John Dover

341

Maureen Withey on 18th January 2024

ADJOURNED CITY SESSIONS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 7th. The court was crowded to excess consequence of the trials of Dover and Ross. John Dover (aged ?) stood charged with having, on the 19th day of November, feloniously received twenty-one bobbins of silk, well knowing the same to have been feloniously stolen, the property of William Martin and others, his partners, silk manufacturers. Henry Ross (32) stood charged with having, on the 19th day of the same month, at the parish of St. ?received four ounces of silk, well knowing the same to have been stolen, property of John Francis. ... Norfolk News, 11 Jan 1845. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Silk Stealers. …. The jury after nearly two hours consultation, returned a verdict of guilty. Dover was then indicted for having for having feloniously received thirty cotton cops, the property of the Corporation of Guardians of Norwich. The cops were found in desk the prisoner’s house, and were identified by George Thompson, the superintendent of the weaving shop at the Workhouse. In his defence, Dover said, he was happy to say should be to prove that they could buy half pound of cops in Manchester. did not think had been fairly treated, for he had been confined in gaol until until within six days the trial coming on, that, if had gone over to Manchester, should had to travel 100 miles a-day. including Christmas-day ; but had only to call upon Mr. Wilde, the gaoler, who could prove quite sufficient— Mr. Wilde was sworn, and stated that the first day of the Sessions, the parcel Dover had was brought into Court by Mr. Steward, ot Magdalen-street: he saw Dover pay for it.— Dover then opened the parcel, which contained several descriptions of cotton cops in bundles of half pound each, and proceeded to read letter, which bore the Stockport post-mark, stating the prices each description of cops ; cops were examined by the Jury and the witness Thompson, who said be firmly believed that the bundle of cops which Dover produced, and which had come from Stockport, were the property of the Guardians. This expression Dover endeavoured to turn in his favour, saying, “ that the cops were much alike, that the witness could not say which were which, but it was explained that the cops which had been examined were like the cops they were then using In the workhouse. Dover then said would call Mr. Steward to prove the delivery of the parcel, and if that would not do, could call a witness to prove that he had had the cops, in his possession long before the time stated by Thompson. He then called Charlotte Humphrey, who spoke to having seen some cotton cops in the prisoner’s possession the time he lodged at her house, the King’s Head public-house, about five or six months since. Dover had a loom in her house, and cops used to lay about ; she should not know them if they were produced. The Jury returned a verdict, Guilty. Henry Ross was again placed the bar and indicted for receiving two pounds of stolen silk. The silk was found at the prisoner’s house secreted in a false ceiling, and was identified as property of Mr. Francis, silk manufacturer. The prisoner, in his defence, said he had admitted buying the silk of weavers, and thought that was sufficient, as there had been several parties fined for having silk in their possession, of which they could not give a satisfactory account. The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty. The Learned Recorder said : Henry Ross and John Dover, appears that you have, for a very long period, carried on a regular systematic business in receiving stolen property belonging to large employers of this city. You come before me for the first time, but your offence of such magnitude, and has clearly been long pursued by you— for there are two cases distinctly proved—that I feel shall not doing my duty to the public if I do not transport you. Ross: I hope you will have mercy, for I have wife and five young children.) I cannot help that. You had a trap-door your premises, regularly adapted for secreting stolen property. The sentence of the Court is that each of you be transported for fourteen years for the first offence, and for and for the second offence that you imprisoned for the period of one month. Bury and Norwich Post, 15 Jan 1845. What was a COP? A cotton cop was a tube used for carrying yarn.

174

Iris Dunne on 23rd April 2019

Conduct Record: aged 41, Tried 31 Dec 1844, Transported for receiving Stolen Goods knowingly (Silk value 1 pound), Trade: Dairyman, Conditional Pardon 11 October 1853 https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON33-1-67$init=CON33-1-67p63 Death 12 September 1865, aged 62, Launceston, Milkman, Cause: Consumption, Informant: Mary Ann Dover, Widow https://stors.tas.gov.au/RGD35-1-34$init=RGD35-1-34p17