William Atkinson

41

Gavan Rafferty on 18th November 2025

Died at Cobaw, near Lancefield, Victoria. Married? Ann Kelly - no record found. BDM death record 10107/1899. Death certificate states place of birth Tadcaster, parents John and Ann. Tadcaster stated on William's incoming description - convict records Van Diemen's Land.

135

C H on 2nd March 2024

Old Bailey Online WILLIAM ATKINSON. FREDERICK WILLIAMS. JANE MORGAN. ANN WILSON. Theft; theft from a specified place, Theft; receiving, Theft; receiving. 9th May 1836 Text type Trial account Defendants WILLIAM ATKINSON, FREDERICK WILLIAMS, JANE MORGAN, ANN WILSON Offences Theft > Theft from place, Theft > Receiving, Theft > Receiving Session Date 9th May 1836 Reference Number t18360509-1288 Verdicts Guilty, Guilty, Not guilty Punishments Transportation, Transportation 1288. WILLIAM ATKINSON was indicted for stealing, on the 5th of April, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, 2 pairs of candlesticks, value 7l.; 1 coffee-pot, 16l.; 1 snuffer-tray, value 5l.; 1 cruet-stand, value 10l.; 3 glass cruets, value lue 3s.; 1 pair of bottle-stands, value 5l.; 1 waiter, value 5l.; 1 toast-rack, value 1l.; 3 knives, value 15s.; w coats, value 5l.; 1 pair of breeches, value 2l.; 2 umbrellas, value 1l.; 1 pair of gaiters, value 10s.; 2 decanters, value 12s.; and pair of boots, value 30s.; the goods of William Wainwright; and 1 pair of shoes, value 16s., the goods of John Pounds; and 1 cloak, value 1l. 5s., the goods of Susan Johnson in the dwelling-house of the said William Wainwright : and FREDERICK WILLIAMS for feloniously receiving the toast-rack, 1 umbrella, and 2 decanter, part of the said goods, knowing them to be stolen; and JANE MORGAN and ANN WILSON for feloniously receiving 3 glass cruets and 3 knives, other parts of the said goods, well knowing them to be stolen; against the Statute, &c. MR. BODKIN conducted the Prosecution. JOHN POUNDS . I was in the service of Mr. William Wain wright, in Flaudyer-street, in the parish of St. Margaret, Westminster. I remember the prisoner Atkinson coming to my master's house with a letter a short time before this happened—I recognised him, as having lived with me in a former situation—I had some conversation with him, and desired him to call again—he called a week or two after, and I asked him down into the pantry, which is on the basement story—he had a dirty shirt on, and a dirty cravat—I asked him about his clothes—he represented himself as rather in distress, owing to his wife's death—I gave him a shirt, a cravat, and stockings, and 2s.—he said he had no lodging, and I allowed him to asleep in my room that night—my bed is up stairs—he went away early in the morning—I was to inquire for a place for him—he came again next night, about half past nine o'clock, and proposed to sleep there again—he had seen the plate the night before, in a drawer in a pantry—when he came the second night, I said I was afraid, if I should take him up-stairs, and master or any of the ladies came out of the drawing room, he would be seen—he said, if I had a bed down in the pantry, like old Keet, where we used to live, it would be very well—I said I would make him a temporary bed in the pantry; which I did, and locked him in the pantry—I hung a pair of breeches on a chair, to keep a draught away from him—I took the principal part of the plate up stairs to bed with me—I got up about half past six o'clock, and found the pantry door broken open, and the cupboard door also, and he was gone—the chain of the hall door was down—I missed all the articles named in the indictment—they were all in the house the night before—I was the first person up in the morning—the prisoner never returned to me—I had information exactly a week afterwards, and went for an officer—we went to the place, and took him into custody—I told him he had acted in a most shameful manner towards me—he pleaded drunkenness until he got to the station-house—he affected to be drunk, and not to understand me at all—in consequence of information, I afterwards went to the Horse-Shoe, Titchborn-street, and there found Williams—I never saw him before—I asked him if he knew Atkinson—he said, "yes"—I said, "Will you come out?"—he said, "Are you the servant?"—I said, "No"—I had a reason for denying that—he asked me to come into the tap room, which I did and sat down with him—I began to question him how he thought Atkinson would get on—he said, oh, he thought he would get on very well, if he had a counsel—he said, if his friends would come forwards together, he would draw up the brief himself, as he was good scholar, and that would be no expense; and he tole me that the property was deposited with Lord King's coachman, in a box in a stable, in St. James's-square—that Atkinson had told him so three or four times; and after talking, he wanted me to go there—he called Atkinson a b—y fool, because he had directed him to go to an old clothes shop, and buy a pair of old trowsers, and get the breeches off, as they were the only things they could convict him on; but instead off that, he went and got drunk with a woman named Kennedy, and spent all his money, and went and slept with her—I asked Williams if he thought I should get into trouble about it—he said, "No, you will not; if any body gets into a trouble about it, it shall myself, as I disposed of part of the property for him"—I asked him what he disposed of—he said, a toast rack, umbrella, pair of gaiters, shoes, decanters, and several other little things, and also a pair of boots, that (Atkinson's) had in his pocket, and one of the boots was stolen out of his (Atkinson) pocket while he went to sleep at a public-house in Air-street—I agreed to meet Williams next day at a public-house in Titchbourn-street, but he did not come—I went to his lodging in Castle-street, and went with him to a coffee-shop—he said if I would come in there while he had his breakfast, he would tell me all about it—I went in, but he told me nothing particular more than before—talking about counsel, and how the money was to be raised, which was by subscriptions among their friends—he said about £2 would do it—we went from there to the public-house in Titchbourn-street, and I asked him there where the things were disposed of—he said, the umbrella at young Adamson's gin shop in the Haymarket; the toast rack, at Tate's in Cambridge-street; "and mentioned other places where things were pawned. Cross-examined by MR. DOANE. Q. You told Atkinson he was to make very little noise for fear he should disturb the family, as you had done wrong? A. I do not know that I did tell him so in particular—I locked him in and told him hew as to be quiet—he did not tell me he should not see me again in the morning, and wish me good night—I will swear that he did not say he should go off early in the morning—he said he should see me when he got up, as I had spoken to him about a place—I gave him the shirt and handkerchiefs, but not the breeches—I hung them on the chair, and left them in the pantry with the other things—I did not expect him to return the shirt and handkerchiefs at all—I said he should never want a shilling if I had one—I lived with Mr. Terry, of Eaton-square, and left entirely through the prisoner; through being kind to him.—he was allowed three pints of beer a day, and in the butler's absence I gave him more beer, and I was discharged through a disturbance he had with my fellow servant, who quarrelled with him—he thought I took the prisoner's part, and the servant went and told Mr. Terry that I gave Atkinson more beer than he was allowed, and I was discharged. Williams. Q. Did not you say Lord king's coachman knew where the property was, and might come forward and give something towards a counsel? A. No, I did not—I said I might be something towards the counsel, if I knew where the property was—I did not say I was to share some of the money—I admit that you said you did it innocently. MR. BODKIN. Q. You assumed to be a friend of Atkinson's, on purpose to get information? A. Yes—I was discharged from my place and taken into custody—master has since given me a character to my present place. WILLIAM ALFRED ADAMSON . My father keeps the Black Horse in the Haymarket. On the 9th of April Williams came to our house with an umbrellas, and offered it for sale for 7., and I bought it of him for 6. Williams. Q. Did not you ask me the price of it? A. Not till after you asked me to purchase it—there was a person with you—I cannot say that it was Atkinson—there were several people in the room—I put the 6s. on the table before you. Q. Does not I say I cannot take it if he pleases, and he said, "Very well, I will take it?" A. That did not happen in my presence. RICHARD HAWARD . I am shopman to Mr. Tate, a pawnbroker. On the 9th of April, the prisoner Williams applied to redeem this toast-rack, which had been pawned by Morgan on the 7th of April for 6s. in the name of Ann Jones, Wardour-street—he redeemed it, and then said he wanted to sell it, and Mr. Tate bought it of him for 7s. 6d—he said it belonged to a housekeeper, two or three times, as we asked him—I produce two decanters which were pawned on the 9th, I cannot say by whom, in the name of John Smith, Windmill-street. Williams. Q. When I came the second time, did you tell tell me there had been a person to inquire after it? A. yes; I did—you had been away about an hour—you had a conversation with Mr. Tate—I do not know what you said—a person had been to ask if the toast-rack had been taken out—I do not know who it was. GEORGE ROBERT SMITH . I am an undertaker, and live in Great Windmill-street. I was in the Horse-shoe public-house, in April, and saw Williams there—I bought two duplicates of him for a pair of shoes, and a pair of decanters—I was to give him 1s. for each, but I gave him 6d. for the ticket of the shoes first, meaning to give the other 6d. if they fitted me—I went to Harrison's in Wardour-street, with the duplicates of the shoes—they fitted me—before I got possession of them, the officer interfered and stopped them—the decanters were pawned at Tates—I did not go for them—I gave the duplicate to the officers. ALFRED BROUGH . I produce a pair of shoes which were pawned at our house—I do not know who by—this is the duplicate which was given for them. EDWARD LANGLEY . I am a policeman. I went with a warrants to No. 9, William-street, Lambeth, and found Wilson and Morgan living there—I made inquiry about them—they are unfortunate women—I searched the room where they were, and found three glass cruets in the front parlour, and three plated deserts knives in the back kitchen—a man named Goddard was in the house, but neither of the male prisoners—I asked the females how they became possessed of the things, they said they were given to them by Atkinson, who was in custody—Atkinson had given me that as his lodging, when he was taken into custody—before I found the property, I asked Wilson and Morgan if they had seen any property, and they said, "No"—I first asked, if they knew Atkinson, they said Yes, he had lodged there two or three nights only—I asked if they saw any property of any description about him, they said, no, and that all he spent in the house was three half crowns—both denied having seen any property—I searched and found the things I have said, and then they said Atkinson gave them to them—I apprehended Williams at the Horse shoe in Titchbourn-street, and told him I took him on suspicion of being concerned in some property stolen from Mr. Wainwright, he said he knew nothing about it—I took him to Adamson's in the Haymarket, who produced an umbrella, and said he bought it of him—he said, "if you had mentioned Atkinson's name to me, instead of Wainwright's, I could have told you about that"—he said Atkinson came to him and told him he had about £200 or £3400 worth of property, and he thought he could tell him where the might dispose of it. WILLIAM ROBERTS . I am a policeman. I found these breeches on Atkinson. JOHN POUNDS re-examined. These shoes are my own, and were in the pantry that night, and were gone next morning—the decanters I know by a rivet having been broken—the cruets I know by their general appearance—the toast-rack I can swear to, and these are the breeches I hung on the chair. Cross-examined. Q. How long had you been in Mr. Wainwright's service? A. About nine months—I can swear to the knives, decanters, and every thing—about £60 of property was lost altogether—I am quite sure I did not give the breeches to him. Atkinson. Q. When I came to you, do you recollect what I said? A. You shook hands with me, and asked me how I was—you left a note and said you were to wait for an answer. Williams Defence. The things were given to me by Atkinson—I have known him nearly two years—I had been at his house, and seen such things, and believed he had such things—I was not aware that they were stolen—as to the policeman saying I knew where to sell them—I never said so—I had not been in London long—I have been abroad, and had not seen Atkinson for six months, when I saw him at Astley's Theatre, and he asked me to go and drink with him, which I did—the following day he asked me to go and take these things our of pawn, which I did—I told the prosecutors where the umbrella and toast-rack were—had I know they were stolen, I should not have done so—the two duplicates, it is said, I borrowed six pence on—It was only sixpence—I kept them with an understanding I was to return them when I saw him again—a letter came to inform me he was in custody—I was asked by the policeman, going down the Haymarket, why should I think Atkinson was possessed of a toastrack—I said, why I had seen such things at his house—he is a housekeeper and I even stated where he lived before I went abroad—this person came forward at the pawnbroker's and asked if I had taken a toast-rack out—he said, "yes, "and immediately returned to sell it—I stated that Atkinson was a housekeeper at the time. Morgan's Defence. I have been an unfortunate girl on the town—I never saw Atkinson till some time after Easter, when I met him a little before nine o'clock at night—he certainly gave my landlady the articles, saying his wife was dead, and he had given up housekeeping, and if the knives and cruets were of any service to her, she was welcome to them. ROSE HAMILTON . I live in the same house as the two female prisoners—Wilson is the landlady—I was at Astley's Theatre with them some time before they were taken up on this charge—after coming out of the theatre we went to Proctor's Hotel, and the two male prisoners came in—we were drinking at the bar—they spoke to the two women—I was requested to wait for a moment—I followed them our, and, between the door and the bottom of the bridge, I saw Atkinson give something to them, which was three cruets and the knives—he said he had been a married man in the country, had had these things left to him, and, if she would accept them, she was welcome to them—Wilson received them—I am convicted she did not know they were stolen. COURT. Q. Where do they live? A. No.9, Williams-street—they are girls of the town, I have seen Williams and Atkinson with them—I believe Atkinson was there three nights. MR. BODKIN. Q. You were at the theatre for the same purpose as them? A. Yes. ATKINSON— GUILTY . Aged 25.— Transported for Life. WILLIAM— GUILTY . Aged 24.— Transported for Fourteen Years. MORGAN and WILSON— NOT GUILTY .