QSR1834/1/5/10

Depositions of Charles Armstrong, farmer of Wootton. John Prior, one of the constable of Wootton. William Wilmot, labourer of Wootton and John Hine, labourer of Wootton. In the case of James Moore accused of stealing a pair of fork tines.

2 November 1833

From: 1833 To: 1834

Charles Armstrong: early on the morning of 27 October there was a fire at the homestead in his occupation at Wootton called Bass’s Farm. A large wheat barn and a barn called the Clay barn were burnt. On the Monday after the fire he looked among the rubbish to find that had been thrown out and saved from the barns. One of his men, Tebbitt said he had thrown out 2 pairs of fork tines out of the rubbish. On Thursday 31 October from information he received he went to the prisoner Moore and asked leave to search his premised, Moore was quite willing that he would and came down the town with him to the house. Mr Prior was at his heels. Moore stepped on rather quicker than he did and looked in to his own door and then turned around the corner of his house to the barn. He saw Moore stick his arms into the thatch of his barn, but did not see him take anything from it. Moore was out of his sight for about half a minute and when he got round to Moore’s house he was pulling some ivy leaves. Whilst they were there his brother said, in the hearing of the prisoner, that he did not know what he was looking for but Moore had thrown something into the garden. He asked Moore what he had thrown and he pointed to a bit of a stick lying there. They all searched the garden but not finding anything he went to the front of the house and waited there. In the course of a few minutes Mr Prior came out and brought a pair of fork tines with him. He did not know if the prisoner was present. He could not swear to the tines. John Prior: on 31 October to the prisoner’s house at Wootton. Mr Armstrong was there and searched the prisoner’s house having found nothing went into the garden. Mr Thomas Armstrong then said to him in the hearing of the prisoner "I don’t know what you are looking for but he (pointing to the prisoner) had taken something from the thatch and thrown it away." He looked about the garden and the back of the barn among some cabbage sprouts and found the fork tines. He thought they had been thrown there moment before as cabbage sprouts had been freshly knocked off. The sprout was bleeding. The prisoner was not present when he found the tines. He took them round the front of the house where the prisoner and Mr Charles Armstrong were and said to the latter that he had found the tines. Mr Armstrong then desired him to take the prisoner in charge and he did so. The prisoner said that his son, George, had bought the tines home. William Wilmot: he saw his master and the prisoner come down the town towards the prisoner’s house. The prisoner before Mr Armstrong and as he got near his own house he quickened his pace. I saw the prisoner look into his own door and pass on to the garden gate at the end of the house. The prisoner pushed in and went towards the barn which was at the end of the house and he saw him take something from the thatch. He could not see what and the prisoner threw it away in the direction of where Mr Prior says he found the fork tines. John Hine: he worked for Mr Charles Armstrong. When he left work at the barn on Saturday night he left 2 forks in the barn. The barn was burnt down early the next morning. On Thursday he saw both pairs of tines of those forks in the possession of Mr Prior, the constable. He was sure they were his master’s property. He knew them from having worked with them all the winter.

item

Moore, James,
Armstrong, Charles,
Prior, John,
Wilmot, William,
Hine, John

WOOTTON, stealing, agricultural implements