John Harring

341

Maureen Withey on 13th February 2021

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 13 February 2021), December 1805, trial of JOHN HARRING (t18051204-66). JOHN HARRING, Theft > theft from a specified place, 4th December 1805. 66. JOHN HARRING was indicted for feloniously stealing on the 2d of December fifty pound weight of lead, value 15 s. the property of John Brown , affixed to a certain house of his . Second Count for like offence, only stating it a certain building instead of a house. Third and Fourth Counts, charged with ripping the like lead with like intention. JOHN BROWN sworn. I live in Perry-street, Bloomsbury , next door to the house where the lead was taken off, I am building of the house. On the 3d of December the lead was taken off the top of the house. Q. What quantity? - A. Fifty-one pound of lead. Q. About what time of the day do you think it was taken? - A. Between six and seven o'clock in the evening. Q. Was the lead affixed to the house, had you seen it in the course of the day of the second of December? - A. Yes, it had been put on about a week. I saw it myself in the course of that day, just before they left work, and it was safe there, nailed down. Q. When did you find that the house had been robbed? - A. We discovered it between six and seven o'clock, directly after it was done; we saw the prisoner on the scaffold, we alarmed the next house, they took up a light into the garret, where they saw the prisoner lying down by the window, in the gutter. I saw the prisoner when he was taken. Q. Did you come up to him when he was taken? - A. When he was taken I was within ten yards of him. He was seen lying in a gutter; he returned back, he was catched partly on a sence wall that adjoins the building; he had left the lead in the garret of my house that I was building. Q. Do you know any thing of this man? - A. He has worked for me these six months. Q. What was he able to earn a week? - A. I gave him fifteen shillings the last few weeks, and eighteen shillings in summer. The lead was torn off, and the nails were drawn; I sent my son up to measure the place where it was taken from, and it measured to the place exactly. Q. What was the value of the lead? - A. I suppose I paid about fourpence a pound for it. JANE KELSON sworn. I live servant with Mr. Brown. There was a gentleman in the parlour with my master. I was waiting in the yard to let this gentleman out of the gate, I looked up towards the new house, I saw the prisoner pull the lead up from the new house next door to us; my master was building it. I stood for some minutes to be certain whether it was him or not. Q. You knew his person well, did you? - A. I did. Q. Was there any other person on the house besides himself? - A. I did not see any body else. I stood for some minutes before I called any body. I saw him pull the lead up and roll it together. I am certain the prisoner is the man, I went and told my master there was a man on the house taking the lead, and when my master came into the yard, I said it was John, I was there all the time, and saw him taken. Q. What did he say for himself? - A. He shook his head, and said, ch! Jenny, how could you tell your master of me. THOMAS TAYLOR sworn. I am a greengrocer, I live next door to Mr. Brown. Q. Did you assist in taking the prisoner? - A. I did. Q. Where did you see him when you was first alarmed? - A. I saw him upon the top of Mr. Brown's new building; we catched him, after we had pursued him all over the house. Q. What did he say for himself when he was taken? - A. He said he got tipsey that day, and he got in there to sleep. Q. Did he appear to be drunk? - A. No. THOMAS REYNOLDS sworn. I am a carman to Mr. Brown; when I came in the yard he was about the building. I went to the bottom part of the building and took him; at last I went round the gutter at the parapet next to the party-wall, I saw this lead, I picked it up and threw it on the ground where the prisoner was. I saw the place where the lead was taken from. Prisoner's Defence. I got drunk, I went into this building that I worked in to stretch myself for an hour. I did not go in there to steal any thing, nor had I, by and by I heard a noise that there were some thieves in the building, I jumped into my master's yard, I thought it was the safest place to go to. Q. (to Reynolds.) Did you see any other person in this building besides this man? - A. I did not. Q. (to Taylor.) Did you see any other person on this building? - A. I did not. GUILTY - aged 30. Transported for Seven Years . Second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Common Serjeant. ----------------------------------------------------- Captivity Hulk Records. HO-9-8-3. Page 14. Received seventeen from Middlesex, 6 March 1806 John Harring, age 28, Felony, Tried Middlesex, 4 Dec 1805, 7 years, sent on board Duke of Portland, 2 Jan 1807. --------------------------------------------------- Convict Index 1791-1873. John Harring, per Duke of Portland, 1807, Certificate of Freedom, 16 Dec 1823, 039/1678; in lieu of CF 6/1200.