Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    QSR1834/2/5/14
  • Title
    James Gibbons, labourer of Heath & Reach. Thomas Nurshaw, labourer of Heath & Reach. Thomas Sponey, labourer of Heath & Reach. Samuel Robinson, labourer of Heath & Reach. John Swinstead, farmer of Heath & Reach. William Chew, shoemaker of Great Brickhill. In the case of James Parrott, Francis Pratt, labourer of Leighton Buzzard. William Holliday otherwise William Hickinbottom, carpenter of Heath & Reach. William Reeve, shoemaker of Leighton Buzzard. Giles Pyne, shopkeeper of Leighton Buzzard. Joseph Smith, labourer of Leighton Buzzard.
  • Date free text
    21 December 1833
  • Production date
    From: 1833 To: 1834
  • Scope and Content
    James Gibbons: on Monday 25 November at about 11.30pm he was sitting in his house at Heath & Reach. He had fastened the house door with a wooden pin. He heard the noise of many persons outside and his house door was broken open. The hinges were broken and 3 men came into the house. He asked the men what they wanted and they started to beat him. All 3 struck him. He did not know the men. He escaped from the house and went to John Simmonds who lived near him. His 3 pronged fork was taken away and his pales were broken down. When he left the house he saw upwards of 20 people making a great noise and being riotous near his gate. Several fell to striking him on the head and body and they broke 2 of his ribs and his face was wounded in several places. He bled very much. He asked them why they had broken his house open and they said “give it him damn him give it him”. One of them threw a large stone at him and it cut him over the eye. He was soon afterwards blind and insensible. It was Heath & Reach feast and he had gone home about 9.30pm and not left his house afterwards. He had not been able to work since. Thomas Nurshaw: on 25 November he returned home about 11.30pm. He had been watching the rails on the Turnpike Road, having been employed for that purpose. He lived next door to Gibbons. About 10 minutes after he returned home he heard Gibbons cry murder and heard a great row. He towards Gibbons house and saw Gibbons outside his house with more than 20 men around him. The men were striking Gibbons and pulling him about. Gibbons cried out. The men struck Nurshaw and knocked him down. He went back to his house and pinned the door but the men broke the door open and struck him inside the house. The men then pulled him out into the road and knocked him about. He bled very much and he could not work for 3 days. He did not know who the men were. Thomas Sponey: he was a watchman. The 25 November was Heath and Reach feast day and many men came from Leighton. There was a great deal of rioting and noise during the evening and there were several fights in the street. Francis Pratt, William Clarke, Daniel Parrott, Joseph Smith, William Paine and Abel Geeves were among them. Smith and Geeves fought about 10pm; Parrott and Clark fought about 10.30pm. He heard the cry of murder and ran towards Nurshaw and Gibbons. He saw great rioting near their houses and there was a great noise. There were more than 20 men and he saw them pull down Gibbons gate rails. He did not know the men. One of the men said “mind what you are about here is the watchman” but some of the men said they did not mind watchman nor constable and they would murder any mortal that came near. He afterwards saw Gibbons and Nurshaw and they were bleeding and very much hurt. He saw several large stones thrown at Gibbons house. Samuel Robinson: on 25 November at 11.30pm he was going towards home and he saw above 20 men rioting and making a noise in the streets near Gibbons’s. Gibbons was outside and he saw several men strike Gibbons. He saw James Parrott, Francis Pratt, William Holliday, William Reeve, Joseph Smith and Giles Pyne, all of Leighton Buzzard among them. William Reece and William Holliday struck Gibbons. Parrott and Pratt were close to them. He saw Francis Pratt come out of Gibbons’s house with a pork. He saw the men break Gibbons’s gate and pales and throw stones at his house. He saw James Parrott and Francis Pratt break Thomas Nurshaw’s house open. Nurshaw had been out but ran in and pined his door. They dragged Nurhsaw out of the house and beat him. Above 20 men were round and about. He saw Francis Pratt strike Nurshaw’s wife who had a child in her arms and knock them down. James Parrott threw a stone through Nurshaw’s upper window. The men said they were to stick together and drive the bloody place. John Swinstead: on 25 November, feast day, he and some friends were over at his father’s house about 11.30pm. He went out with a candle lantern to the stable and heard the cry of murder. He went out of the gate and saw many people in the street near Gibbon & Nurshaw’s houses. They were beating Nurshaw and his wife came out with a child in her arms and the men knocked her down. When he first went the men dispersed a little and they were then rioting near Gibbon’s. James Parrott, Francis Pratt, William Reeve, Joseph Smith and Giles Pyne were with them. He saw them he hoped they would not pull the house about and Parrott and Pratt then pulled the gate and pales down. Pratt and Smith then broke into Gibbons’s house and each took hold of a candle. One of the men took a knife. Gibbons was not in the house. Smith ran up stairs and Pratt went into a back place and they both came out of the house again. Pratt came out with a 3 pronged fork and Smith asked him to give him the fork. Pratt swore he would not have it and said that the first man who came to interrupt, be it constable or devil, them he would run through them. The men dispersed and went away. Nurshaw was bleeding very much. The men he had named came from Leighton. William Chew: he was James Gibbons’s brother in law. On 25 November he was at Gibbons house about 11.30pm and heard a great noise in the street. Some men opened the door and came in. Gibbons went out and asked them to be quiet and they bear him. Gibbons came into the house and then went out. He heard someone cry ‘murder’ and went out. He saw many men around Gibbons and some of them pushed him into a ditch of water. He returned into the house and someone said “Damn that Chew bring him out he is the man we want.” He ran upstairs and hid himself. Someone followed him upstairs with a candle but did not find him. He was in the back room. Statements of the accused ===================== Francis Pratt – he had been at the Dukes Head at Heath & Reach. Mrs Simmons came to him and asked him to go to supper with her. He went towards her house. As he was going by Nurshaw’s house about 11pm, Nurshaw stood with a spade in his hand and knocked him into the hedge. There were many people there. When he recovered he collared Nurshaw and Nurshaw went down. Nurshaw’s wife came and slapped him 2 or 3 times about the face. He threw her into the road. Mr Gibbons came out with a 3 pronged fork and struck at him and ran it into his shoulder. He followed Gibbons to the door and was struck again with the fork. He took the fork from Gibbons and went away. William Holliday [Holloday] otherwise William Hickinbotton – on the feast day at Heath & Reach he, William Reeve and Giles Pyne were going home to Leighton about 11pm. Gibbons came out of his house and collared Giles Pyne and insisted that he should tell him who had kicked the door open. Pyne said he had not seen anyone do it. Pyne got away but Gibbons and Nurshaw followed Pyne and came up to him and Reeve. Gibbons struck him across the head with a stick and he caught hold of the stick and threw Gibbons on his back. Nurshaw was then going to strike him with a stick. Bill reeve hit Nurshaw and they were on the ground together. He asked Bill if Nurshaw was biting him and he said that he was. Nurshaw got up and said that if there was a man among them he would fight him. He told Bill that he had been so ill he was not fit to fight but that he would fight Nurshaw. Nurhsaw threw off his hat and they had one round. He knocked Nurshaw down and Nurshaw ran into the house. Many people then came up. He, Reeve and Pyne went home after a few minutes. William Reeve: about 11pm on Heath & Reach feast day he, Higginbottom and Giles Pyne were going home to Leighton. As they went past Gibbons house, Gibbon collared Pyne and insisted he tell him who had broken his door open. Gibbons and Nurshaw had sticks and swung them about over their heads. Pyne said he would not be collared and he was innocent. Nurshaw struck Reeve and knocked him down. As they were both down Nurshaw bit his finger. Higginbottom pulled him off and Nurshaw said he would fight anyone. He said he would fight Nurshaw but Higginbottom said he was not fit and he had a round with Nurshaw instead. Nurshaw went away and they went home. They did not see other people. Giles Pyne: on feast day night he, Reeve and Higginbottom were going home by Gibbons when Gibbons collared him. The circumstances were as stated by Reeve. Joseph Smith: on Heath and Reach feast night he was before the Duke’s Head and saw a man coming up the town crying ‘murder’. He found it was Nurshaw and asked what the matter was. Nurshaw said there was a man and woman almost murdered. He asked where and was told ‘before Majors’. He ran down there and asked and saw an old man there. He took up a candle and went upstairs to see who was hurt. He saw nobody and set the candle down on the table and went to Mr Swinstead. They went and talked to Gibbons and his wife and he believed Nurshaw’swife. Gibbons stood crying and bleeding. Nurshaw was bleeding when he cried murder. When he went to Gibbons there may have been other people in the road. He then went home.
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