QSR1869/1/5/27

Depositions of Thomas Rowe, a boy of 9 years. Thomas Cook, police constable of Harrold. John Cocking, boy of 14 years of Carlton. In the case of Thomas Denton accused of receiving a plough share knowing it to be stolen.

22 December 1868

From: 1868 To: 1869

Thomas Rowe: on 1 December he took a plough share from a field in Mr Battrams occupation in Carlton. On the same day he sold it to Denton as nobody else bought them. Denton was on the Turvey Road against Hall Gate when he sold it to him. He had seen him that morning at their house in Carlton. He heard Denton ask his mother if she had any old iron to sell. He saw Denton in the road and went into the field because he could see the ploughs from the road. He had not known a plough share was there. He sold the share to Denton and Denton said he would give him 3 farthings for it and he did not ask where he had got it from. He had not sold anything to Denton before. The plough share produced was like the one he took from the field and sold to Denton. PC Thomas Cook: from information received he went to Denton’s house on the evening of 3 December. He asked Denton what iron he had bought at Carlton the previous Tuesday. Denton said he hadn’t bought any. He told Denton he had bought a plough share from a boy named Rowe and Denton denied this and said he had bought bones from Rowe. He went and looked in Denton’s barn and found some bones. On searching further he found 11 plough shares none of which were what he was looking for. The following morning he went back with Rowe. He told Denton he wanted the share he had bought from the boy. Denton repeated that he had bought bones from the boy. The boy said he had sold a plough share to Denton and was given 3 farthings. They went to the barn and saw the 11 shares again. He knew 2 had been taken away. PC Mardlin came up and he followed him to the house. Mardlin found some rags in the sitting room and the plough share. The boy Rowe was convicted of stealing the plough share on 1 December. The plough share was new. Denton said he did not know where he had bought it. John Cocking: he believed the plough share to be the one he had lost and he was able to describe it. It had been lying amongst lime in the cart hovel and was marked with lime. It had been the only new plough share taken into the field. Thomas Rowe [cross examined]: there was more lime on it when he took it than there was now. Statement of the accused: he was not guilty.

item

Denton, Thomas,
Rowe, Thomas,
Cook, Thomas,
Cocking, John

TURVEY, CARLTON, receiving stolen goods, agricultural implements