QSR1833/2/5/15

Depositions of Emily Crossley, single woman of Southill. Sarah Dunton, spinster of Southill. Charles Merryweather, labourer of Southill. James Layman, surgeon of Shefford. William Woodcraft, yeoman of Southill. In the case of Robert Wells accused of the assault of Emily Crossley with the intent to procure a miscarriage.

6 March 1833

From: 1833 To: 1833

Emily Crossley: in December she was with child. She was going to a meeting on the Sunday evening on 13 December with Sarah Dunton. They met Robert Wells and William Wright and as soon as they met Robert Wells put his arm round the lower part of her body and held her there for about 5 minutes. Wells did not speak. She called out but Wright did nothing to help her. After Wells let her up she went on to the meeting. She felt very bad but on Tuesday 1 January she was taken very bad with pain round the lower part of her body. She continued very ill until she was confined. The child was born dead. She thought she was then 6 months gone with the child. She had been ill before Wells held her but had been getting a great deal better. Wells and Wright had overtaken then a little while before the time she was speaking of and then they met them as they were coming back the other way. Her being with child had been talked about and she daresay Wells heard it as well as other people. Sarah Dunton: she was going to a meeting with Emily Crossley on the evening of Sunday 13 December, between 5pm and 6pm. Robert Wells and William Wright overtook them. They did not speak. About a quarter of an hour they met the men coming back. Wells then laid hold of Emily Crossley round the body and held her the way Emily had said. When Emily called out for help. She asked William Wright to help Emily but he said “never mind her. He will not hurt her”. She took hold of Emily’s hand and tried to get her away from Wells but she could not. After Wells let her go Emily seemed very poorly with the hurt but they went on to the meeting. She did not think any harm would come of it. Charles Merryweather: he was going down the road from Ireland. Towards the meeting house on Sunday 13 December he heard a voice appearing to be from a person in distress, crying out. He thought it was a female voice and that it said “Murder”. He hastened on and saw Robert Wells and Emily Crossley on the ground. Sarah Dunton was standing by. Before he got up to them Emily was standing up but Wells was still on the ground. The young woman appeared very frightened. Emily asked him to get her umbrella away from Wells, which he did. Wells appeared to be very fresh. After that he walked on with them to the meeting. Emily Crossley did not complain, in his hearing, of being hurt. James Longman: he was called on to attend Emily Crossley about 5 or 6 weeks before she delivered a child. He examined her and found she was a good deal bruised round the abdomen. She was suffering from pain and tenderness. He continued to attend her at times until her confinement about a month ago. After a few days she became a little better but not well and after that she was ill every day or 2 up until he confinement. Her child was still born. It was in a putrid state and must have been dead a considerable time before its birth. He did not think the child was dead when he was first called but he did not think it lived many days after. He thought that the illness under which she labourer was not conditional but occasioned by the injuries she had received and he thought also that the death of the child and the premature labour were also occasioned by her injuries. He thought she was not more than six months gone with child at the time of her delivery. If the injury was received around the 30 December she was then 4 and a half months gone and that was the normal time of quickening. William Woodcraft: on 13 December he was near Ireland, in the parish of Southill, between 5pm and 6pm and heard the voice of a female on the road screaming most dreadfully. The person appeared to be a quarter of a mile from him and he could only distinguish the words “oh dear, oh dear” which were repeated several times. He thought there was something wrong and ran on. He found a young woman standing in the road and she was holding her hands upon her stomach and was bent almost double. He did not know her but did know the young woman Sarah Dunton who was standing by. He saw o her “Sally Dunton what is the matter with her” and she said replied “Bob Wells had been hurting her and pulling her about”. She was crying very much and he said to her not to cry and that he should not hurt her. He asked her “What is the matter? Where had he hurt you?” Emily Crossley replied she did not like to tell him. Wells was within 2 or 3 yards of them during the conversation and then went away. He walked on the road as far as Mr Whitehead’s Park gate with the 2 young women. Sarah Dunton told him the young woman’s name was Emily Crossley. As they walked along Emily kept fretting and bending herself as she walked and holding her hands to her stomach. Statement of the accused – Robert Wells: he was drunk that Sunday evening and he met Emily Crossley on the road and walked along the road talking to her. In a little while he turned very giddy and fell down and she fell on him. He did not hit her, nor hurt her or do anything to her. The next morning her mother sent down to him to say if he would make himself in fault she would make it up with him and say no more about it. He said he would and the mother said she would make it up with him if he thought 5 shillings was not too much. She took the 5 shillings and said she would say no more about it.

item

Wells, Robert,
Crossley, Emily,
Dunton, Sarah,
Merryweather, Charles,
Layman, James,
Woodcraft, William,
Wright, William

SOUTHILL, assault, pregnancy, surgeon, yeoman