QSR1832/4/5/16

Depositions of William Cooper, serving man of Wilshamstead. William Seabrook, victualler of Houghton Conquest. Sophia Dix, wife of James Dix, beer seller of Houghton Conquest. In the case of Humphrey Adams accused of stealing a prayer book.

12 October 1832

From: 1832 To: 1832

William Cooper: servant to the Reverend Frederick Pawsey, the vicar at Wilshamstead. On Tuesday 9 October, having heard that a prayer book with his name written in it was at Houghton, he went with his master to Wilshamstead Church to see if it was the prayer book he had left upon his usual seat in the church after evening service on Sunday. The book was not there. He examined the church with his master and found many of the pew doors open and in those pews there were no books. He examined the church doors and windows and saw that the casement in the window of the south side of the church, next to the porch, was torn open. A pane of glass close to the catch was broken out. The door under the porch was unbolted but closed. It was usually bolted inside. On Wednesday morning he went to Houghton Conquest and examined some of the book in the custody of Seabrook, the publican. Amongst them he found his own prayer book which he had left in his seat at Wilshamstead church on Sunday afternoon. He had written his own name into the book. William Seabrook: between 2pm and 3pm on 9 October the prisoner came into his house at Houghton and ordered some beer. After the prisoner had sat a little while, he saw the prisoner draw 4 books, 2 prayer books and 2 psalm books, from under his smock frock. The prisoner said he had found them in the grass at the side of the road between Bedford and Wilshamstead. The prisoner then delivered them to the company present who read from the books as to where they can come from. One of the company proposed to the prisoner he should leave the books with Seabrook, who could give them back to their owners, in return for a pot of beer. The prisoner agreed to do so. Seabrook took the books. The prisoner then went away and he saw no more of him. The next morning William Cooper came and he showed him the books. Cooper identified one of them as his own prayer book. Sophia Dix: wife of James, a beer seller at Houghton Conquest. She knew the prisoner. On 9 October between 1pm and 2pm the prisoner came to her house and asked her to give him some water. She told him she would and he pulled out the prayer book and asked her to buy it. He said she could pay him in beer. She refused to buy it and then the prisoner asked 6 pence for it. She asked him if he had come by it honestly and the prisoner said “yes as true as God’s in heaven”. The prisoner then said she might give him 3 pence and a pint of beer and a pennyworth of tobacco for it. She gave him the 3 pence, beer and tobacco and he gave her the book. Soon after the prisoner went away having first had some bread which he had paid a penny for. [margin note – Armstrong the owner of the book was allowed to identify it at the trial] Statement of the accused: he found all the books between Wilshamstead and Bedford, upon the grass by the road side.

item

Adams, Humphrey,
Cooper, William,
Seabrook, William,
Dix, Sophia,
Dix, James,
Pawsey, Frederick

HOUGHTON CONQUEST, WILSHAMSTEAD, churches, stealing, book, victualler, beer seller, vicar, servant