QSR1869/2/5/6

Depositions of Henry Quenby, police constable stationed at Hockcliffe. Benjamin Cooper, farmer of Tilsworth. John Dearman, postman of Leighton Buzzard. In the case of Ephraim George accused of stealing two third parts of a truss of straw. The other priosner Partridge Ellingham elected to have his case dealt with summarily and was convicted.

2 April 1869

From: 1869 To: 1869

PC Henry Quenby: both prisoners lived at Stanbridge. On 26 February, about 7pm, he saw the prisoners going along the footpath leading from Hockcliffe to Stanbridge. The prisoner, George, was carrying a bundle of straw, about 2/3 of a truss. He asked where they had it from. George said that he and Ellingham had been getting roots and had taken the straw to shelter them. George said they had worked for Mr Dunchiefield [?] and he had given it to them. He went up with the prisoner to Stanbridge and to the house of the police constable there. From what he said he let both of the prisoners go. From further information received he went to the house of the prisoner, George, the same night and told him if he did not give a better account of the straw he would take him into custody. George said he would tell the truth about it. He said he had it from Mr Cooper’s hurdles and he would take it back. He took possession of the straw. Ellingham then came to George’s house and he asked him to account for the straw. Ellingham said he knew nothing about it and George told him that he had fetched it from his house. George said to Ellingham to tell the truth and they had fetched it from Cooper’s hurdles and he would not have brought it home if it had not been for Ellingham. Ellingham made no reply. He took both prisoners into custody and charged them. George to Ellingham it was a shame he was locked up and urged him to tell the truth but Ellingham said he had nothing to say. The next morning he went to Mr Cooper’s hurdles at Tilsworth and found 2 trusses of straw and part of another truss which appeared recently disturbed. He traced the straw from the hurdles to where the prisoners had been at work and from there to where he had first met them. Benjamin Cooper: he lived at Tilsworth and was the son of John Cooper, a farmer there. He had some hurdles in a field there and there was some straw against the hurdles. He could not say how much. He heard the prisoners were taken into custody and went to the hurdles. He saw the straw had been disturbed and thought some of the straw gone. He would not swear the straw had gone. Statement of the accused: nothing to say. John Dearman called on behalf of the accused: he lived at Leighton Buzzard and was a postman. He knew the prisoners were rooting up roots of John Cooper’s farm. He passed the place every night. He saw them with some bushes and some straw on it for shelter. He saw the straw 2 nights before the prisoners were taken into custody. He saw it tied up ready to be taken away. There was enough to put under his arm.

item

George, Ephraim,
Quenby, Henry,
Cooper, Benjamin,
Ellingham, Partridge,
Dearman, John

Hockcliffe, TILSWORTH, LEIGHTON BUZZARD, STANBRIDGE, stealing, straw, farmer, postman