Jane Devereux

338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 14th August 2025

Place of origin: Newtown, Montgomeryshire 1831 - MARRIAGE PERMISSIONS Jane Devereux. Ship/free: Harmony. Marriage to: Henry Ellis. Ship/free: Morley Permission date: 30 Sep 1831 1831 - MARRIAGE. 14 November 1831. Registered: Hobart

110

Ron Garbutt on 20th March 2020

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 20 March 2020), July 1828, trial of JANE DEVEREUX (t18280703-5). JANE DEVEREUX, Theft > theft from a specified place, 3rd July 1828. Before Mr. Justice Littledale. 1353. JANE DEVEREUX was indicted for stealing, on the 9th of June , at St. George, Westminster, three 5l. Bank notes, the property of James Burt Pearson , her master, in his dwelling-house, against the Statute . JAMES BURT PEARSON. I live in Brook-street, Grosvenor-square, in the parish of St. George, Westminster - I am a publican , and rent the house: the prisoner had been about three weeks in my service. On the 9th of June, in the morning, when I got up I was counting some silver and sovereigns in the bar - I had some notes lying in my lap, and among them were three 5l. notes rolled carelessly up; the prisoner came in and disturbed me, to sweep the bar, and I dropped them from my lap on the hearth as I moved for her; I sat in front of the fire place - she saw me counting the money; she began sweeping the bar, and requested me to move - I got up immediately, and must have dropped the notes in getting up; I had occasion to give change to a gentleman about two hours afterwards, and then missed the notes; I called her up into the bar, and told her I had lost three 5l. notes, and asked what she had done with the dirt she swept from the floor of the bar - she said she had burnt it, but there was no paper among it; I said I suspected she had stolen them, and sent to Marlborough-street for an officer - this was about ten o'clock in the morning - I had dropped them about seven; the officer came and looked very slightly about the place, and said he could do nothing unless I gave charge of her for felony; I said I did not like to do that, for I thought her innocent - he went away; and on the Wednesday following she seemed very anxious to go out in the evening; I told her I could not suffer her to go out by any means, but between eight and nine o'clock that evening I found she had slipped out unobserved - I then concluded she had stolen the notes; I went to Marlborough-street and fetched Avis, the officer - when I came with him she had returned; I called her into the bar and accused her of the robbery, and desired she would give up the notes - she denied all knowledge of them; I had her taken to the watch-house immediately, and as she went along she dropped a little parcel containing ribbon; we had her searched at the watch-house, and a bill of the ribbon bought at Sewell and Cross's was found on her; we returned home - some friends made a search, and the remainder of the notes were found in the cellar. RICHARD GRIFFITHS . I am shopman to Messrs. Sewell and Cross, of Compton-street, Soho. I know the prisoner, and saw her at our shop on Wednesday, the 11th of June, about nine o'clock in the evening; she came in and asked to look at some plaid ribbons - I showed her some; she bought two yards at 1s. 7d. a yard, and paid for it with a 5l. Bank of England note - it came to 3s. 2d.; I gave her the change - she gave me the name of Miss Keene, 19, Frith-street, Soho; she said it was for Miss Keene - I gave her four sovereigns and 16s. 10d., and made a bill out; I took the note to the desk and marked it - I afterwards delivered it to Avis on the Thursday morning; when we take money we always take it to a cashier at a desk in the shop - he gives change and stamps the bill; I marked the note myself. GEORGE AVIS . I am a constable of Marlborough-street. On Wednesday evening the 11th of June, about nine o'clock I went to the prosecutor's house; the prisoner was called into the bar - I told her, her master charged her with stealing three 5l. notes; she said she was innocent - he accused her of going out after he had refused her; I asked where she had been - she said to Walker's-court for some sheep's-trotters, for her mistress's supper; I asked where else she had been - she said no where else; I took her to the watch-house - Mr. Pearson went with me and gave me this ribbon; I then searched in her pocket and found a bill of the ribbon, which came to 3s. 2d. - I took it to Sewell and Cross the next morning, and received a 5l. note from Griffiths; which I now produce, with the ribbon and bill - I found but 8d. or 9d. on her. WILLIAM SUTTON . I am servant to the prosecutor. On Wednesday evening, the 11th of June, at eleven o'clock, I found a paper parcel in the coal-cellar, containing two 5l. Bank notes, some sovereigns, and some silver; I cannot say how much there was - they were altogether, notes and all; I took it up, and gave it to master immediately - the coal-cellar is on the same floor as the kitchen; you go out of the kitchen into the cellar without going into the air - the cellar is under the street; the area is between the kitchen and the cellar; the area is not covered with a roof - there is some wood over it; I did not open the parcel - I saw master find the notes, some sovereigns, and some silver in it. Q. What made you take the parcel to your master? A. We were all in search of the money, and I could feel there was money in the paper. RICHARD GRIFFITHS . This is the note I received from her, I am quite certain; I have written the name and address she gave me on it - this is the ribbon I sold her. J.B. PEARSON re-examined. There is a door from my kitchen into the cellar without going into the area; the witness is mistaken - the kitchen is on the basement story; there is no way from the area to the cellar, it goes right under the stable-yard, not under the house: here is the paper the notes were found in - here are two 5l. notes, three sovereigns and a half, and 4s. in silver; there is written on the notes the name of the person I took them from - the note paid to Griffiths is the other one; it has the name of Clement's on it, which was on it before I lost it - both of those in the paper have the name of Lord Clifton's coachman on them; he had pointed it out to me when I took them of him - I took the note with Clement's on it of a person in Bond-street; I have made no mark of my own on them - I swear these are all my notes, and what I dropped from my lap in the bar; this is the ribbon I picked up as I followed her to the watch-house - the sweepings of the house are never put into the cellar; nothing is kept there but coals and fire-wood. Prisoner's Defence. My master sits there every morning counting his money; I went into the bar and began to sweep; he put his money up - I found the saw-dust too clean to throw away; I gathered it up, and put it on the top of the kitchen stairs - I went and scoured the bar out, and swept the parlour; leaving the saw-dust where it was - we had breakfast - the work was all done; I was going down stairs, and seeing the saw-dust on the top of the stairs, I said, "William, what is the reason you have not cleaned this away?" he said, he was not going to clean away my dirt; I went and threw it behind the fire - William saw me do it; between ten and eleven o'clock my mistress ran down stairs, and said,"What have you done with the saw-dust?" I said, I had thrown it behind the fire, she said, "Oh! your master has been so careless, he has lost some money among it;" I said, I saw nothing but some pieces of newspaper - master sent for a constable and stripped me, but nothing was found - on Tuesday, master came down, and said,"I don't care who finds the money. I will give a sovereign to find it;" I said, I should be glad to find it without the sovereign, or anything - nothing more passed till Wednesday afternoon; I went up to my mistress, she gave me 6d. to fetch some sheep's-trotters - I went to the bar to master, and said, I was going out for mistress; he said, I could not go; I went up to mistress, and she said, I was a fool for telling him I was going; so I slipped out, and master fetched an officer and took me; a gentleman said, I had thrown a bit of ribbon in the street; but I declare I never saw the ribbon - it is said the bill was found on me, it might, or might not, I cannot say; next morning the shopman came to the office, and said, he did not know me - the officer said,"Is not this the woman who bought the ribbon last night?" he said, "I believe so;" the officer said, "You believe, say you are sure" - I am innocent, I never saw him before, and he did not know me. RICHARD GRIFFITHS re-examined. I am positive she is the woman who paid the note to me; I had not seen her before - I did not say I believed her to be the woman. One witness gave the prisoner a good character. GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 48. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/print.jsp?div=t18280703-5