Thomas Baker

135

C H on 7th March 2024

Old Bailey Online ANN BAKER. THOMAS BAKER. Theft; grand larceny (to 1827), Theft; receiving. 4th June 1794 Text type Trial account Defendants ANN BAKER, THOMAS BAKER Offences Theft > Grand larceny, Theft > Receiving Session Date 4th June 1794 Reference Number t17940604-19 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation, Transportation 362. ANN BAKER was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 17th of May , nine pair of mens thread stockings, value 1l. four pair of men's cotton stockings, value 10s. four pair of womens cotton stockings, value 16s. a child's linen cap, value 1s. two child's linen shirts, value 2s. two wooden boxes, value 6d. a glass ink stand, value 6d. and four yards of printed cotton, value 5s. the goods of Hardy Vaux ; and THOMAS BAKER was indicted for feloniously receiving, on the 18th of May , two pair of mens thread stockings, value 6s. two pair of mens cotton stockings, value 5s. two wooden boxes, value 6d. a glass ink stand, value 6d. and four yards of printed cotton, value 5s. being part of the aforementioned goods, knowing them to have been stolen . HARDY VAUX sworn. I live in Great Turn-stile, Lincoln's Innfields ; I do not keep a shop now, I did till lately; the things were taken out of my back parlour from a cupboard; I missed them the 17th of May, I missed all the articles in the indictment, and a great many more, some dozen pair of hose, printed cotton, and a variety of articles; some of the goods were part of what was left when I left off business, and some that I bought since; I now carry on the business of a hosier though I have not a shop, I have a great many customers that I serve the same as when I did keep shop. I see the stockings there in December last, I had no occasion to open the parcels to miss any thing from that time; when I missed them I let the matter rest till Monday, it being late of Saturday, and between Saturday and Monday I searched further to ascertain what I had lost. On Monday I went to the police office, in Hatton Garden, and got a warrant, and had the prisoner apprehended and searched, and part of my property was found on her; I searched her person and box; finding part of my property on her, I had reason to suspect Thomas Baker, her father, of having received part of my property; Ann Baker was a servant to me; when I made the search I found on her one pair of womens cotton stockings on her legs, one pair in her box, two pair about her bed, one pair under her bed, and one on it, and some child bed linen in her pocket. Thomas Baker on the Sunday preceeding his being apprehended, he came to a public house in my neighbourhood and sent for his daughter; I sent for him over; he would not come; he always used before to come to my house, and I made him welcome; that day he would not come, I suspected that he had got a pair of my stockings on; I went over to the public house, and I see he had got a pair of stockings on which I thought was mine; the next day after I had the woman apprehended; I told my suspicion to the police office, and had a warrant and apprehended him; we searched his box and found part of my property in it, it was in Bowl-court Shoreditch; his wife said it was his box; I always heard and understood that he lived there, from his daughter; I don't know that I ever heard it from him, his wife was there; I found there about four yards of printed cotton, two pair of hose, two wooden shaving boxes, and a glass ink stand, and a duplicate for two pair of stockings; the witness here has got them, the things are all here. - MARRIOT sworn. I have got the duplicate, I got it from the prosecutor, Mr. Vaux, on the 6th of January, there were two pair of hose pledged with us of the name of Sarah Carrol , answering to the duplicate; in all probability I should know her was I to see her. I have not seen her since. BENJAMIN BEVAN sworn. I found the things in Thomas Baker's room, in his box; his wife told me it was his room and box, he was not there; these two pair of stockings were found, from a duplicate found in his box, and taken from the pawnbroker's. Prosecutor. These are mine, I know them by a mark that I put on them myself; this cotton I have got part of the piece to match. - LINDALL sworn. I produce the stockings the woman had on; I took them off her legs, and I have kept them ever since. Prosecutor. They are mine. Lindall. Here is one pair that was in her box. Prosecutor. They are mine. Lindall. Here is the child's linen found in her pocket. Q. To Prosecutor. What is become of those stockings that you saw on his legs on Sunday? - These I found in his room, as I supposed them to be, on Mon day, dirty, but I cannot swear to them, because they have no marks on them. SOPHIA VAUX sworn. This little cap is mine, and this little shirt; I cannot recollect the time when I see them last, I did not discover they were lost, till I found them again. Q. Had you looked at all in the cupboard, in which this property was, any short time before the things were taken away? - No, I did not particularly examine. Prisoner Ann. I want my wages and my clothes if you please. Mr. Knowlys to Prosecutor. You did not examine the stockings that were on the man's legs? - I did not, it is only my suspicion. Prisoner Thomas. At the time that Vaux comes up to me, he comes and tells me that my daughter was taken for theft? I am very sorry for it, says I, and says he, you must come and bail her; I said then if she had been a thief, I would not come nigh her; and I went all about with him to the pawnbrokers, and never knew I was a prisoner. I told them if she had thieved, there were some of the goods in my place, a piece of cotton, and a pair of white stockings, I acknowledged this to him, and if I had thought they had been wrong got, I should not have permitted them to have been there. Ann Baker, GUILTY . (Aged 20.) Transported for seven Years. Thomas Baker , GUILTY. (Aged 49.) Transported for fourteen years.

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Bruce Hanke on 25th March 2023

Sentenced with his daughter Anne Baker. She married The convict Lawrence May. Thomas Baker was pardoned in 1801 and died in Parramatta in 1808.