William Davis

110

Ron Garbutt on 22nd September 2022

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 22 September 2022), April 1811, trial of WILLIAM DAVIS (t18110403-57). WILLIAM DAVIS, Theft > pocketpicking, 3rd April 1811. 342. WILLIAM DAVIS was indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 1st of April , a wrapper, value 2 d. and ninety yards of callico, value 6 l. the property of Ebenezer Smith , from the person of Nathaniel Smith . EBENEZER SMITH . I am a callico glazer , I live in White Horse-alley, Cow Cross. On Monday evening, the 1st of April, I sent three pieces of nine-eights blue dies twenty four yards each, and eighteen yards of chocolate tied up in a brown wrapper, with a cord round them; I sent them by a little boy , Nathaniel Smith , he was to have carried them to No. 3, Huggin-lane, Wood-street, to Mr. Barker, a callenderer. That was at eight o'clock in the evening, a moon-light night. NATHANIEL SMITH . Q. How old are you - A. I do not know rightly. Q. Do you know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing to tell a lie - A. It is a bad thing to tell a lie. Q. Where did you meet the prisoner - A. In Bull and Mouth-street , he followed me from there to Goldsmiths Hall, then he took the bundle from me and chucked it to another man, and told him to run; he asked me to go into a public house and ask for a name, Thomas Smith . Q. Did you go in - A. No, I did not. Q. Look round, is that the man - A. Yes, the prisoner is the man, he walked with me from Bull and Mouth-street to Goldsmiths Hall, where he took my bundle and walked on as fast as he could. Mr. Walford. When was you taught to say it was a bad thing to tell a lie - A. I learnt it myself. Q. What time of night was it - A. A little after eight o'clock at night, a moon light night. Q. I suppose you was afraid they would be angry with you for losing the bundle - A. Yes. Q. Did any man come up to you and ask you what was the matter - A. Yes; after he took the bundle he came up to me and asked me what was the matter with me. COURT. Is that the man - A. I am certain it is. PHOEBE GILES . About half past eight on Monday night I was sitting at home, I heard the cry of stop thief; I live in Three Crane-court, Foster-lane; my own little girl was out, I conceived it might be her; I ran down the court, I saw this little lad at the post by Goldsmiths Hall, at this end of Foster-lane, he was crying, I asked him what was the matter with him; he said a man had taken his bundle and had thrown it to another, and the other man had ran away. I asked him if he should know the man again; he said, yes, he should; the prisoner was near the gate of Goldsmith's Hall, with about ten or a dozen people round him; the boy pointed out the prisoner, I asked him if he was quite sure he was the man, he said, yes, indeed it was; the prisoner said, how can you say itwas me; the child said, you are the very man that took my bundle, and you know you are, and them you asked me what was the matter; then I put the child out out of my arms, and took the prisoner by the collar, and said I would hold him; he told me to touch him if I dare, he lived in the city, and had a respectable character; I told him I did not care what he said in that respect, because there were as many thieves in the city as out of it, I would hold him untill he was in better hands; I kept him untill the officer came, and then I gave him up; he was taken into the White Hart, I took the child in there, and then the child pointed him out. SUSANNAH GOSBELL . I am a servant to Mr. Adams in St. Ann's-lane. I was coming down Foster-lane, I saw this man turning the corner of Maiden-lane, and the child was close behind him; the child cried out, give me my bundle; he answered, go along boy, I have got nothing; with that the child screamed out violently, and said, stop thief; Mr. Payne came out, and the man stopped; he said, he had nothing about him, any one was welcome to search him; he said he lived with his uncle in the Strand, any one was welcome to go and see where he lived; he did not offer to run away. My mistress went in and fetched the constable, Hawkins. Q. Did you hear the boy say to the man's face that he was the man afterwards - A. Yes. The woman took the boy up in her arms, and he looked in the man's face; she asked the child if that was the man, the child said, yes, it was. Q. He had asked before for the man to give him the bundle - A. Yes, he had; I was the first that saw him. Mr. Walford. There was nobody about he might have ran away if he pleased - A. Yes. Q. Instead of that he staid and never attempted to run away, and the woman held the child up to the man's face, and said, is that the man, and then he said yes - A. Yes. THOMAS LACEY HAWKINS . I am a marshalman; I was in Mr. Adams's house at the time the last witness came in with Mr. Adams's sister, she told me there was a piece of work in the street; I went out immediately, I got into the middle of the bustle, there were twenty or thirty people there; the woman did not know me, she was loth to give up the man; the neighbours said they knew me, and then she delivered him up. The prisoner wished me to be delicate, said he would not run away, he had a deal to say for himself, he pitied the boys loss; he seemed to say that he was not such a character as to do such a thing. I told the boy not to be frightened, and told the prisoner to come a little higher up, I knew there was a public-house, and I should not loose him. I should hold him. The neighbours came with me, the woman and the boy; the child was alarmed. I set him on the taproom table, told him nobody should hurt him; he told me the same as he has told your lordship now, and as correct; the prisoner was full of talk, I searched him, in one of his pockets I found this clasp knife open I told him when I had clasp knives I generally had them shut; he said he did not know how it came open; I asked him what trade he was; he said he was learning one with his uncle, his uncle was a bag maker. He said before the Alderman that he had been to taken at party to the Liverpool coach; I asked the bookkeeper, every thing that he said was false; he said his employment lived in the City gardens. Prisoner's Defence. I am innocent. GUILTY , aged 19. Transported for Life . London jury, before Mr. Recorder. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/print.jsp?div=t18110403-57

108

Nell Murphy on 4th October 2018

William DAVIS was convicted at the London Gaol on 3 April 1811 for stealing calico material. Life Sentence. Transported to New South Wales, Australia per the ship 'Guildford' 1811. Transferred on to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) per the 'Ruby'. Aged 19 yrs.