QSR1898/1/5/3,4

Depositions of David Birch, Mary Ann Ricketts, Albert Read, Robert Bell, Frederick Turney, William Horley, Samuel Norman, David Dolemore, William Gilbert and Thomas Harlow. In the case of Charles Francis and Joseph Sharpe, accused of stealing a dog.

26 November 1897

From: 1897 To: 1898

David Birch: a sawyer of Hockcliffe. On 25th October he had a small, short haired terrier bitch, which he had owned for 2 ½ years since it was 5 weeks old. On 25th October he was working in Woburn and had the dog with him. He started to return to Hockcliffe about 4.30pm and Mr. Bell gave him a lift back. He along with Mr. Bell and Mr. Bell’s son sat on the front seat with the dog following the cart. He last saw the dog about 1 ¼ miles from Hockcliffe where he met the two prisoners. The prisoners had a black retriever dog with them and he missed his dog soon after the prisoners passed. He got out of the cart on the main road and went to the house of the prisoner, Francis. He asked the prisoner if he had seen his dog and the prisoner replied that he hadn’t. He did not wait for the prisoner, Sharpe, to return but afterwards saw both prisoners in a spinney. He asked the prisoner, Sharpe, for his dog and the prisoner replied that he knew nothing about the dog. He accused the prisoner of picking up his dog on the High Road, but the prisoner replied that he only picked up the dog which he had under his arm. He told the prisoner that if he didn’t find his dog then he would go to the prisoner’s master. On 27th October he went to Mr. Clarke’s house, the head keeper at Woburn Park, with Mr. Turney. There they found the two prisoners. He asked the prisoner, Sharpe, if he went to Hockcliffe on 25th October and the prisoner replied that he had. He asked the prisoner how many dogs he had with him on the journey and the prisoner made no reply. He said to the prisoner that the he saw the prisoners with only one dog, a black retriever. The prisoner made no reply. He said that the prisoners had one dog with them when he met them and the prisoner replied that they had another dog in a field. He then asked the prisoner what he did with the dog while spending a couple of hours in a public house. The prisoner replied that he left the dogs in the fields. He replied that it was a strange thing for a game keeper to be a couple of hours in a public house and leave his dogs in the fields. He asked the prisoner what he did with the other dog after he passed him as he could only see one dog. The prisoner replied that he put the dog in his jacket pocket. The prisoner, Francis, added that he could put two dogs into his jacket pockets. The prisoner, Sharpe, said that if he came onto his land he would have him locked up. [Cross-examined] On the way to Hockcliffe he passed a meadow of Mr. Pickering and he saw his dog about 50 yards beyond that. He saw Mr. Turney working in a field nearer Hockcliffe and he met the prisoners about 100 yards nearer Hockcliffe. Mr. Turney showed him where he saw the prisoners pick his dog up about 100 yards behind the cart. When he spoke to the prisoner, Francis, on 26th October he told him that he had lost his dog on the way to Hockcliffe and that he had met him and the prisoner, Sharpe. He asked the prisoner if he had seen his dog and the prisoner replied that he had not and did not think that the prisoner, Sharpe, had seen the dog either. Mary Ann Ricketts: a housekeeper to Mr. Ellingham, landlord of the Fleur de lys public house at Hockcliffe. On 25th October the prisoners came into the house soon after 2pm and stayed until about 4pm. The prisoners had one dog with them, a large black dog. The dog was in the house with the prisoners. Albert Read: a farm labourer of Hockcliffe. On 25th October he was on the road in Hockcliffe near the Fleur de lys public house about 2pm. He saw the prisoners going into the public house with one black retriever dog. He did not see a terrier dog with the prisoners. Robert Bell: a draper and farmer of Hockcliffe. On 25th October he gave Mr. Birch a lift in his cart from Woburn to Hockcliffe. He father was with him and along with Mr, Birch they all sat on the front seat of the cart. Mr. Birch had his terrier dog with him which ran behind the cart. He last saw the terrier on the 25th October just past the Battlesden turn on the road. About ½ mile nearer Hockcliffe they met the prisoners who had one black retriever dog with them. Frederick Turney: a labourer of Hockcliffe. On 25th October he was working in the first ploughed field on the Hockcliffe side of the Battlesden turn. He was working close to the road and saw the Bells and Mr. Birch drive by towards Hockcliffe. He knew Mr. Birch’s dog since it has been at Hockcliffe. It was sandy coloured with a white throat and feet. After the cart had passed the dog came up to the hedge where he was working and then turned away and went to follow the cart. The prisoners were then coming down the road towards Hockcliffe and were about 200 yards from him. He saw the prisoner, Sharpe, stoop. The prisoners then passed him and he saw that they had a black retriever running with them and the prisoner, Sharpe, had a little, sandy coloured dog under his left arm. [Cross-examined] The field he was working in adjoins Pickering’s meadow. After the prisoners had passed another cart went by in the direction of Hockcliffe. It was Mr. Norman in the cart. He did not recollect seeing Mr. Dolemore drive by. William Horley: a minor of Battlesden. On 25th October he was working in the same field as Mr. Turney. He has know Mr. Birch’s dog for a long time . He saw the cart go by with the two Bells and Mr. Birch in it and he saw the dog in the road running in the same direction. He then saw the prisoners coming down the road. When the dog got to them he saw the prisoner, Sharpe, stoop down and pick it up. The prisoner, Sharpe, passed by with the dog under this left arm. [Cross-examined] The cart was 200 yards off when Mr. Turney spoke to the dog. He could see the cart quite plainly but he could not see the cart when the prisoner picked up the dog. Samuel Norman: a baker of Hockcliffe. On 25th October he was driving back to Hockcliffe in the afternoon. He saw the prisoners in the road between the Battlesden turn and Hockcliffe about 100 yards from the turn. He saw the prisoner, Sharpe, go through the gateway into a meadow towards a spinney. The prisoner, Francis, remained by the gate with a black retriever by his side. David Dolemore: a coal agent of Dunstable. On 25th October he was driving home towards Hockcliffe. A cart with three men in it passed him near the turning to Battlesden. There was a reddish brown dog following the cart. When the dog got 100 yards in front of him it stopped suddenly, turned around, and came back towards him. It ran past him and went towards Milton Bryan. He whistled to the dog but it took no notice of him. He drove on towards Hockcliffe where he met the prisoners about ½ mile from the Battlesden turn. He did not recollect seeing any dogs with the prisoners. [Cross-examined] He could not say whether the dog returned again towards Hockcliffe. William Gilbert: a labourer of Bow Brickhill. On 25th October about 8am he was the prisoner, Sharpe, going towards Battlesden. He spoke to the prisoner as he passed and noticed that he had a small red coloured dog with him. [Cross-examined] The dog was a cross between a terrier and a whippet. He was working with Tom Clarke when the prisoner, Sharpe, passed. He told Mr. Clarke that he gave the dog a bit of bread. Thomas Harlow: a police constable stationed at Kensworth. He was stationed at Hockcliffe until 18th November and he knew Mr. Birch’s dog well. On 21st November he was shown a dog belonging to the prisoner, Sharpe. The two dogs were nearly identical in colour though Mr. Birch’s dog had a sharper head and was larger. [Cross-examined] The dog belonging to the prisoner, Sharpe, had no white on its chest and was not as red as Mr. Birch’s dog. Charles Francis and Joseph Sharpe: both not guilty.

item

Birch, David,
Ricketts, Mary Ann,
Norman, Samuel,
Read, Albert,
Bell, Robert,
Turney, Frederick,
Horley, William,
Dolemore, David,
Harlow, Thomas,
Gilbert, William,
Francis, Charles,
Sharpe, Joseph

BATTLESDEN, Hockcliffe, sawyer, police constable, housekeeper, labourer, farm worker, dog, dogs, stealing, draper, baker, Public House