Stealing the boss's clothes

Francis Poole was engaged as manager of the ‘Lindslade Iron Ore Company’ at Leighton Buzzard and had been the employer of the prisoner, John Ross.  However, on 9 November Ross absented himself without authority.  On returning to his lodging Francis Poole was informed by his landlady that the cheeky prisoner had not only disappeared but also been to his lodging and fetched away some of his clothes. In fact he had stolen a whole outfit consisting of a black coat, a double breasted vest, a pair of black trousers, a linen shirt and a silk neck tie.

Mardling Parsons was the landlady of the Nags Head in Leighton Buzzard were Francis Poole was a lodger. She knew the prisoner to be employed by Mr Poole, so had no reason to doubt the tale he told her on 9 November.  The prisoner came to her and told her a serious affair had happened and that Mr Poole had fallen into the water out of a boat.  He instructed Mrs Parson that he was to take clean dry clothes back to Mr Poole and so Mrs Parson went to Mr Poole’s room and brought down a coat, vest, trousers, shirt and neck tie.  She tied them in a small handkerchief of her own and gave them to the prisoner.  However, soon after the prisoner had gone, a safe and dry Mr Poole returned and denied giving anyone authority to fetched away his clothes.

The prisoner went went on to pawn the set of clothes for 10 shillings.  This assisted the local Police Constable, George Mardlin, in tracing the prisoner to Little Brickhill, where he found him in a public house.

John Ross was found guilty of obtaining goods by false pretences and sentenced to 3 calendar months hard labour.

Henry Wybrow & the Leighton Buzzard community 1851

The 1851 census shows the Wybrow* family of Leighton Buzzard living in Jeffs Lane. However, son Henry is missing from the family fold. Sadly poor Henry, just 14 years old, was residing in the County Goal in Bedford at the time. Although not uncommon, at the time of the 1851 census, taken on 30 March, Henry was one of only two inmates under 16 in the prison.

The QSR1851 shines more light on Henry plight. It appears that young Henry needed to raise money to play ‘pitch and hussle’ (a gambling game based on ‘chuck farthing). In order to do this, he stole a small quantity of lead off of the local Baptist chapel. He was seen on the roof. Later he sold on the lead for the sum of 2 pence halfpenny to a marine merchant.

The unusual feature of Henry case was that the local community rallied round him. A petition of 21 signatures was laid before the justices of the peace. It described their sympathy for his parents, Thomas Wybrow and Mary, and their concern at Henry, at just 14 years old, being confined in the County gaol for stealing a very small quantity of lead. In the opinion of the petitioners “he had been led into this evil through the influence of bad example”.

Henry Wybrow, did confess to the crime, and was sentenced by the Justices be imprisoned and kept at hard labour in the House of Correction for 2 weeks.

So, did young Henry deserve the faith of the residents of Leighton Buzzard? The Bedford Goal database shows that just less than year later Henry was charged with stealing wheat in his home town. However, he was given a conditional pardon and removed to The Philanthropic Society’s Farm School near Reigate in Surrey, at the time a relatively new reformatory school.
Henry’s life beyond this point is unclear, but I guess in an ideal world, we’d like to think Henry thrived on these opportunities and went on to prove himself worthy of the faith of the Leighton Buzzard residents.

*Transcribed as Whybrow
1851 census = Henry Wybrov
Source Citation: Class: HO107; Piece: 1751; Folio: 630; Page: 9; GSU roll: 87674-87675.

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