QSR1833/3/5/12-15

Depositions of William Gardner, manager sack manufacturer of Luton. William Clarke, constable of Luton. Roger Riddle, sack weaver of Luton. Alfred Swainston otherwise Thrussell. William Sheaf, farmer and shopkeeper of Bendish. Samuel Willmott, victualler of Frogmore. In the case of Charles Hill, James Cadwell, Alfred Thrussell and Henry Swainston accused of stealing 2 sacks.

3 May 1833

From: 1833 To: 1833

Statement of the accused - Charles Hill: he sold James Cadwell 2 sacks on a Tuesday in February and it was after 9am as that had been the time he had left home. He had been from home about an hour when he got to Cadwell’s. Cadwell asked him what he had and he told him 2 sacks. Cadwell asked if he would sell them and he told Cadwell to bargain for them. He had 6 shillings and pot of beer for them. He had bought them the day before from Alfred Swainston, otherwise Thrussell, on the road between Offley and Luton. Swainston had been walking towards Cadwell’s house. He had asked Swainston where he had got the sacks and he replied from a man to whom he had lent a pair of shoes. Swainston said he did not have the shoes anymore and he had the sacks. He took the sacks for 5s 8d. He swore the sack produced were the same sacks as they had a black cross marked inside them. William Gardner: the sack produced, which were found at Cadwell’s house had been marked by him with a black cross on the morning of 13 April. William Clarke: on 13 April William Gardner applied to him for the sack which had been found at Cadwell’s in order that he may mark them. He went with Gardner to Mr Knight’s and Gardner marked them inside with a black cross. William Gardner: in consequence of the search warrant to search James Cadwell’s, he accompanied William Clarke, the constable of Luton and Thomas Button to the house of Cadwell. Button and Clarke went to make the search in the house and whilst he stood at the door they came down with the 2 sacks. He could swear they were the sacks of his manufacturer and he believed they were the sacks stolen on 20 March. William Clarke: he went with Mr Gardner and Mr Button to the house of James Cadwell. On making a search of the house they found 2 sacks under 2 beds. Roger Riddle: he was a sack weaver in Luton. The 2 sacks produced were his work. On a Thursday in March he found the manufactory door at Luton broken open. The padlock was knocked off the outside gate and the lock of the shop door was broken open. This was where the sacks were kept and Mr Gardner said 20 or 30 sacks were stolen. Statement of the accused – Alfred Swainston: he sold James Cadwell a sack which he had found about 6 weeks ago on the road between Chiltern Green and Copthall. William Gardener: on 21 March he went to the open factory and found the padlock of the outer door was broken off and the door standing open. He missed about 23 sacks, a small writing desk, a shovel, a hoe and a quantity of garden seeds. On 29 April whilst in the market he saw a person with a sack under his arm and asked where he had bought it. The person said it made no difference to him but he would tell him. He said he was sure he did not buy it off him and the man said he had not. He swore to the sack. The man told him to take it and gave it to him. He asked the man’s name and he said it was Cadwell. They walked down to the Cock with Mr Clarke and there he said he had bought it from Alfred Swainston. Roger Riddle: he worked in the sack manufactory at Luton which belonged to the parish. He swore the sack produced was his work. About 26 March he found the shop broken open. The padlock was knocked off the outside gate and the lock of the shop door was broken open. He heard that 20 or 30 sacks were stolen. He was not sure whether it was the 26 March or 21 March but it was a Thursday. William Gardner: the sack produced was a sack of their manufacture. He believed it one of the sacks stolen from the manufactory on or about the 20 March. Samuel Willmott: victualler of Frogmore in the parish of Kings Walden. About a month previous, in the middle of the day, Henry Swainson came to his house, the Fox public house with a sack. Swainston threw it on the form in the tap room. He asked Swainston how he came by the sack and he replied he had lent the sack to a man sometime ago and he happened upon the man yesterday and had made him buy him a new one. The sack had nothing but a peck of bran in it and it was good for him to carry old iron about in. Swianston said he would sell it to anybody and so he asked the price of it. Swainston owed him some money and so he gave him 2 shillings ion money and set off a schilling against his score. Statement of the accused – Henry Swainston: about a month ago he had been passing Keen Darley [?] Hall in Kings Walden and the sack was outside and had contained another 2 sacks. There was also half a quartern loaf in it, with a small piece cut off, a piece of cheese, some onions. He had sold it to Mr Wilmot of Frogmore and the other 2 sacks to Mr Sheaf of Bendish. William Sheaf: of Bendish in the parish of St Pauls Walden, a farmer and shopkeeper. On 20 April Henry Swainston came to him at his house with 2 new sacks and said he wanted to sell them. He said he would buy them and gave 6 shillings for them. He had got a sheep skin which Swainston had seen the day before and which he offered it to Swainston for 5 shillings. Swainston said he had no money and asked if he could have the skin and 2 shillings worth of shop goods for the sacks. He accepted the offer and considered the sacks to be worth 6s 6d.

item

Hill, Charles,
Cadwell, James,
Thrussell, Alfred,
Swainston, Henry,
Button, Thomas,
Swainston, Alfred

LUTON, Kings Walden Frogmore, St.Pauls Walden, Bendish, sack merchant, sack, farmer, shopkeeper, victualler