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.

The Champkin family of Dunstable

This months festive Document of the Month on the BLARS site is an excellent read and involves the repeat offender Arthur Champkin.  Arthur had a varied life and has become quite a favourite with us here in Paths to Crime.  There's often a call across the office of "We've got Arthur again".

This week I came across the case of a stolen mare and a stolen headstall (part of a bridle).  The case itself wasn't one of the more interesting we've come across but the offender was ...... a young man by the name of George Champkin.  A quick check on Ancestry showed he was indeed father to Arthur.  It just goes to prove the depth of information we're making available online for family historians.

It's been a very productive year in Paths to Crime and we still have a wealth of information to tackle.  So may we wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a wonderful 2013.

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The Queens Shilling

1856 saw William Burns recruited by Robert Worsley, a private in the 73^rd Regiment of Foot.  Worsley asked Burns if he was willing to serve her Majesty for 10 years and Burns replied yes.  Burns was given a shilling by the recruiter as a sign of the deal.  Burns remained with Worsley in St Albans on the Thursday and Friday night but disappeared about noon on Saturday.   On the same day he disappeared John Thompson, a sergeant in the 58^th regiment, saw the prisoner at Dunstable.  He had heard the prisoner wished to enlist and went to him and asked if he was willing to serve Her Majesty in the 58^th Regiment.  The prisoner replied yes.  He asked the Burns if he had been in the army before or if he had been enlisted.  Burns replied no.  He enlisted him in the name of Andrew Swaney and again he was given a shilling.  However, Worsley had pursued the prisoner and that evening advised Thompson the prisoner had enlisted before.  In the prisoner had no alternative but to acknowledge he had.  In his defence, Burns claimed Worsley had promised to enlist him as a civilian for the term of 10 years in the 73^rd Regiment and promised to have him sworn in on Friday, so he could be send away.  During the time he was there, Worsley never even given him a billet for the 3 nights and had made him pay for his own lodging.

In December of the same year, the case of William Spacey came to trail.  Spacey lived at Milton Bryan and was a labourer.  On 11 December, PC Alfred Ing was at Woburn and saw the prisoner who he knew well.  The prisoner came to him and said he would like to be a soldier and if he saw a militia man he would enlist in the Bedfordshire Militia.  Ing told Spacey he was able to enlist him if he wished to join the militia.  Spacey said he knew of no impediment as to why he should not join the service and he said he was free able and willing to serve.  As a result, Ing gave Spacey a shilling and told him to come to Woburn the next morning.  Spacey didn't show.    However, Police Superintendent William Ralph Young also knew the prisoner.  Young was aware Spacey had already joined the Bedfordshire Militia but had been discharged for some defect which rendered him unfit for service, possibly a crooked toe.

Both men were found guilty, with Spacey imprisoned for 3 months and Burns for a month.

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The Prison Governor's Letter

Not all the documents we are cataloguing relate to prisoners. Epiphany 1857 contains a very sad letter written by the current governor of Bedford Prison, Robert Evans Roberts.  Roberts, originally from Kent,  took over as Governor in 1853 and remained there for over 30 years.

The letter requested the court excuse his absence at the Epiphany Quarter Session of the Peace due to the recent death of his eldest daughter and the current ill heath of his second child.  It appears his daughter, Elizabeth Janet, died soon after her elder sister Catherine Mary.  The Quarter Session Minutes book gives mention to the outbreak of scarlet fever at the Governors house, and permission was granted by the court to whitewash the house. 

Only 8 years later, Roberts lost his wife Mary Ann. By the 1871 census, his remaining child, a boy named after his father, was living up in Hull with his town clerk uncle. Robert George Roberts later followed in his fathers footsteps, becoming a prison warden in Lancashire.  Robert Evans Roberts went on to  remarry soon after the death of Mary Ann.  He and his new wife, a rather younger lady by the name of Adelaide, stayed in Bedford and went on to have both sons and daughters.

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Bonfire Night

Last November our document of the month was a deposition from a case in which a gang of boys in Houghton Regis stole straw to put on a bonfire on November 5th. In a bit of timely cataloguing I just came across a similar case in which Charles Kitchener of Luton was accused of stealing faggots (bundles of wood) from Peter Wilson in Luton. Joseph Matthews was to guard his master's faggot stack at 11pm on November 5th. A few minutes later Kitchener and two friends arrived. The friends helped Kitchener to climb the stack, from which he threw down faggots which the other two gathered. When he came down Kitchener picked up a faggot himself, only to be apprehended by Matthews and taken to the Old English Gentleman public house where he was handed over to the police. Matthews stated that nearly one hundred faggots had been taken from the stack that night. Presumably once the excitement of Bonfire Night had settled Wilson was feeling in merciful mood as the case was not prosecuted and Kitchener was discharged.

Did Luton have enough Police Constables?

...............well not according to the petition raised by inhabitants of the town in 1855. A 71 strong petition, featuring the names of business owners, solicitors and the clergy of the town petitioned the Quarter Sessions for an increase in the number of Police Constable in Luton.   At the time the population of the town and parish of Luton had grown to 16,420 but was policed by just 2 Police Constables.

The petitions throws up some other interesting statistics and comments:

- on 31 December 1854 the parish and town population had increased to 16,420, with the town population of 14,000.

- the nature of the population requires more surveillance than an agricultural population.

- the length of the parish of Luton was almost 8 miles with the average breath of 3 to 4 miles and was almost 17,000 acres.

- the parish of Luton paid £309 for the Police Rate in 1854 and had 2 constable whilst other parishes in the Luton division paid £250 and had the advantage of 4 constables.

- the Police Rate suggests they ought have 5 constables, considering the inclusion of Caddington and the probable increase in low and disreputable characters during the construction of the railway.

- the population of the county in 1841 was 107,936 for which 43 constables were considered sufficient; the rate being 1 constable per 2,500 inhabitants. 

- the population of Luton now being 16,420 same rate would require 6 constables.

- inhabited houses in the Town of Luton in 1841 were only 1,139 and in December 1854 this was more than double at 2,512.

The Quarter Session minute book for this period suggests the request was successful and the Chief Constable was given the authority to appoint an additional 6 constables. The next year saw major changes in the how the policing of Bedfordshire was organised, with the introduction of revised Police Districts.  In fact it's interesting to note that it wasn't until this year that it became compulsory for a county to have its own Police Force.  Regardless of the changes, the issue raises its head again in later years, with the town still feeling it had insufficient Police Constables.  Confirming it as a timeless issue.  The image below shows, the impact of the railways is being felt.

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QEV3

I have no doubt that soot is mine!

On many occasion we have come across policeman comparing footmarks, left at the scene of a crime, to the boots worn by the prisoners.   An early document of the month from the Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Record Service offered a good description.

However the detective work of the police frequently goes even beyond that.  For example, in the cases of stolen crops, samples are taken from the original source and compared with the stolen loot.  A factor such as the number of times the wheat is dressed becomes relevant.  Often in the case of crops, such as potatoes, a cultivator can recognise the goods stolen from him as he is the only grower of that variety in the area. Sometimes it hard to believe that a chimney sweep would recognise the soot stolen from him, but allegedly the quality and colour did vary!

Already this current session, Epiphany QSR1855, has given us another couple of examples.  John Green, the keeper of the White Hart at Hockcliffe, discovered 2 of his flock of sheep missing. In a near ditch he found blood, sheepskins, heads, entrails and feet.  Police Sergeant Clough took away the neck bones and feet of the sheep.  On discovering a number of bones in the house of James Stone, he was able to compare the cuts and break in the bones.  This proved that the bones found in the ditch were from the same animal as those found in Stone’s home. 

James Addison Taylor, a poulterer and game dealer lived in Park Street West, Luton and had several dozen larks hanging by his door.  They were tied in dozen by string through their beaks. When he went to take them in and found 4 larks and 6 heads left in one of the dozens and 2 were gone, heads and all.  There were 8 gone altogether.  When the stolen larks were located he took with him the heads left on the string.  He was able to compare them with the bodies found.  An added detail stated that one of the birds tongues was left in the body, drawn out of the head, and one of the heads left at the shop had no tongue in it.  It was gory stuff to read but was compelling evidence.

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