QSR1832/1/5/8

Depositions of James Prudden, baker of Barton. Joseph Wilson, labourer of Higham Gobion. John Prudden, housekeeper of Barton. In the case of Joseph Hill accused of stealing a cock and 6 hens.

3 November 1831

From: 1831 To: 1832

James Prudden: on the night of Saturday 16 April he locked up he fowls in his hen house. There were 6 hens and a cock. About 8am next morning he went out to serve his pigs and unlocked his hen house door. He found that one end of the hen house had been broken into and the fowls were all gone, except for one hen. The floor was littered with feathers. He sent for his son John to try to find the thieves. They searched the house were Joseph Hill lived. They found nothing there but on looking behind the privy they saw a quantity of fowl feathers. Some of them had been burnt. Joseph Wilson: on Saturday 10 April he had been drinking at Mr Goodman’s public house at Barton with Joseph Hill and several others. They went out between 11pm and midnight and had some more beer in the road. When they had drunk it he went down the road with Hill as far as the Bull, where he bid Hill goodnight. Hill called him back and said he knew were they were some nice chooks [?] and asked him to go with him. He told Hill he could get a good pole out of Mr Prudden’s hovel. Hill went over the stile to the hovel. As soon as Hill was there he heard some fowls halloo. He went in to see what Hill was at and being rather tipsy he fell down on one knee and there found Hill with some fowls under his arm. They went out and Hill went one way and he the other. When they got out of the hovel the fowls were all dead with their heads hanging down. When they parted he went and slept in the Bull stables. About 6am John Prudden came in and dressed his horses and saw him cleaning his shoes. He went home for breakfast and about 2pm he returned to the stable and a young fellow came in and said Wilson had been stealing Mr Prudden’s fowls. He told the man he had not. When he went home at night he had told his father that he was with Hill at the time and his father blamed him for being out. John Prudden: when he went to his master’s horses on Saturday 16 April which stood at the Bull Stables at Barton. He saw Joseph Wilson sitting down there cleaning his shoes which were nearly ankle deep in hen dung. He asked Wilson how his shoes became so dirty and Wilson replied he had dirtied them in coming down the road from Mr Goodman’s. About 8 am the same morning his father sent for him and told him that the hen house had been robbed. He told him about seeing Joseph Wilson. He afterwards saw Joseph Wilson in the road and noticed that one knee was marked in hen dung. He went with his father to search the house of Joseph Hill and on looking behind the privy he saw a quantity of fowl feathers, some of which were burnt.

item

Hill, Joseph,
Prudden, James,
Wilson, Joseph,
Prudden, John

HIGHAM GOBION, Barton, housekeeper, baker, stealing, hens, Barton-le-Clay Bull