Robert Wilson

218

Dianne Jones on 3rd December 2021

From his Fremantle jail record: WILSON, Robert; #4765, arrived 1 Jan 1858 per Nile Date of Birth: 1831 Date of Death: 27 Sep 1861 Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Quarryman Literacy: Illiterate Sentence Place: London, London, England Crime: Burglary Sentence Period: 10 years Ticket of Leave Date: 30 Jul 1858 Conditional Pardon Date: Jun 1861 (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). Note: Two records give his occupation as a quarryman and one as a tailor. His WA Convict record also says he reads and writes well (Western Australia, Australia, Convict Records, 1846-1930; Convict Department Estimates and Convict Lists (128/1 - 32).

218

Dianne Jones on 3rd December 2021

TRIAL -- OLD BAILEY, LONDON 21 October, 1850: #1766. ROBERT WILSON and JOHN ADAMS, burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-house of George Chance, with intent to steal MR. CLARKSON conducted the Prosecution. WILLIAM HAMPTON . I live at 20, Skinner-street, Bishopsgate-street; I am not in any business; my house is at the back of Mr. Chance's, next door but one to his yard—his house is the Fox and Grapes, Primrose-street, in the parish of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate. On Tuesday morning, 8th Sept., I was aroused about ten minutes past four o'clock, my wife got up first—I followed her towards the back-yard—she opened the yard door, and I saw the two prisoners in the yard—they wanted to rush in at the door, but my wife put her hand on them, and said, "What do you want here?"—from the back of my yard to the back of Mr. Chance's is six or seven yards—my wife screamed, and I went out and collared them—Adams said, "For God's sake let me come through; we have not come here to rob you, nor do you any injury; we only knocked a man down, and we want to evade the police"—I said, "If that is all you have done you need not be so much alarmed; but perhaps you have killed the man, and therefore I shall detain you till I ascertain the truth of it"—I took them into the passage, and told my wife to go for a constable—Wilson begged to be let go. Cross-examined by MR. HORRY. Q. That was not till you heard that Mr. Chance's house had been broken into? A. No, it was twenty minutes or half an hour afterwards. Cross-examined by MR. ROBINSON. Q. How far were you from your wife in going out? A. Three or four yards—it was light enough to see persons—I could not recognise their features, but I thought I knew one by his voice—my yard is surrounded by houses. SUSANNAH HAMPTON . I am the wife of the last witness. I heard a noise about ten minutes past four o'clock, the young man in the next room told me something, I went down to the yard, and unbolted the back-door—I believe my husband followed me—I found the prisoners in the yard—I took hold of them by the shoulders, and asked what they wanted in my yard—I screamed out—the prisoners both asked me to allow them to pass—they said they had done nothing; they had only been quarrelling about a sister, and they wished to evade the police—my husband sent me for the police—I got Inspector Fosberry—I noticed that some network in my yard was broken, and two tiles from the water-closet were broken, where they had clambered down the wall—that water-closet is against the wall next to Mr. Chance's—Mr. Mears' yard is next to mine—the network and tiles were between my yard and Mr. Mears'—I saw footsteps down in the back area, where they had been, and left about a dozen lucifers; they were wet, my daughter burnt them—the men had left the window open a little—the area is paved with marble, and the dust and wet had marks of footsteps, as though one person had been down—my husband gave the prisoners into custody—the area is on the right-hand side in the yard—they could get to that without coming through the yard door. SARAH CHANCE . I am the wife of George Chance, who keeps the Fox and Grapes, in Primrose-street. At five minutes before four o'clock in the night, between the 7th and 8th Oct., I was awoke by a loud noise like the report of a cannon—I got up, and opened the bedroom door, and all was silent—the bedroom door looked towards the back, and the window towards the front—there is a yard at the back of our house—Mr. Mears' yard is next to ours—I returned, and got a light—I returned to the stairs, and heard a distinct voice from a man, on or at the foot of the stairs, saying, "Jemmy, Jemmy!"—I returned to the bedroom, shut the door, threw up the window, and sprang the rattle, and in a few seconds I was answered by a policeman—after the policeman had got more assistance, my husband went down-stairs—there was time enough between my hearing the noise and the voice, and the period when my husband went down, for any persons in the house to have got away—it was from five to seven minutes—some persons were taken into custody at Mr. Hampton's—I had gone to bed at a quarter-past twelve—I was with my husband when he secured the house. Cross-examined by MR. ROBINSON. Q. Is Mr. Hampton's house in the same line with yours? A. No; it is at the back, through a yard—our next neighbour is Mr. Mears—Mr. Hampton's back yard is opposite Mr. Mears's—the yard of the Weavers' Arms joins to our skittle-ground. GEORGE CHANCE . I am the husband of the last witness. On the night of 7th Oct., I went to bed about a quarter or twenty minutes past twelve o'clock—I secured the house—this bar which is now broken (produced) fastened the parlour door—there was a wooden door outside, and then an iron door between the parlour and the bar—a person could have got into the parlour by the window from the back yard—that window was shut down over night, but not fastened—there were marks on it as if somebody had attempted to take out a pane of glass, but they found the window was not fast, and they had thrown the window up—if anybody got in there, they would have an opportunity of forcing the parlour door—in consequence of the alarm I got up, and came down-stairs—I found the parlour door broken open, and this bar lay in the passage—the door was not broken, but there were marks of a crowbar on the panels of the wainscot by the side of the door—I found a knife sticking in the floor to fasten open the inner door of the parlour, a small jemmy and crowbar between the inner and the outer door, and some drops of wax on the seat in the parlour which is behind the inner door, and some on the flagstones against the iron door—there is a wall between my yard and the next, which is Mr. Mears'—I saw Mr. Hampton the same morning; his yard is opposite to Mr. Mean's. Cross-examined by MR. ROBINSON. Q. Are you in the habit of fastening the back window? A. I generally look to the potman to do it—I cannot say that I shut it that night, but I have a distinct recollection of seeing that it was shut—it was my potman's duty to shut it—sometimes it is not opened at all in the day—the parlour is on the same floor as the tap-room, they are separated by a passage—the bar and tap-room are separated by a passage—I always go into the parlour at night—I am certain I went in that night—my potman sleeps in the house; he goes to bed about twelve o'clock, he had gone to bed that night, he gets up about seven in the morning—he sleeps in the garret—I always take my money up-stairs, leaving a few coppers—there was in the bar a pair of tablespoons, and a few things. GEORGE HOWES . I live at 20, Primrose-street, two doors from Mr. Chance—Mr. Mears lives in the parlour of No. 20—my yard joins Mr. Hampton's—on the morning of 8th Oct. I went into the yard about half-past six o'clock, and found this jemmy lying by the washhouse door which joins to the water-closet which is against Mr. Hampton's wall. GODFREY FOSBERRY (City police-inspector). On the morning of 8th Oct. I and Oakley met Mrs. Hampton at ten minutes past four o'clock—I went to Mr. Hampton's, and found the prisoners—I took them to the station—I found on Adams this pocket-book and small key—Oakley searched Wilson, and took from him this life-preserver, piece of wax candle, and wax taper—I scraped some wax off a chair which stood near where they tried to force the panels of the wainscot, and stuck it on the candle—this is the drop (produced)—in my judgment it came from a candle like this—I found some drops of wax in the house, and some on the window-sill outside that goes to the back yard—they appeared to be of the same description as that I had taken from near the door—they appeared to have got away from the house by the wall that separates Mr. Chance's yard from Mr. Mean's—some board's slant from the top of the wall into Mr. Chance's yard on the lefthand side of the wall—there is a shed on the side of Mr. Chance's yard, next to Mr. Mears's yard. HENRY FINNIS (City-policeman). On the morning of 8th Oct. about eight o'clock, I found these two lucifer matches on the bagatelle-board in the parlour at Mr. Chance's—in my judgment they are the same make as those in this bundle taken from Wilson—they are the same colour at the end. Cross-examined by MR. ROBINSON. Q. Were you directed to go? A. No; I heard of this, and went to the house that morning—I was not before the Magistrate—I made a communication to my inspector after they had been to the Mansion-house—that was a day or two after the 8th of Oct. WILSON** — GUILTY. Aged 20. ADAMS — GUILTY. Aged 18. Transported for Ten Years. (Old Bailey Proceedings Online at www.oldbaileyonline.org) --00--