William Shedwick

342

Maureen Withey on 7th April 2026

Tried at the Old Bailey, 3 Dec 1829. Fourth Middlesex Jury - before Mr. Common Sergeant. 7. JAMES DIXEY and WILLIAM SHEDWICK were indicted for feloniously assaulting William King , on the 29th of November , at St. Leonard, Shoreditch, putting him in fear, and taking from his person, and against his will, I watch, value 3l.; I hat, value 9d., and 1 handkerchief, value 2d. , his property. WILLIAM KING. On Saturday night, the 28th of November, I had been drinking at Mr. Turner's public-house in Shoreditch; I do not know the sign - I got intoxicated, and do not know at what time I left; I had 2s. or 3s. about me, a watch, a hat, and a handkerchief in the hat: when I got home I had not my hat, my handkerchief, nor watch; I had the money - this hat, handkerchief, and watch are mine; I never saw the prisoner till he was at the office - I cannot say whether I received any blow, but I felt a pain at the back of my ear; I had been drinking with a person named Rouse - I did not know I had lost my watch till the officer searched me to see if I had it, and it was gone. JAMES HANLEY . I am an officer of Worship-street. -I was on duty in Old Cock-lane, at the back of Shoreditch church; Attfield and the other officer were with me; it was just after two o'clock in the morning of last Sunday week - we were joined by Gooding, a conductor of the Bow-street patrol, and two of his men - I heard a bustle, and a rush at the corner of a passage over the way, which goes up to a public-house, and saw two men run across the street, which induced me to suppose something had happened; I ran in that direction, with some of the other officers, and I saw Shedwick, in a fustian jacket - he turned, and ran down Cock-lane, and up New Nichol-street - I lost sight of him as he turned, but I had seen him before he turned, and there was no person running in that line but him and me - I did not lose sight of him above two seconds when he turned the corners; I pursued him up Nichol-street, and into Short-street - he then ceased running, but kept at a brisk walk; I overtook him about the middle of the street - I took hold of him; we were both out of breath- I said, "Come back;" he lifted up his two hands, and said, "If I have done any thing I am willing to go back;" I said, "Willing or not, you shall go back, for I suspect you have robbed somebody;" I took him back, and in about an hour and a half afterwards I found the watch on the spot where I took him, in the mud; I took him down Nichol-street, and into Cock-lane - I there found Dixey in custody of an officer, and they had the prosecutor with them, who appeared to be very drunk; there is no doubt of it - we saw a light in a public-house, called the Ship - we knocked, and got in: I searched Shedwick, and found some money and duplicates on him - and after questioning him some time, as to where he lived, we took him to the watch-house; I received this cap from Gooding after we had gone to the watch-house: the prosecutor stated that he had lost a watch, but we had a difficulty in making out what he had lost, he was so much in liquor - I went with Attfield, and found this watch. Prisoner Shedwick. Q. Did you see me throw it away? A. No, I did not, or I should have taken it up directly. Prisoner Dixey. Q. Did you see me do any thing wrong? A. No - I saw two men run away from the place- I cannot be certain you are the man. WILLIAM ATTFIELD . I am an officer of Worship-street. I was in company with the other officer, when we heard a noise, which made us bustle along; we saw two men run - Gooding pursued one, and Hanley the other - I did not notice their persons at that time; Gooding went nearly straight across the road - I believe it is called Half Nichol-street; Mills and I went up to the prosecutor - I caught him in my arms reeling from the wall; he would have fallen into the mud had it not been for me; we took him down Old Cock-lane, and took him to the Ship public-house; the people were up there, and they let us in, when they found who we were; I searched the prosecutor, with the assistance of Mills - he at first said he had lost his watch, his hat, and his handkerchief; he did tell me the maker's name of the watch, but I forget it; the place was Halton, in Hampshire: the maker's name which he told me was on the watch, but I do not remember it - the prisoners were brought in by Gooding and Hanley; I went with Hanley, and found the watch. Prisoner Dixey. Q. Did you see me do any thing to the prosecutor? A. No. THOMAS GOODING . I am a conductor of the Bow-street patrol. Early on the morning of last Sunday week I was with the two witnesses - we were standing fronting New Turville-street, and looking towards Church-street, Bethnal-green; I heard a noise, and saw two men scuffling together; one went from the curb against the wall, and fell down - the other ran across the road, and up Half Nichol-street; I said to my brother officers, "There is something the matter;" I and Moggs pursued the man up New Turville-street; we turned to the right, towards where I saw the man run, and found Dixey, with" this hat in his left hand -I had not observed him so as to know that he was the man who had been struggling with the other; I had lost sight of him for about a minute and a half - I could not swear to his person - he was coming towards me, and was between a run and a walk; I laid hold of him, and said I thought he had been doing something wrong - I took the hat from him; he made an attempt to put his right hand into it, and said, "Give me my cap;" this cap was in the hat, and this handkerchief under it; I told him I would not give him any thing - I brought him back, and found Attfield, the prosecutor, and Mills; we went down towards Hackneyread watch-house, but saw a light in the Ship, and went in: I shewed the prosecutor my own hat first - he said that was not his; I then shewed him this hat, and he said it was his. Prisoner Dixey. Q. Did you see me ill-use the man; there were other persons in the street? A. I did not see any persons - I did not see you ill-use him. GEORGE ROUSE . I am a scale-maker. On the night of the 28th of November I was with the prosecutor at the Crown and Shuttle, in Shoreditch, which is kept by Mr. Turner; I went in a little after nine o'clock - the prosecutor came about ten: we remained there till past twelve - he drank pretty freely; he was sober when he came in: I was not exactly sober, nor quite drunk - he went away between twelve and one o'clock; I went outside the passage, and asked if he would go to bed with me, as I thought him too drunk to go home; I lodged that night at Mr. Turner's - the prosecutor then said he would go home, as he could get in at his father's at any hour; he then went away, and I did not hear of any thing happening till Monday night. I know Cock-lane - I suppose it is five hundred yards from Mr. Turner's; the streets about there are very narrow, and I believe some of them are winding streets- I saw nothing of the prisoners, and did not notice whether the prosecutor had a watch or not. WILLIAM CASH . I keep the Jane Shore public-house, in Shoreditch; I suppose it is a quarter of a mile from Mr. Turner's; the prisoners had been drinking at my house till about seven minutes before twelve o'clock, when I cleared my house, and they went away together; they appeared sober - I saw nothing the matter with them: they paid me for one pot of beer, which I took in myself. JOSEPH MOGGS . I am a Bow-street patrol. I was with Gooding, and saw him take Dixey; I saw him at the time the was taken - I had seen two men running, but cannot swear to them; and one of them ran in that direction-Dixey said he had been drinking at the Jane Shore - I asked him how he got the hat; he said he received a blow from some person in the neck in crossing Cock-lane, and found the hat in the middle of the road. Prisoner Dixey. I found the hat as I have described, and there were other persons about. Withness. I saw no persons but the prisoners, the prosecutor, and the officers. RICHARD MILLS. I was at the Ship a little after two o'clock, and there searched the prosecutor - he had no watch; he was feeling his thigh - I thought he had lost his watch, and soon after he said, "I have lost my watch;" he described it in my hearing, but I forget the name he mentioned - he said the name of the place was on it: he kept rubbing the side of his head, like a man in pain - I did not see any blood, nor I did put my hand to feel if it was inflamed - he was very tipsy. Dixey's Defence. As I was going home from the Jane Shore I picked up this hat in crossing the road, as any other person might have done; I did not know how it came there - there were two or three men on the other side of the way, with great coats on, and one of them hit me in the neck - I walked on; I did not know how the hat came there - I did not pick it up with an intention of stealing, nor know the person it came from, or I should have given it to them. THOMAS GOODING re-examined. Q. When you saw the man run away did you see any thing in his hand? A. I did not see any thing - it was a wet night; I did not notice whether the prosecutor was dirty. JAMES HANLEY . I did not see any thing in either of the men's hands. DIXEY - GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 23. SHEDWICK - GUILTY - DEATH . Aged 30.[Tuesday Dec. 8.] -------------------------------------------------- Leviathan Hulk Records. HO-9-8_6 page 10/54. Received from Newgate, 16 Feb 1830. Wm. Shedwick, age 30, Felony, Tried 3 Dec 1829, Old Bailey, Life, To NSW 26 June 1830, R. Admiral.

174

Iris Dunne on 6th July 2020

Conditional Pardon No. 49/279 dated 20 Dec. 1848 Year of Birth 1798, Tried 3 Dec. 1829, Trade Bricklayer & Plasterer, Native Place London