at 35 Brunswick Street, Luton. On 13 February 1866, about 6am she heard a noise at the front door. She went down and saw Poulter standing on the door step with a sack with something in it. It was put in the cellar. Inspector Smith fetched it away the same evening. She did not see anyone with Poulter. PC Isaac Mariner: he was the Stopsley policeman. From information received about 2pm on the afternoon of 13 February 1866, he went to Hart Hill. There he saw Brown the shepherd. He went with him to Dancer’s field behind the Waggon & Horses and found a place where a sheep had been slaughtered. There was some fresh blood, wool and fat on the ground. He saw some footmarks and the marks of a wheelbarrow down the meadow. He traced the barrow marks to the back of the Waggon & Horses. He went to the Waggon & Horses with Inspector Smith and saw the 2 prisoners there in the tap room. He was present when a wheelbarrow was found in the skittle ground. The barrow was wet and dirty and had some blood and wool upon it. He noticed the prisoner’s shoes and trousers were wet and dirty too. They went to Poulter’s house but found nothing there. They went to Cox’s house and he saw Smith find the forequarters of a sheep in one sack and the skin in another. They were in sacks in the fireplace in the cellar. One contained the hind quarters of a sheep. All the meat was freshly killed and the skin was fresh too. He produced the hind leg of a sheep and an old knife given to him by Brown. The meat had not been dressed by a butcher. Inspector George Smith: on 13 February 1866 he went to Hart Hill. In Mr Dancer’s field he saw where a sheep had been slaughtered. He saw several footmarks of men and a quantity of blood, wool and fat lying about. He saw traces of a wheelbarrow up the meadow and down again to the lane at the back of the Waggon & Horses. He went into the Wagon & Horses and saw the 2 prisoners in the tap room. He noticed their trousers and shoes to be wet and dirty. He found a wheelbarrow in the skittle ground. Ann Cox was there when he found it. The barrow was wet and dirty and had some fresh blood upon it. Mariner was with him. They went to Poulter’s house but did not find anything. They went to Cox’s and found 2 sacks in the cellar. One contained the skin of a sheep and the other the forequarters of a sheep. Both sacks were wet. He ran back to the Waggon & horses where he had left the prisoners. Poulter was there but Cox had gone. He showed the mutton and skin to Mr Clarke and he identified it at once. On 25 April 1867 he went in search of the prisoner Cox and found him at work on the Midlands Extension Line at Hendon, Middlesex. He took Cox into custody on a warrant and charged him. Cox said he was glad he had been taken and could tell the truth about it. Cox said he, Poulter and another man had been drinking together at the Waggon & Horses. Cox then made a statement which Smith entered in his pocket book. He wrote it out on 4 May and read it to Cox. Cox said it was right and signed it. Cox said he wished to tell the truth and the statement was marked ‘A’ by Smith. On 26 April 1867 he took Poulter into custody at the Wagon & Horses and took him to the police station. He had let Cox out into the guard room in Poulter’s presence and he asked Cox if Poulter was one of the men that he had gone with to steal Mr Clarke sheep. Cox said he was. Poulter said that was a lie. He charged Poulter. Poulter said he had not stolen the sheep. Statement of Thomas Cox (marked ‘A’): he stated that about 4pm on 12 February 1866 that he, George Poulter and William Dimmock were at the Waggon & Horses in Luton. They were drinking together and remained there until between 8pm and 9pm when they left together. Poulter and Dimmock pulled open the back door of the skittle yard and took out a wheelbarrow. They all went to the bottom of Hart Hill where they left the barrow. They went up the hill to Mr Clarke’s field and caught one of the sheep. They took it down the hill and into Mr Dancer’s field. William Dimmock killed it and they skinned it and put in into the barrow. They wheeled it down to the Waggon & Horses skittle ground and left it there all night. They agreed to meet there again at 6am the next morning. He went down and met Poulter. Dimmock did not go. He and Poulter put the mutton and skin into sacks and took it to his houe at 35 Brunswick Street, and put it down the cellar. Poulter went away. About midday he went down to the Waggon & Horses and met Poulter He stayed with Poulter until 4pm. Whilst he was there Inspector Smith and the other policeman came in and soo after he went out by the back door. He left the town. Statements of the accused: nothing [both].

item

Cox, Thomas,
Poulter, George,
Clarke, William,
Brown, George,
Cox, Amos,
Cox, Ann,
Cox, Elizabeth,
Mariner, Isaac,
Smith, George,
Seymour, Jonathan,
Dimmock, William

LUTON, STOPSLEY, Luton Brunswick Street, Luton Hart Hill, Luton Wagon & Horses, farmer, shepherd, innkeeper, stealing animals, sheep, absconding