QSR1832/3/5/20-22

Depositions of George Crouch, George Whittamore, labourer of Clophill. William Brown of Maulden. James Smith, gardener of Maulden and James Clark, labourer of Clophill. In the case of John Cox, James Bryant and Christopher Cox accused of stealing 2 pigs.

26 April 1832

From: 1832 To: 1832

George Crouch: on the night of 24th or the early morning of 25th December 1831 he lost 2 pigs. He missed them on 26th and heard nothing more of the pigs until he was informed Christopher Cox of Maulden had sold a pig to William Brown of Maulden and another to his sister Lucy Peak of Maulden. He went to the houses of Brown and Peak and found the pgs which he had lost. He asked Cox how they came into his possession and he acknowledged having had them from Bryant . He applied for a warrant to apprehend Bryant and Cox and took the pigs into his possession. George Whittamore: he was a labourer working for George Crouch on his premises at Clophill. At the time the pigs were stolen he had care of the pigs. About 5pm on 24 December here were 8 pigs. He missed 2 of the pigs the next afternoon. He was in the company of another labourer when he missed them and they search all over the premises. The next morning when his master came he told him of the loss. He had not seen the pigs since they were lost until he saw one in the possession of William Brown and the other in the possession of Lucy Peak at Maulden he could swear to them being the same pigs which were lost. Lucy Peak acknowledged she had bought the pig from James Bryant and paid a pound for it. William Brown: on 14 January he bought the pig of Christopher Cox of Maulden for 12 shillings and paid him 5 shillings at the time and the remainder in about a month. Statement of the accused - Christopher Cox: James Bryant and John Cox, his son, brought the 2 pigs to his house. They sold one to his sister, Lucy Peak, and left the other with him. He sold it to William Brown. Statement of the accused - James Bryant: he and John Cox bought the 2 pigs off a man on the Bedford Road leading from Clophill to Bedford. They gave him 35 shillings for the 2 pigs. They took them to Christopher Cox’s house and left them there for about a fortnight. He sold a pig to Lucy Peak and she was to give him a pound but had yet to pay him. Christopher Cox had the other pig. They gave him that for his finding potatoes and firing to boil them for the pigs. They bought the pigs from a man whose name he did not know on 26 December. It was about a mile from Crouch’s premises and about 9am. They drove the pigs over the field to Maulden. [John Cox - was in custody at the common gaol on a charge of felony] John Smith: about a month or 5 weeks ago John Cox told him that he and James Bryant went to Mr George Crouch’s premises at Clophill Brick Kiln and fetched 2 pigs on Christmas Eve. They had one in a frock and one in a frock and that they brought them over the hills to his father’s house, meaning that of Christopher Cox. John Cox told him he had one of the pigs got out of the sty and ran part of the back and that he fetched it back to his father’s house again. John Cox also told him that he and Bryant had stolen between 4 and 5 bushels of barley from Mr Taylor of Clophill and had taken it to Christopher Cox’s house. During the time John Cox and Bryant were in prisoner for poaching Christopher Cox sold one of the pigs to William Brown of Maulden and the barley to someone else. James Clark: he worked for Mr George Crouch and was well acquainted with the pigs which were lost. He saw the 2 pigs; one at William Brown’s and the other at Lucy Peak’s. He could swear to them as the pigs stolen from Crouch’s premises at Christmas. One of the pigs was in an unhealthy state and was unable to walk any distance of more than about a yard.

item

Cox, John,
Bryant, James,
Cox, Christopher,
Crouch, George,
Whittamore, George,
Brown, William,
Bryant, James,
Smith, James,
Clark, James,
Peak, Lucy,
Taylor

CLOPHILL, MAULDEN, Clophill Brick Kilns, stealing, pigs, gardener, barley, poaching, Christmas