Richard Hammond

218

Dianne Jones on 25th April 2021

OCCUPATION: Boot and shoe maker (see http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON18-1-15,296).

343

Maureen Withey on 2nd April 2021

Tasmanian Conduct Record. https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-19$init=CON31-1-19p132

343

Maureen Withey on 2nd April 2021

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 02 April 2021), April 1828, trial of RICHARD HAMMOND (t18280410-31). RICHARD HAMMOND, Theft > housebreaking, 10th April 1828. Before Mr. Baron Garrow. 824. RICHARD HAMMOND was indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Joseph Fernandez Madrid , on the 14th of March , at St. Mary-le-bone, and stealing therein, 23 silver spoons, value 5l.; 16 silver forks, value 4l. 11s.; 3 silver soup-ladles, value 2l.; 1 pair of silver sugar-tongs, value 10s.; 1 silver fish-slice, value 6s.; 1 silver cruet-stand, value 5l., and 1 time-piece, value 5l. , his property. PAUL LAS CASAS . I am attached to the Colombian Legation, Mr. Joseph Fernandez Madrid is the Minister , he resides at No. 71, Harley-street , and keeps the house; I reside in the house - the property in question was his; I knew nothing of the robbery till the servants called me up in the morning, and on examination I found a considerable quantity of articles had been taken. Prisoner. I thought the names were wrong. Witness. They are Joseph Fernandez Madrid; I have been attached to the Legation some time, and never understood that the Minister had any other names. EDWARD GERRARD . I am footman in the service of the Colombian Minister, and reside in his house; I was called upon on Friday morning, the 14th of March - I know the room which is called the office; I had put the shutters of that room too on Wednesday evening, but did not put the bar up - it was sometimes fastened and sometimes not; the sash was only down, and not fastened; it was not open at all on Thursday to my knowledge - I went to bed on Thursday night at about half past twelve o'clock; the house was all secure at that time - the plate was in its usual place; I was called up at six in the morning by the watchman, and examined the windows of the office as soon as I had an opportunity - there were marks on a small brick-ledge outside, by which it appeared persons had entered by that window; on examining the plate-closet the plate was gone, and a clock was gone from the mantel-piece, the plate was not in my care; I have seen some of it since at the office. ANTONIO NIETO . I am butler to the Minister. On the Thursday night, I remember the house being made secure before we went to rest; all the plate was carefully put away as usual - I was called up by Gerrard about six in the morning; I found the plate-closet broken open, the plate all carried away, and the clock gone from the mantel-piece. JOHN TOWNLEY . I am a watchman, my beat is in North-street, City-road, and Pump-row. On the Friday morning in question, between a quarter and half-past three o'clock; I heard the sound of a hackney chariot - I proceeded towards it, and saw the prisoner get out of it at the corner of the Vinegar-ground, City-road; that is about three miles from the prosecutor's house - I did not observe anybody else in the chariot; I permitted him to pass me, and noticed him well as he passed - I made an accurate observation of him, and as he turned the corner of North-street, I proceeded after him; before that, I saw Herrington, an inspector of the watch, and beckoned to him to make him notice the prisoner and the chariot; the prisoner turned the corner - I lost sight of him just while he turned the corner; I was round immediately, and pursued him instantly, and came up with him as he knocked at the door of a house - I had not lost sight of him after he turned the corner; I secured him, and took him to the watch-house - I saw him searched; I myself took from him the cruet-stand which he was carrying in his hand, wrapped in this blue handkerchief; I left it at the watch-house till we went to the office - the watch-house-keeper produced it before the Magistrate; I am confident it is the same as I took from him - I left it at the watch-house in the blue handkerchief, and it was given to me in the same state - I saw him searched by Thomas Earl, the constable of the night, who found in his pocket a fish-slice, and a broken soup-ladle; all this plate was found in some part of his person - here are several forks; on questioning him how he became possessed of them, he gave me no reply. Prisoner. I told him my employer was in the coach. THOMAS EARL . I was at the watch-house when the prisoner was brought in; Townley produced the cruet-stand, with the handkerchief - this is the same; I searched the prisoner, and found in his right-hand pocket fifteen silver forks - these are them - it was about half-past three o'clock in the morning when he was brought in; I searched him immediately, and left all the articles I found on him in the care of John Brown; I also found on him four silver teaspoons, two soup-ladles, and one broken soup-ladle; the plate was in his right hand coat and breeches pockets; I also found a fish-slice, doubled up, and bent in two - I did not mix any other articles with them before I left them with Brown; I also found part of a spoon, and a pair of sugar tongs on him. Prisoner. That is all false; Brown is the man who searched me, not him. Witness. I searched him myself - the watch-house-keeper was sitting down. Prisoner. I took the things out of my pocket myself, and gave them to him. Witness. He was busy putting his hands into his pockets himself while I was searching him, and he might pull out something; I took a key from him, which he said was his own, but the Magistrate ordered me to keep it. JOHN BROWN . I am the watch-house keeper, and was there when Townley brought the prisoner in: I saw him searched by Earl, and saw Earl produce the articles from his person; they were all left in my care - I took an inventory of them, which I have here; this is a regular minute of them - I put down the castors, and what I saw found on him by Earl, and other property, which was brought in by Herrington from the coach. Prisoner. That man searched me himself, and made me pull my shoes off in the watch-house. Witness. I told the officer to search him, and he did so, and took part of the plate from his pocket; the prisoner took some out himself, and put it on the table; after he was searched I got up myself, and partly searched him, to see if I could find any picklock-keys on him, but found nothing. HENRY HERRINGTON . I am inspector of the watch. On the Friday morning in question, about half-past three o'clock, I was going down Old-street, towards the Vinegar-yard; I heard a chariot stop, and saw a person pass from the chariot towards Finsbury-square; after I got near the chariot, I saw Townley coming; I said, "Look out, and follow him:" he followed him; I went up to the chariot - I saw a person in the chariot, and said, "Is all right?" he said Yes - the prisoner was not then within hearing; I had some conversation with the person in the chariot, and went towards the watch-house, thinking all was right, and when I got about fifty yards, I heard the coachman call Stop him! a person had jumped out of the coach, and made his escape; I then ordered the coachman to drive to the watch-house; he did so - I searched the coach, and found in it a time-piece, sixteen table-spoons, two salt-spoons, one small silver fork, one tea-spoon, three picklock-keys, and one picklock: I left them in the care of Brown, at the watch-house, and am positive the goods produced are the same - I saw them, and took an inventory of them. HENRY ANSELL . I am driver of the chariot. On Friday morning, between two and three o'clock, I was called from Oxford-street, near Argyle-street, and took up two men: I drove them to the Vinegar-yard, City-road; one of them then got out, and the other stopped in for some time; I do not remember seeing Townley, Herrington came and looked into the chariot - there was a person in then. He stopped there about ten minutes; there was a cry of"look out;" he immediately jumped out, ran away, and escaped. Herrington took this property out of my chariot; I did not see it brought into the chariot - it was not there before I was called by the persons in Oxford-street; it must have been brought in there after that. MARY MORGAN . I am a servant at No. 3, Queen-street, Pitfield-street, Hoxton. On the Friday morning in question I picked up this handle of a cruet stand (looking at it,) and gave it to the officer; I found it four or five yards from the turnpike in the City-road, at two minutes after five o'clock. JANE REYNOLDS . I am a servant. On this Friday morning I picked up under my mistresses window, this crow-bar, and took it in doors. JOHN TOWNLEY . The places the witnesses found these things in are in quite a different direction from the way the prisoner went; they could not have been dropped by the prisoner. ANTONIO NIETO . I have examined all the plate before the Justice; they are the Minister's property, and am certain they are all his plate - the value of the whole is above 40l.; the house is in Mary-le-bone parish. Prisoner. At my last examination the young man stated that the house was broken open on the Thursday night, and on being questioned a little he said it was Friday morning: he was not in bed till after one o'clock that morning. Witness. I did say it was on Thursday night - I did not know at what time in the night it happened; I was called up early in the morning; the house was all safe over night, and I counted the plate. EDWARD GERRARD . This is the Minister's plate; I am sure it was all safe when I went to bed on Thursday night. Prisoner's Defence. When I was accosted by this man, he asked what I had got; I directly told him I did not know; that my employer was in the coach - he directly called out, "Look out," and another man went to the coach, spoke to the man, searched the coach and came away, letting my employer escape; he then comes to the watch-house, leaving the coach about a mile off, and said he supposed the coach was coming to the watch-house. On my return home from Battle-bridge, where I had been drinking at a public-house with a friend or two till twelve o'clock, and on going home to Molineux-street, Paddington, two gentlemen asked me to get them a coach; they asked me to go to the corner of Old Cavendish-street, to wait and look out for a coach till they came back to me - one of them returned with a bundle under his arm; he called the waterman, who opened the coach door; the coachman took the cloths off his horses, and the gentleman told him to drive him to the Vinegar-yard: he said to me,"I have no money to pay you - will you go in the coach with me?" I got in, and the other man followed me. It is very unlikely that I or any man could go to a house of that description, get in at the window, and go to where the plate was deposited, by themselves; it is evident that some men belonging to the establishment are concerned in it, and have brought me here for it - it is very unlikely that the shutters should be left unfastened unless they had some foresight of it. I was taken at a quarter-past three o'clock; the door must have been open then, and the watchman had seen it safe before that [After his Lordship had recapitulated the evidence to the Jury, the Prisoner added,] After I returned from the Friend-in-Hand public-house, a young man who had fallen out with another fought in the New-road with him - he was taken to the watch-house; two young men and I went into the watch-house and spoke for him; it was one o'clock when I left the watch-house, which was the reason I did not go home - and there is a man here to prove it - his name is Philip Webster. PHILIP WEBSTER . I belong to the Mary-le-bone Police-office. I have known the prisoner about a year and a half; when the prisoner was in custody I was sent to make some inquiries, but know nothing except what was told me by others. GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 26. ---------------------------------------------------- National Archives. Criminal Petitions. HO 17/2/1461828 Prisoner name: Richard Hammond. Prisoner age: 26. Court and date of trial: Old Bailey April Sessions 1828. Crime: House breaking - breaking and entering house of Joseph Fernandez de Madrid and stealing property worth £40. Initial sentence: Death. Annotated: Considered at Report in Council 7 May 1828. Petitioner(s): The convict and 18 people mainly of Manchester Square. Grounds for clemency: Admits he had a fair and just trial; good and industrious character; feels deep contrition and sorrow for the offence; 'overwhelming distress of his honest and industrious mother'. Additional Information: In Newgate Gaol.