William Parsons

341

Maureen Withey on 12th March 2026

National Archives. Hulk Records. Sheerness Hulks, Retribution. HO-9-7_2. page 42/48. Received from Newgate, 10th June 1826. Wm. Parsons, age 21, Cattle stg, Convicted Middx, 11 May 1826, Life, To NSW, 16 Sept 1826.

341

Maureen Withey on 4th March 2026

Tried at the Old Bailey, 11 May 1826. Before Mr. Baron Hullock. 920. WILLIAM PARSONS was indicted for stealing, on the 7th of April , at St. Pancras , 2 oxen, price 30l. , the property of Joseph Whaller and John French . MESSRS. ALLEY and PAYNE conducted the prosecution. JOSEPH WHALLER. I am a grazier , in partnership with John French, and live at Plaistow . On the 6th of April I bought twenty Scotch bullocks on Epping-forest, about twelve o'clock, and sent them down to Plaistow - I saw them next morning, Friday, about six o'clock, in the fields at Plaistow; there were then only eighteen; I missed a black and a light brown one - they had a tar mark going down from the rump bone; the price was 15l. 5s. each - I went on the Monday following to Brewer's tan-yard, and found the two skins of the bullocks which I had bought, and swore to them - I am sure they were the skins of these two beasts. JOHN FRENCH. I am in partnership with Mr. Whaller. I saw sixteen bullocks in one marsh, and four in the other, at Plaistow, about six o'clock on Thursday evening - they had a tar mark down the hip - the two which were afterwards missed was a black one and a brown one. Cross-examined by Mr. CRESWELL. Q. How long had you had them? A. Only one night; the Scotchman we bought them of marked them with the tar - he had only twenty of this lot - he had eighty of a different lot - they were marked different, and were not so small as this score. JOSEPH CADBY . I am street-keeper of the Foundling estate. On Friday, the 7th of April, between six and seven o'clock in the morning, I saw the prisoner in Guildford-street, going towards Speldburst-street, with a stick in his hand, driving two oxen; I asked him if he was gone back to Lindus, his old master; he said No; I said"Whose beasts are those?" he said his own. On the Sunday following he came to the watch-house to bring a young man his breakfast; I said "Why Jem, you are getting on in the world, if those beasts are yours that I saw you with on Friday morning;" he said "Yes, people thought he was getting down in the world, but they were mistaken." Cross-examined. Q. What hour was this? A. About a quarter past six - he had lived in the neighbourhood - I have seen him driving beasts before. JAMES LINDUS . I am brother to Henry Lindus , who lives in Speldhurst-street, Burton-crescent. On the 6th of April, about eleven or twelve o'clock in the day, the prisoner came to the shop and, in my presence, said to my brother, that he thought he should buy two beasts at Smithfield the following morning, and asked if he could kill them in his slaughter-house; my brother said he could, and next morning, about half-past six, he knocked at the door - I opened it to him - he told me he had put two beasts in the pound, and could I let him into the slaughter-house to kill them - I did so - I saw one of them before it was killed - it was a brown one; I did not notice any mark - I saw him kill it - I do not know who killed the other - there was a person assisting him - the skins of the beast were taken away by Benbow, Mr. Beby's man, on the same evening; the carcases went away early on the Saturday morning - there was no other beast slaughtered at out house that day; I do not know who took the carcases away. Cross-examined. Q. You have slaughtered beasts of all colours at your slaughter-house, I suppose? A. Yes, we generally take the skins away the same day, and sometimes the next day; the markets begin business about five o'clock in the morning - the carcases would go away early to be at market - there is nothing extraordinary in that. DAVID BENBOW . I am in the employ of Mr. Beby, a skin saleman. On the 7th of April I took two hides from Lindus' slaughter-house to master's - there were the letters H L cut in the noses - I had no others with those letters - master sent them next morning (Saturday) with others, to Brewer's, the tanner, by Dowding. Cross-examined. Q. Had you taken any there before? A. Yes; I put them into a cart - I had been to other slaughter-houses for skins - I collected them from about sixteen places - I always examine the noses to see if they are marked right. JAMES DOWDING . I took twenty hides to the tanner - Benhow assisted in loading them. JAMES JONES . I am servant to Mr. Brewer, a tanner of Willow-walk, Bermondsey. Dowding brought twenty skins on Saturday, the 8th of April - they were put by themselves - Mr. Whaller came on Monday; he examined them, and picked out these two, marked H L on the nose, and a tar mark on the rump - one was black, and the other brown - there were no others marked in that way. WILLIAM WALLIS . I was at Brewer's tan-yard on Monday, the 10th of April, and picked out these two skins myself - a black and a brown one; I had seen the beasts alive on Thursday afternoon, about five o'clock, in the prosecutor's field at Plaistow, and knew the skins again - I singled them out - there was a tar mark down the rump, and when I found the skins H L was cut on the nose. COURT. Q. What made you notice the beasts on Thursday? A. I looked at them merely to know their value, being a dealer; I examined all the twenty; I could distinguish the marks on all the twenty; I swear that these were the skins of two of the beasts I saw on Thursday. Mr. ALLEY. Q. In what state were the tails when you saw the skins? A. All the long hair was on; it is customary at Smithfield to cut the long hair off the tails when beasts are sold for slaughter - it is the drover's perquisites. Cross-examined. Q. Will you swear that it is an invariable custom? A. Yes, when they are sold for slaughter. JOSEPH CADBY . When I saw him with the beasts I noticed that the tails had the long hair on. JOSEPH MATTHEWS . I am a City officer. I apprehended the prisoner on Monday, the 10th of April - Williams was with me - we first went to Newgate-market, and saw some meat in Mr. Massey's possession; when I took the prisoner I asked him where he slaughtered the beasts he had sold in Newgate-market; he said he slaughtered them in Speldhurst-street on the Friday - that he bought them of a man in a smock-frock, in Smithfield-market, at the end of Giltspur-street, and paid for them at Jones', the banker's, in Smithfield, and gave 14l. for the two; we went to Jones' with him, and there they said, in his presence, that he had not paid any money on account of beasts; I have a letter which the prisoner wrote at Giltspur-street compter, in my presence, for me to take to one Dyer, and the copy of another letter - I delivered the original as directed. These documents were not read. WILLIAM WILLIAMS . I am an officer, and was with Matthews when he apprehended the prisoner - his statement is correct; it is the custom at Smithfield, when beasts are sold for slaughter, for drovers to cut the long hair off the tails - it is their perquisite. I saw these skins at the tanner's - one was black and the other brown - there was a tar-mark down the near side of the rump, and H L cut on the nose; I asked the prisoner where the hides went from Lindus's; he said he did not know; I asked how they were marked; he said he marked them with Lindus' name, as they were to go from there. ALFRED JONES . I am a banker, and live in Smithfield. The prisoner paid no money to us on this day - the officer brought him to make inquiry - some of our clerks knew him. FRANCIS SUTCH . I keep a horse and cart. On the 7th of April the prisoner applied to me for my cart, in the evening - I did not choose to lend it to him - I accompanied him next day, with the cart to Speldhurst-street, got two buttocks of beef, and carried them to Newgate-street - he took them out into the market, and paid me in the evening for the cart. JOSEPH WHALLER. I am certain they were the skins of the beasts I lost. Prisoner's Defence. When I was apprehended I was confused, and said I had paid Jones for the beasts, but I paid the man in Smithfield. Two witnesses gave the prisoner a good character. GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 21.