QSR1833/1/5/5-7

Depositions of Richard Mountford Checkley, son of Elizabeth Checkley of Brogborough. Harriett Green, wife of James, labourer of Ridgmont. John Langston, constable of Cranfield. Richard Fountain the younger, labourer of Cranfield. In the case of Henry Bartram, Lewis Bartram and Thomas Horn accused of breaking and entering the dwelling house of William Dickens of Brogborough and therein stealing 6 live drakes and 5 live ducks.

23 October 1832

From: 1832 To: 1833

Richard Mountford Checkley: son of Elizabeth Checkley and he lived with his mother at Brogborough. In June 1832 his mother had a brood of ducks which were removed about the later end of Harvest, to a farm house in his mother’s possession. It was short distance from her dwelling house. They were placed under the care of Harriett Green, wife of James, who lodged at the said farm house, which was occupied by William Dickens, his mother’s horse keeper. Harriett Green: wife of James. In the course of last harvest Mrs Checkley sent from her house a brood of young ducks. The ducks were brought and placed under her care. On 21 October she shut them up in the kitchen part of the house and bolted the door. She put in 11 in; 6 were drakes and 5 ducks. The following morning she was going to let them out and found the outer kitchen door open. The cellar door had also been opened and on checking the cellar window she found the iron bars had been removed from the windows. Shortly after she told James Petwin, a lodger at the house and asked him to inform Mrs Checkley of the loss. She had since seen the ducks in the custody of Stephen Pryor of Bedford. She identified them. John Langson: Richard Checkley applied to him on the morning of 22 October with respect to the loss of some ducks. Checkley described the dress of 2 of them and said he believed one of the thieves to be Bartram. He made inquiries and found the 2 Bartram’s and another man had sold a duck to Richard Fountain. He went to fountain’s house and found there a dead brown duck. Fountain’s mother said he son had bought the duck from the 2 Bartram’s and another man. He took possession of the duck and pursued the prisoners to Bedford. He met the 3 men on the High Street and both Bartram men had baskets on their shoulders. He told them is suspicions and that they were his prisoners. He took them to Hop Pole public house and went in search of the ducks. He found them at the house of Stephen Pryor and went with Pryor to the Hop Pole where Pryor identified Bartram’s as who he had bought the ducks from. Pryor said he had given 12 shillings for 8 ducks. He left the ducks in Pryor’s custody and Mr Pryor accompanied him to Ampthill with the 3 prisoners and the ducks. The ducks were sworn to be Harriett Green. Stephen Pryor: a tailor of Bedford. He was at the Star public house in Bedford when he saw Henry Bartram and Lewis Bartram who was taking some ale. The both offered him for sale 8 ducks. He paid Lewis Bartram 12 shillings for them. he asked Lewis Bartram if he was to receive the money and if he was a farmers son. Lewis said ‘yes’. He later accompanied Mr Langston and the prisoner to Ampthill. He did not recollect seeing Thomas Horn at the time he bought the ducks. Richard Fountain the younger: he met the 3 prisoners at the Sugar Loaf at Marston. Henry Bartram asked him to buy a dead duck and offered it for a shilling. Bartram said it belonged to “this chap” and pointed to Thomas horn. He bought it for 9 pence. He asked the prisoner how they came by the duck, in the presence of Mrs Lines of the Sugar Loaf. Thomas Horn said that his mother had brought them up. They had a pot of beer together and before they parted he heard Henry Bartram say he had business at Bedford. He took the duck to his father’s house. He paid Lewis Bartram for the duck. He saw 8 or 9 ducks in their baskets. Statements of the accused: Henry Bartram – he had nothing to do with the other prisoners other than they were going along his road and he went with them to Bedford. They asked him to carry a basket for them and he sometimes carried it. It contained ducks. He left them in the town of Bedford and before they had left Bedford he met them again. He had nothing more to say. Lewis Bartram – on 21st he met Thomas Horn who was until then a stranger to him, but nothing passed between them except that he asked him where he lived. He told him at Robert Bartram’s at Cranfield. They were in a public house together at Ridgmont. The next morning Thomas Horn came to see him at his father’s house ad asked him to go with him to sell some ducks. He went and borrowed a basket. His mother went and borrow anther and they put the ducks into the baskets and took them to Bedford. He was to have so much for selling them and he understood the ducks were Horn’s mothers. Thomas Horn – he found the ducks tied up in a bag and tumbled down and killed one. He found them in Brogborough’s Spinney in a ditch. He took them up and took them to Cranfield to Lewis Bartram and told him where he had found the,. He borrowed some baskets and they went and sold them. He had nothing more to say.

item

Bartram, Henry,
Bartram, Lewis,
Horn, Thomas,
Checkley, Elizabeth,
Checkley, Richard Mountford,
Green, James,
Green, Harriett,
Langston, John,
Fountain, Richard,
Dickens, William,
Petwin, James

CRANFIELD, BROGBOROUGH, RIDGMONT, BEDFORD, stealing, ducks, breaking & entering, Cauldwell Street Hop Pole, Bedford, Bedford Star, Marston Moretaine Sugar Loaf