QSR1834/3/5/10

Depositions of Jane Wilson of New Mill End, Luton. John Rolt of Flamstead. Eliza Higgins, New Mill End, Luton. Martha Hawes, New Mill End, Luton. Thomas Munt, Thrales End, Luton. William Ealing of Luton. John Farr of New Mill End, Luton. Frederick Chase, solicitor of Luton. In the case of Mary Clay accused of concealing the birth of an illigitimate child.

29 May 1834

From: 1834 To: 1834

Jane Wilson: he knew a young woman names Mary Clay. She was a neighbour of hers and lived near Kingsborn Green about a mile from her. Clay came to her house on Whitsunday to dinner to dine with Thomas Hawes, her sweetheart. Clay had on a light gown, a light shawl and a straw bonnet. Clay was rather ill at the house with a great deal of discharge and went into the back scullery. She went with her. She did not ask her what that matter was. Clay’s gown was very much stained. She told Clay that if it were her she would go home. The young mans mother washed it out twice. She went into another person’s house and did not see Clay go. That was in the afternoon just after a hailstorm, possibly about 3pm. She mopped up the puddle twice. She had no suspicion of her being in the family way. She said that she hoped nothing would happen in her house. She thought it more than a monthly discharge. Thomas Hawes and his wife lodged in her house and Thomas, their son, slept in the same room on a bed on the floor. Mary Clay had often slept in the same room. She had named it to Mr Haydon as improper. When Mary Clay went she saw her go towards her home. John Rolt, her uncle in law was with her and Clay had hold of his arm. Mrs Hawes told her there was a child bought to Higgins. She said that perhaps it was Mary Clays because of the great discharge. After Clays gown was washed she stood with her legs across. She said she wondered how the great wretch could get home from the great discharge of blood. Young Hawes had slept at her house ever since Michaelmas. John Rolt: his wife was called Ann and was the aunt of Mary Clay. He went on Whitsunday to dinner at Mrs Wilson’s. There was Mary Clay, Thomas Hawes, his brother and others. He did not perceive that Mary Clay was unwell until after she went upstairs after dinner. When Clay came back she complained of a headache. Between 3pm and 4pm Clay went home, just after the hail storm. Clay had an umbrella and asked him to go a little way with her. He offered Clay his arm to help her and she kept saying she was very bad. There was a style to get over and they went through a gate and across the fields into Mr Baydon’s great barley field. Clay bent down twice and said she felt bad and she was full of pain on her inside. There was a footpath in the field and they went about half way across the next field when she told him he may go back. Before that she had let go of him in the barley field and stopped behind. He had walked ahead into the next field and he had waited for her for perhaps 2 minutes. He went back along the footpath. He did not see anything on the path as he went back; neither a child not blood. It rained and he put an umbrella up. On his returned they asked him how Clay was and he said she was very bad. Eliza Higgins: she was the wife of Mr Higgins who kept the Swan at New Mill End. On Whitsunday Ealing and Munt came to the house in the afternoon and they brought a child. She saw it. It was about 9 inches long. She asked where they had found it and they told her in a field. When she came downstairs the child was lying on the table and several people were looking at it. She told Ealing to put it away and he put it into his own yard. She thought it indecent for it to lay there. She took it up and put it down the privy. She was so frightened she scarcely knew what she was doing. On Monday morning she went to take the child out. The privy was not above 2 foot 6 inches deep and had recently been cleaned out. When she went to take it out she found it was not there. She had not perceived Mary Clay to be in the family way. Clay came to the house that afternoon for some cakes. Clay did not seem ill and walked very well. It was between 5pm and 6pm when the child lay on the table. Thomas Hawes came into the house that evening. Some of the people were chaffering him about it and asked if it was his child. Hawes said no and that Mary Clay had been ill for 2 months. She heard people tell him that she had thrown it down the privy. The privy was in an open orchard. Martha Hawes: she was the wife of Thomas Hawes and lodged at Mrs Wilson’s. On Whitsunday John Rolt, his wife and Mary Clay came to dine. They dined at 1pm.It was about 11am when Mary came to the house and she had no been well for a long time. She asked her if she was any better. Mary Clay went upstairs and she followed her and asked what the matter was. Mary said that her back ached and she was very ill. She saw blood come through her gown and the stain was as big as the palm of her hand. She washed the gown n the back place and Mrs Wilson and Mrs Rolt were with her. Mary had kept company with her son for some 10 or 12 months and had slept at the house about 3 times. Mary had slept in the same room and bed as her and her husband. He son slept in the same room on the ground next to her. She told Mrs Wilson she did not think there any harm in this. There was no mopping up of the blood as there was no blood to mop. It was between 2pm and 3pm that she washed the gown and Mary went away between 3pm and 4pm. Rolt went with her and came back about 5pm. After Rolt came back they heard of a child being found. Mrs Wilson said that it must be Mary’s. She told her she thought not. She said Rolt if her had seen anything and he said no. Rolt was gone about ¾ of an hour and it did not rain all the time. Mary Clay did not appear in the family way. Thomas Munt: on Whitsunday 18 May hew as coming from Thrales End with William Ealing to New Mill End. It was about 4pm and he saw several places where there was blood on the footpath. There were clots of blood for 100 yards about the size of half a crown each. He saw something on the path which they took up and examined. It was a child about 9 inches long and it was a boy. He picked up a piece of grass in which he wrapped the child and carried it in his hand. They took it to New Mill End and showed it to Mr Jones who they met in the road. They then took it to Higgins house, the public house. There were a great many people in the house. He had not seen it since. William Ealing: he was going along the path with Munt on Whitsunday from Thrales End to New Mill End and he saw the blood and something in the path. He saw it was a boy. He went with Munt to Higgins. After the people there had seen it, Mrs Higgins told him to put it away and he put it on the dung heap in the yard. As they were going along the path he saw a woman stooping down. She was going away from the spot where they found the child and appeared to be going towards Mr Peppercorns. She had on a shawl and straw bonnet. She was no a very tall woman. The field in which they found the child was a barley field. The child was very bloody, slimy and quite fresh. They saw the woman about a quarter of a mile from where they found the child. John Farr: he was at New Mill End on Whitsunday, at the public house. He saw a child there. Ealing said he had seen Mary Clay when he was coming to Mill End and he had taken it to her. He was going to Kingston Green Fair on Whitmonday and saw some blood on the footpath in Ryde Field and across the common as far as the lane. Some of the clots of blood were as large as his fist. Frederick Chase: on Monday Mr Clark, the church warden, came to him and asked his advise regarding a child they had found. He advised him to investigate the matter and Clark begged him to go with him. He went to Mary Clay’s house and in consequence of information received and having cautioned her. She stated that she had told Thomas Hawes she had been confined on Sunday evening and left the child in the field. John Rolt was with her at the time.

item

Clay, Mary,
Wilson, Jane,
Rolt, John,
Rolt, Anne,
Higgins, Eliza,
Hawes, Martha,
Munt, Thomas,
Ealing, William,
Farr, John,
Chase, Frederick

LUTON, East Hyde New Mill End, Flamstead, Thrales End, pregnancy, concealment of birth, solicitor