Reference
QSR1823/330
Title
Information of William Brunt junior of Biggleswade, mercer and draper, and of William Harvey, regarding William Page of Silsoe and James Page of Ampthill, accused of larceny. Examinations of James and William Page.
Date free text
1823
Production date
From: 1823 To: 1823
Scope and Content
He had a stall at Silsoe fair and between six and seven in the evening a lady said to him 'Mr Brunt, some persons are stealing your goods.' He then missed three parcels of worsted stockings from his stall, containing about eight packs in each. '
I jumped out of the stall and saw a person of the name of Lowe standing near the place where the goods were missed ... I said to him "Lowe, do you know the men who have robbed my stall?" He said "No."
My brother and I then went in pursuit.
About eleven o'clock the same evening, Joseph Lowe came to me at the George Inn where I slept and told me that he could not get rest - he knew the two men ... they were William Page and James Page.
The following morning I was told by a little girl whom I met in the street that she had seen William Page with a bundle of stockings under his arm, and that if I was to go up, I would find him drunk in a barn belonging to a Mr Hatred of Silsoe.'
Later Brunt saw William Page in custody and he denied all knowledge of the robbery, but later, when Lowe was produced at the Flying Horse, Clophill he confessed to his share and said they would find others in the possession of James Page, John Saville of Houghton Conquest, Joseph Stapleton of Ampthill and Clarke of Ampthill. They then went to the magistrate and on returning to the Flying Horse, William Page said there were 7 or 8 persons at Houghton who were worse than him 'that it was the first time that he had ever got into the gang.'
William Brunt then went to William Page's house at Ampthill and his wife produced the stockings which he passed over to the constable, John Kingston. They then went on to James Page's house at Ampthill and searched it, finding another bundle of stockings.
Brunt later saw James Page in custody, who said 'I am not the worst.' and then named the seven men following, all from Houghton Conquest - Thomas Ostler, William Ostler, John Ostler, James Grummitt, John Saville, James Redman and John Redman.Information of William Harvey of Biggleswade, draper. He is a shopman to William Brunt and identifies his goods.Examination of James and William Page.
William Page says 'I was completely drawn in by James Page my fellow prisoner, to commit the robbery ... I am sorry for it.'
James page says 'There was a hole cut at the corner of the stall ... and I picked up a bundle of stockings and gave them to William Page.'
Reference
Level of description
item