QSR1834/1/5/11

Depositions of Charles Armstrong, farmer of Wootton. William Parrott, labourer of Wootton. In the case of Daniel Cook acused of stealing a sack and 5 bushels of wheat.

2 November 1833

From: 1833 To: 1834

Charles Armstrong: on 19 September he bought 10 pounds of wheat at Ampthill market for seed. It was delivered at his granary on Saturday 21 September. On 23 September he went into the granary to look at the wheat to see that it was to sample. He found the wheat alright and of the same sample. On 24 September he went with his servant David Curtis into the granary to get some of the wheat to dress for sowing and then he perceived that one of the sacks with all the wheat in it was gone. He looked about the granary and discovered that one of the windows which was fastened inside by a wooden pin, was open. He did not observe any marks about the window. The door was locked as he had left it the day before. He could not swear that the window was fastened when he left the granary on Monday but he was sure it was closed. The granary consisted of 2 floors. The wheat in question on the lower floor and the open window was on the upper floor some 15 or 16 feet from the ground and no person could get to it but by means of a ladder. He had not seen his wheat since he had missed it but he had seen the sack which one of James Ellis’s men, Whitbread, brought to him about 3 weeks after it was taken from the granary. Whitbread told him where he had found it. He did not see Whitbread himself as Whitbread brought it to the house and left it with his mother. On 1 November he received and obtained a search warrant for the house and premised of Daniel Cook at Wootton. His premises are only separated from Ellis’s house close by the road, about a furlong from where the sack was said to have been found. None of the wheat was found in the search of the premises but whilst the constable was proceeding with the search he was sat in a room with the prisoner Cook. He told the cook the information he received and that Parrott said that he, Cook, had received a load of wheat which Parrott had stolen from the granary and that Parrott had brought it twice. He also said Parrott said Cook was always teasing him to bring him something. Cook replied "He is a very great villain and liar and not to be believed upon his oath. Parrott had offered to bring me many things which I have refused sometime ago he told me he could get me some wool. Wool was then making a good price but I refused. About Michaelmas he told me he could bring me some fat geese a little while back he did bring a sack with some wheat and set it down". The prisoner at the same time pointed to the outer door in another room. They sat in a little back room. Mr Ring came in at that moment and the conversation dropped. William Parrott: a labourer but now a prisoner in Bedford gaol committed for trial on a charge of burglary. One Monday morning about a month or six weeks previous he and Jack Gilbert had a ladder and got up to the window on the outside of Mr Armstrong’s granary and shook the pin out. They both got in and then they went down to the bottom granary and shot part of a load of wheat standing in one of Mr Armstrong’s sacks into another of Armstrong’s sacks, which they had taken on the same night from the chaff house. They took half of it down to the prisoner Cook and set it in his carpenter’s shop. His house was not open and they did not see him. They then went back and hid the other half in Mr Berry’s Little Haycock in Brand’s Close. About a week afterwards they carried the last half of the wheat to the prisoner Cook and put it in the same shop but did not see him. The night after they had taken the first half, he and Gilbert went to Cook’s and had to quarts of beer which he gave to them. On the Saturday night they took the wheat from Mr Armstrong’s, he had told Cook he should bring him something on Monday night. Cook said "mind what you are at that you don’t get catched". On the Tuesday after they went to Cook’s shop and the wheat was not there. Cook came in and said he had found the wheat standing there and he told him to take care of it as it had come from Mr Armstrong. Cook said he would mix it up after breakfast. They told him they had half a load more and Cook said they better let him have it. The same night he and Gilbert went to him again and were given 2 quarts of beer. They did not go into the house but Cook brought the beer out to them in the yard. They asked him when he wanted the other half of the load and he told them to wait a while longer and said he had mixed up the first half of the load. They took the other half to Cook. They later saw him and he said he did not know what to do with it as he had nothing to mix it with and they must get him more if they could. They got him about a bushel the next night from Mr Barnard Dimmocks and took it to Cook’s shop and left it there. The next night Cook gave them 15 or 16 shillings and a little beer. Cook paid Gilbert the money. Statement of the accused: when he heard Mr Armstrong had lost a load of wheat and eh heard it was seed wheat. When Parrott told him about it he said "I won’t have t for that’s seed wheat". Parrott said it was not. He again refused it. Parrott he and Gilbert had lain under the wagon hovel, had seen 2 men come and had go into the granary and taken the wheat. He said he did not believe them and thought they had taken the wheat. When they brought down the first load he had not known it was coming and found on his bench. He went in and told him wife he thought Parrott had left some wheat. She said she would not have stolen goods there and he replied he did not know what to do worth it. When he saw Gilbert and Parrott he asked why they had bought him it and they said they had more and did not know what to do with it and talked of taking it to the mill. They begged and pleaded with him to have it but he refused. Gilbert said if he had it they would get him more to mix with it and then no one could tell. The next morning the other half of the load stood there and another bushel by the side of it. He did sift a little of the chaff out and put the bushel into the other. He drew it to Kempston mill to be ground and that was the whole truth of it. Parrot drew him into it and was always coming to asking him to have things.

item

Cook, Daniel,
Armstrong, Charles,
Parrott, William,
Ellis, James,
Gilbert, Jack,
Curtis, David

WOOTTON, stealing, wheat, sack, farmer