George William Jennings

135

C H on 12th June 2025

Name: Jennings, George William Record Type: Convicts Departure date: 11 Apr 1848 Departure port: Bermuda Ship: Bangalore Place of origin: Valenciennes Voyage number: 299 Index number: 36516 Record ID: NAME_INDEXES:1405567 Tasmanian Library

343

Maureen Withey on 23rd April 2024

Friday, March 27. Elisha George (Blayney) a young man of respectable appearance, was placed at the bar, charged with having been concerned stealing one hundred 10£. notes belonging the Warwick and Leamington Bank. The prisoner pleaded not guilty. Mr. Waddington and Mr. Mellor were counsel for the prosecution, and Mr. O'Brien appeared for the prisoner.—Mr. Waddington stated the case to the jury. This indictment preferred the Warwick and Leamington Bank against the prisoner, for receiving a large quantity notes, knowing them to have been stolen. The indictment charged William with having stolen the notes, and it then proceeded to state that the prisoner, who was his brother, was an accessory after the fact, having received the money knowing it to have been stolen. The principal felon was not in custody, was now out of the country, and could not be put upon his trial; but the receiver of stolen property might take his trial although the principal was absent. The jury would first have to ascertain whether the notes were stolen, and secondly, whether they were received by the prisoner. In the month of July last William Blayney was clerk at the Bank, and the prisoner George, his brother, had formerly been clerk the same establishment, but ceased to be in the year 1839. He then left that part of the country, and they knew nothing of his occupation up to the year 1845. On the ? of July in that year, it became necessary to send from the Warwick and Leamington Bank a large quantity of money to the Bank at Southam. Two parcels of notes were accordingly made up, consisting of ten and five-pound notes. It was the duty of William Blayney, the prisoner's brother, to take these parcels to the Post-office, and here they would find the robbery was effected, for Blayney, place of delivering the two parcels which he received, delivered only one, and only one arrived at Southam. Suspicion fell upon Blayney; he was not then however apprehended, but on the 19th of the same month he left his situation. and shortly afterwards went abroad. Now for the facts against the prisoner. the 4th July he was not known to be at Leamington, but he was there on the 5th ; and It would be for the jury to say what brought him there. On the 10th of July the prisoner was examined, and he admitted that he ... … that it was arranged that the notes were to stolen the prisoner's brother, that they were to sent to London, and from thence to Paris, then to Hamburgh, and other places on the Continent, to Russia, and back again to London for presentation to the Leamington Bank, when it would impossible for them to resist the payment. In pursuance of this arrangement the prisoner went to London, where, the jury would hear from Archer, met a man named Jennings, who agreed to get person named Myers, a jew, to consent to buy the notes which it was intended to steal. Archer would tell them that the prisoner said to him on occasion that, he thought he could trust him, he would tell him all about it. The plan was person was to go down to the Leamington Bank with 200£ and he was to have a sign by which William Blayney was to know him; was to hand over parcel to Blayney, and in return he would receive from 800£. to 1000£. This plan however was not carried into effect; but it would seem that Blayney detained one of the parcels which which he received to send to Southam, and of that parcel the prisoner afterwards became possessed. Archer wonld prove to them that the man Jennings agreed to procure person to buy the notes, and that, in accordance with this agreement, Jennings and the prisoner set about bringing the money to London from place where had been secreted. For that purpose they left London, and Jennings was to stop at Rugby while the prisoner went for the money. accordingly set out, and returned the following day, when they were met Euston-square Station Archer, who took them to his house with the booty. They would have in evidence that Blayney produced 100£. in notes the Warwick and Leamington Bank that he said he had dug them up where they had been concealed in the earth near Kenilworth: and that he complained having hurt his hand consequence of not having with him any tool by which he could raise the earth. After this conversation was further agreed that Jennings should once proceed to dispose the notes ; and he accordingly left the public-house where they had been drinking, and went to the house a man named Myers, where he remained for some time, the witness Archer, whom he should call before them, having been waiting to watch the of Jennings's visit to Mr. Myers. In a short time afterwards Jennings came out, and returned to the public-house with Archer, and then it was that Jennings told Blayney he could not get more than 150£ for the notes. The prisoner Blayney said it was too little, but he supposed he could not help it, and had no choice but take it. Jennings then returned the house of Myers, Archer still watching him, and a few minutes he came back again, having a paper parcel containing 150£ in his hand, and this money he gave to Blayney for the stolen notes, which now constituted the subject of inquiry. Blayney then went away with the money, promising meet Archer at another public-house, but this, it appears, he did not do and, according Archer's account, he did not see him afterwards until he was in custody. It would further appear from the evidence which he should lay before them, that the prisoner applied to the Solicitor of the Warwick and Leamington Bank, and offered, for the consideration of ?, to give such information would enable the Bank Directors to trace the notes. This offer, of course, was rejected, the prisoner was given into custody, and when in gaol he voluntarily made a statement which would be put evidence, and from which it would clearly appear that the prisoner had been well acquainted with the transaction, although he studiously endeavoured in the whole of his statement to convey the impression that he had derived his information from a third party. These were the main facts which he should able prove against the prisoner ; and here he would candidly observe that, inasmuch the principal witness, Archer, was clearly an accomplice in the transaction, he could not expect the jury to credit his testimony unless it was supported in some material points the evidence of persons who were entitled credit. That corroboration should be able to supply, and would now once proceed the examination of his witnesses.— Mr. Wynn, in the Bank, then proved the making-up of the two parcels of money the 4th of July, and the fact the prisoner's brother taking possession of them for the purpose delivery at the Post-office.—Mr. Middleton, clerk of the Post office proved that the prisoner's brother only posted one parcel ; after which Mr. Smith, of the Southam Bank, and Mr Summerfleld, Cashier of the Leamington establishment proved the loss of the money —The witness Archer, an elderly man, was next examined, and detailed his connection with the crime with which the prisoner was charged, and deposed to the facts against him set forth in Mr. Waddington's address. This witness was cross examined by Mr. O Brien, when he admitted that he had been once in Warwick gaol for debt, had been tried at the Old Bailey for embezzlement, and had also been tried for assault upon a child only four years of age. He however acquitted of the latter offence, although he would not swear that the Judge had not expressed his regret that he could not, bearing the tender age of the child. —The statement made by the prisoner to Mr. Heath, solicitor, was then put in, after which the Learned Judge adverted to the evidence, merely observing reference to it, that before the jury convicted the prisoner they must first be satisfied that the prisoner's brother committed the robbery.—The jury without moment's hesitation found the prisoner guilty. William George Jennings, the other accomplice in the above robbery, was next put on his trial, charged with receiving the notes knowing them to have been stolen.—Archer in this case was also the principal witness, and merely recapitulated his former testimony, upon which the prisoner was found guilty. Joseph Myers was next tried upon the same evidence for receiving the stolen notes, but he was acquitted. Judgment was deferred in the case the two former prisoners. These trials occupied the entire day until six o'olock, ... Aris’s Birmingham Gazette, 30 March 1846.

17

Martin Young on 23rd April 2024

Name George William Jennings Age 39 Estimated Birth Year abt 1807 Date of Trial 23 Mar 1846 Trial Year 1846 Location of Trial Warwickshire, England Sentence Transportation Refer: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1590/images/31251_A006080-00255?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=1429968

17

Martin Young on 23rd April 2024

Refer: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G6J4-VZ5 Other Sources: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18291029-200