Willm Allen

342

Maureen Withey on 25th August 2021

Convict Index. William Allen, alias Thomas Eldridge, Surrey 1814, Conditional Pardon, 20 Sep 1850. 50/650.

342

Maureen Withey on 25th August 2021

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 25 August 2021), February 1813, trial of WILLIAM ALLEN, alias THOMAS ELDRIDGE (t18130217-26). WILLIAM ALLEN, Theft > burglary, 17th February 1813. 262. WILLIAM ALLEN, alias THOMAS ELDRIDGE , was indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of William Moore , about the hour of one in the night, on the 29th of January , and burglariously stealing therein, nineteen pounds weight of soap, value 17 s. two stone bottles, value 4 d. and two pints of sheep wash, value 4 s. his property . WILLIAM MOORE . I live at 82, West Smithfield, in the parish of St. Sepulchre . I am an oilman . I live in the house. On Friday morning, the 29th of January last, about the hour of one, the door was broken open. The head of the bolt was knocked off, and the remaining part was left in. Between eight and nine o'clock, the patrol of Clerkenwell called on me to know if I had lost any thing. At the time that he asked me that question I did not know that the cellar had been entered. I went directly to examine the cellar windows. I found this piece of the bolt broke, and the bar gone. I looked into the cellar bin, where I keep the soap in general, in which I expected to find about three hundred weight of soap. When I looked in it was all taken out; there were none. I found there had been casks in the cellar broken open, to see what were in them. The patrol told me that he had stopped a man at two o'clock in the morning, and that he was in custody at the watchhouse; and when I got to Clerkenwell watchhouse I saw the man, and I saw the soap and two stone bottles containing sheep wash, with labels attached to the bottles with my name on them, by which I could ascertain them to be my own. The prisoner was asked how he came by these articles. He did not give a true account; the place that he gave reference to no person had bought such a thing as the soap. SAMUEL MILLARD . I am a patrol. I was going my round about two o'clock in the morning, in St. John-square, Clerkenwell. I met the prisoner with something in his apron. I asked him what he had got in his apron. He said, seven cakes of soap, he had bought it of a Mr. Martin, an oilman; he gave nine-pence a pound. I told him, that was not the price of soap, I did not think he came by it honest. He said, he had, and if I would go with him to Bottle and Hay-yard, St. John-street, I should see it was all right. I told him it was off my duty to go there, but he must go with me to the watchhouse. He told me his name was Thomas Eldridge. When I got him into the watchhouse, he then pulled two bottles out of his pocket, and told me they contained blacking; that he had them where he worked, at Mr. Robertson's, a plumber in Gray's-inn-lane. My superintendant told me to go to Bottle and Hay-yard, to enquire for Mrs. Eldridge, to know whether she had got a son. I did so. I could not find a person of the name of Mrs. Eldridge that had got a son. In the morning I went to Mr. Moore, of Smithfield, seeing his name upon the bottles. I asked Mr. Moore whether he had lost anything. He told me, he could not tell. I asked him whether he did not sell sheep wash. He said, yes. I then went to Mr. Robertson, of Gray's-inn-lane, to know if he knew any such person as Eldridge. Mr. Robertson knew him by the name of Allen, and he had worked there bythe name of Allen, and was discharged a twelvemonth before. JOSEPH WILSON . I am the superintendant of the watchhouse. The patrol brought this man in the watchhouse, about two o'clock in the morning, with the soap. He said, he had seven cakes of soap in his apron. When we came to pull them out there were but six. He said, he had lost one. He said he bought it in Gray's-inn-lane. He told me his name was Thomas Eldridge ; he lived with his mother in Bottle and Hay-yard; his mother was a washer-woman; it was soap that he had bought for her; he said he gave nine-pence a pound for it. A little while afterwards, he said he gave fifteen shillings. I sent the patrol to Bottle and Hay-yard; he went and found out a Mrs. Eldridge, she said she had not got any son, nor expected any thing home with any one. After that, I thought him a suspicious character. I searched his person; I found this screw-driver, and a key, some matches, and a bit of wax taper. WILLIAM READ . I am an officer. The prisoner was brought to the watchhouse. I took him into custody. I examined Mr. Moore's premises; the cellar door was over the flap. I found marks on the door to correspond with this screw-driver. I compared it; it seemed to fit the place. I knew the prisoner by the name of Allen; his name is not Eldridge. As soon as he saw me he said, I am done now. This is the soap and the two stone bottles. Prosecutor. The soap I have every reason to believe it is mine; I had such kind of soap. It is a common sort of soap, but made particular. It is soap that is not handsome, but good and useful. I lost a great deal more than is here. The sheep wash is my property; my name is upon them. There were more bottles gone than these two. I found two bottles the next morning, near the house. Prisoner's Defence. I am a plumber . I worked for Mr. Robertson, in Gray's-inn-lane; there came a new act up, no man could work except he served a seven years apprenticeship, so I was discharged. On this night I tumbled over a coarse sack; I undid my apron and put the soap and bottles in. I was going home, the patrol stopped me. He said, what have you got here. I said, soap. My mother kept a house in Bottle and Hay-yard for many years. GUILTY - DEATH , aged 29. London jury, before Mr. Recorder.