George Abbott

110

Ron Garbutt on 23rd September 2022

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 23 September 2022), February 1830, trial of GEORGE KIRBY GEORGE ABBOTT HENRY ABBOTT WILLIAM PENDRED (t18300218-90). GEORGE KIRBY, GEORGE ABBOTT, HENRY ABBOTT, WILLIAM PENDRED, Theft > simple larceny, 18th February 1830. 587. GEORGE KIRBY , GEORGE ABBOTT , HENRY ABBOTT , and WILLIAM PENDRED were indicted for stealing, on the 14th of January , 30 bushels of onions, value 6l. , the goods of Thomas Deadman . MR. LEE conducted the prosecution. THOMAS DEADMAN . I am a market-gardener . During the last year I cultivated a particular sort of onion, called the Globe onion - they are a very particular sort; I have not seen any of them in any London market - I had a number of them in a barn adjoining my house; and on the morning of the 14th of January I missed a great many; they were secured by boards, one of which had a particular mark on it; it has a notch in the middle of it - it was afterwards found in a cart; I can swear it was on my premises; I know it by its general appearance as well as the notch. JAMES HATTON. I am labourer to the prosecutor. On the 13th of January I removed a number of onions from the barn to an empty house; I put boards round them, and one of them had a notch in it - this is the board I will swear. I saw Henry Abbott go up the lane while I was doing it, and he looked over the place where I was putting the onions. Cross-examined by MR. BODKIN. Q. Do you know these men? A. Yes, I know them all - they buy articles and carry them about in a donkey-cart for sale; I put this board and some others round the fire-place of the house where I put the onions - the boards had been brought from Bagnigge-wells, in a waggon, about a week before. MR. LEE. Q. Do not the prisoners go about collecting Bones? A. Yes, and selling other things. DAVID REEVES. I am watchman to Mr. Green. On Thursday, the 14th of January, I was on duty, and saw George Abbott and George Kirby come out of a gate, at ten minutes before four o'clock in the morning; they were about a field and a half from the house where the onions were, coming from the prosecutor's house; they had a donkey and cart, loaded with some sacks - they went into the Fulham-road; I can swear it was William Pendred 's cart - in about a quarter of an hour I saw Henry Abbott and Pendred at the bottom of the lane, just outside where the cart had been when I first saw it; they went the other way, towards North-end. Cross-examined. Q. I suppose you knew them all before? A. I had seen them as I went to my work; they live in the neighbourhood - I was watching in the lane and the high-road, but was in the road when the cart passed me; I had been down the lane before - this was a field and a half from the prosecutor's; it is not a cart-way to the empty house - you cannot get to it without going on another person's premises - I was perhaps a hundred yards from them; it was moon-light and snowy together - it did not snow then; their side was towards me - I knew the cart was Pendred's, by seeing it the day before and the day after. COURT. Q. Do you know of any work they could have so early in the morning? A. No; the last two went in an opposite direction to the first, but they came from the same gate. JOHN SENDALL. I am a market-gardener. On the 14th of January I was at Wandsworth, about three o'clock, I saw a cart loaded with onions, drawn by a donkey; the name of William Pendred was on it - Pendred and Henry Abbott were with it; they were a particular sort of onion, called the Globe onion - Abbott was filling some of them into a measure, as if for sale, and as I knew the prosecutor had lost some the morning before, I went and said, "Abbott, You have got a goodish sample of onions here;" he said,"Yes, we have been to Croydon boneing, and I have bought some;" I said, "I shall take a few," and I put some into my pocket - I then went into the Queen's Head, and there I saw Kirby; I staid some time till they went away -Kirby drove the cart to Mr. Metier's; they stopped there, and I had the cart detained - Kirby said the cart belonged to Pendred, his master; Pendred and Henry Abbott had gone away before that - I had seen Pendred take the money for a perk of onions; I saw some boards in the cart on the day after - this is one of them. Cross-examined. Q. You do not mean to say you saw this board in the cart that morning? A. I saw it the following day, when I went with Mr. Deadman; I did not notice any boards the first day, but I took the name of the cart - I took particular notice of the onions; they seemed to me to be all of that sort, but I did not turn them over from the bottom - I considered they were all alike; this was two miles and a half or three miles from the prosecutor's - I knew the prisoners, and they knew me; they did not object to my taking a sample. COURT. Q. Do you know the empty house? A. I was born in it; it is at the bottom of Red Cow-lane, Hammersmith. JOHN DOVE. I am ostler at the Queen's Head public-house. On the morning of the 14th of January, George Kirby came between six and seven o'clock with a donkeycart - he was alone; about nine o'clock two others came, but I did not notice them, and cannot say who they were - the cart was loaded with onions - Kirby said he had been up all night, and had come over Fulham-fields, and was going to Croydon; he went in, sat down, and fell asleep - my master bought a peck of the onions, and Mr. Young bought a peck; I did not see them sold. Cross-examined. Q. You knew Kirby before? A. No, I never saw him before; he stopped there till near four o'clock in the afternoon, while the other two walked about. JOSEPH COCKERTON . I live at Fulham. I was standing at Mr. Metier's gate, on the 14th of January, and saw the cart of onions drawn by a donkey - the constable had charge of it; it was between four and five o'clock - there were four sacks of onions in it, and some loose; they left it in our place till the next day - it was put in our cart-house, and a waggon was put against the gate that no one could get to it; Kirby drove the cart - the next day they were taken away; I noticed two or three pieces of board in the cart on the 14th. Cross-examined. Q. I believe you know the prisoners? A. Yes - it is part of their employ to go about the country, and buy bones, onions, and other things. MR. DEADMAN. I cannot swear to these other two boards, but I can to this one with the notice in it; here are some of the onions from the cart, and some from my stock- there is not a question, but they are the same sort; I do not know any man who grew such. Cross-examined. Q. How long have you grown thatkind of onion? A. Two years; I bought the seed at a seed shop in London - I bought all they had. JAMES SMITH. I took the prisoners, and have had the onions ever since; these are part that were in the cart - these were taken from the bulk: and these are the boards. Cross-examined. Q. Where did you take the prisoners? A. Kirby I took at home, and George Abbott on the 16th- the other two I took at the Cock and Magpie, about three weeks after. EDWARD EDGSON. I assisted in taking the prisoners. JOHN SENDALL re-examined. Q. Why did you not have them taken when you saw them? A. They took the cart, and allowed Kirby to go, as he said he would send his master for the cart. Cross-examined. Q. Did you know whose cart it was? A. Kirby said his master was Pendred - that he and Abbott bought them at Croydon, and he saw them; I said, "Your donkey could not draw them from there;" "Yes he could" he said. Kirby's Defence. I asked them to take me if they thought I had any thing to do with the robbery. George Abbott's Defence. I can prove I was in bed and asleep that night - next morning I was in my father's garden, and saw a mob; they came and took me. Pendred's Defence. There is a board to be produced, which came from the same place. KIRBY - GUILTY . Aged 21. G. ABBOTT - GUILTY . Aged 19. H. ABBOTT - GUILTY . Aged 24. PENDRED - GUILTY . Aged 22. Transported for Seven Years . https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/print.jsp?div=t18300218-90