William Dent

343

Maureen Withey on 22nd April 2025

WILLIAM DENT (an old offender) and ROBERT ROBINSON, charged with feloniously stealing a number of waistcoat pieces and counterpanes, the property of Samuel Marsh, of Hull. Mr. Sinclair stated the case to the Jury, the facts which they  appeared in evidence, were briefly these: On Friday the ? of July, the prosecutor, who is a dealer in woollen cloths, &c. had stall at Bedale fair. Not having occasion for all his goods at the stall, he left those mentioned in the indictment room at the Waggon and Horses public-house; on his return in the evening, he found they had been stolen. The evidence as it affected the prisoners was this: Robinson having hired a horse and gig in York, went off between between 5 and clock in the morning the day of the robbery; and he and Dent were seen at Bedale in the afternoon, with  the gig. About 11 o’clock on the following night, (Saturday), Robinson, Dent, and another man, stopped at an inn, in Lasingwold, and baited the mare, which appeared much fatigued.— They then proceeded to York, and Robinson delivered up the gig to the owner. Between one and two in the morning' of Sunday, Dent and two other persons were seen loitering about the Maison Dieu. An old man, of the name of Thompson, who lives in George-street, near to the Lead-Mills, having been at work at the  Glass-House until after midnight, was sitting in his chamber, close the window, opposite the old church-yard, when he saw two men coming in direction from Dent house, (which is behind the church of St. Dennis) one of them carrying a pack, which he hid in Mr. Liddell’s field, behind hay stack. —Several persons, employed by the Police officers, watched the place during the whole of Sunday night, but no one came for the pack; it was consequently taken away by those who watched. Two men watched on the Monday night, when about eleven o’clock, Robinson and Dent came;  the former got over the wall into the field, lifted up cask under which the pack had been. Not finding It, he exclaimed   G—. its gone! (cried Dent) it can’t—thou must have put it under ,another, Robinson looked under another cask, and, not finding it, again exclaimed, “No! G-—.its gone! One of the men who was watching  cried out “But thou has not come”, upon which Robinson and Dent took to their heels, and were pursued—Dent was taken into custody—Robinson escaped at that time. but was apprehended the next day   The pack contained the goods which had been stolen and were identified by the prosecutor. ... persons, who had known Robinson a number ... but recommended Robinson to mercy. His Lordship sentenced Dent to be transported  beyond the seas for seven years. and Robinson to imprisoned in the House of Correction, to hard labour, for one year.  Hull Advertiser, 24 Aug 1821.