William West

Level 346

Maureen Withey on 1st July 2026

William West, son of a small farmer, was part of a gang of men who regularly stole from local farmers, etc in the area around Soham, in Cambridgeshire. He was convicted for stealing fowls, turkeys and other robberies in the area.

Level 346

Maureen Withey on 1st July 2026

The following are sentences of the prisoners who have so long infested Soham and neighbouring villages:—William Day, sentence death. Thomas Isaacson, George Isaacson, James Bailey, William West, Edward Isaacson, Henry Attlesey, John Attlesey, William Worlledge, William  Arnold, Samuel Wright the elder, Samuel Wright the younger, and John Thurston, to be transported seven years. .. Cambridge Chronicle, 17 Aug 1821. Edward Isaacson, Wm. West, and James Bailey were next tried on indictment which charged them with stealing a quantity of fowls, the property of Mr. John Banyard, of Soham. appeared that the prisoners entered prosecutor's fowl-house by means of picklock keys.— Guilty. ... Geo. Isaacson, Edward Isaacson, Wm. Worlledge, William West, Henry Attlesey, and John Attlesey were next tried on an indictment which charged them with stealing five turkies and various articles, the property of Mr. William Westrope, of Freckenham, in the month of February last. It appeared evidence  that in consequence of various robberies committed at Fordham (a village adjoining to Soham,) the farmers set persons  to watch, and the prisoners were seen to go through Fordham between eleven and twelve o'clock at night.  Some of the property stolen from Mr. Westrope was afterwards (in consequence of a discovery made John Lord, an accomplice) found in the prisoners' houses.— All guilty. John Isaacson and William West were tried on a charge of stealing seven pigs at Moulton, the property of Messrs. Fletcher and King, and acquitted. ... ... ... The learned Judge, in the most impressive manner, passed sentence of death on Day,  for the burglary at Wicken; and William Webb, Richard Cater, Wm. Canham, and John Thurston, were next placed the bar, and received the following sentences: —Webb to be imprisoned ten, Cater nine, and seven calendar months, and kept to hard labour; and John Thurston (the father-in-law of Canham and notorious old offender) to be transported for 7 years. Thomas Isaacson, George Isaacson, Edward Isaac-1 son, James Bailey, William West, Wm. Worlledge, Henry Attlesey, John Attlesey, Samuel Wright the elder, and Samuel Wright the younger, were next placed the bar, and the learned Judge, after commenting on the manner in which it appeared the prisoners had for a long period carried on a system of plunder never before heard of this country, exhorted Thomas Isaacson (who is notorious old offender, insisted that he had never wronged any man in his life) to prepare his mind to confess his sins to God, in order that he might obtain pardon when he should hereafter appear before a more awful tribunal; and sentenced them all to transported for seven years. William Arnold, convicted of stealing a wooden measure from Mr. Dobede, in whose employment he had previously been engaged as a maltster, whereby he had acquired full knowledge of the situation of the offices belonging to the malt-house, was also sentenced to transported for seven years. A few days previous to the assizes, several ponds and ditches near the prisoners' premises were searched, and a great number of working tools and valuable articles  belonging to different persons, were found. Large quantities of corn have also been found secreted in ditches and other places. It is but justice to the farmers in Soham to state, none of the persons convicted were by any means in want of employment, or in distressed circumstances. Thomas Isaacson has a good house and garden, and kept cattle; Edward Isaacson was building a house at the time of  his commitment; James Bailey, Samuel Wright sen., Samuel Wright jun., John Thurston, were all possessed cottages and gardens; William West is the son of a small farmer, who is the proprietor of a good house and garden, and several acres of land; and Henry Attlesey and John Attlesey are sons of a small farmer, occupying his own estate at Soham. We are happy to announce to our readers, that the most perfect tranquillity has prevailed at Soham, and throughout the neighbourhood, since the commitment of this desperate gang, whose nocturnal depredations were a constant source of alarm. We have not heard of single instance of robbery since their apprehension, and we trust that the example made of Thurston and Wright sen., convicted of receiving stolen goods, will deter others from similar practices. Cambridge Chronicle, 24 Aug 1821.