Newspaper Transcripts
Some Selected Reports from The Windsor and Eton Express
Saturday, November 14, 1829.
WINDSOR POLICE.
[Before J. CHURCH, Esq Mayor, R. TEBBOTT, Esq Justice].
MONDAY.
Robert Dykes was charged with assaulting Charles Emming on Friday last.
Emming, whose face exhibited the marks of severe punishment, stated that while in a punt, near Mason's campshed, Dykes, without any provocation, came up to him, and gave him a severe blow on the head, and continued striking and kicking him. In the scuffle both fell overboard into the river. This was neither the first nor second time he had been assaulted by Dykes.
Dykes in his defence, said that Emming had tried to take his bread and his character away from him.
The MAYOR advised the parties to withdraw, and see if they could settle the affair, which they did, by Dykes paying the expenses.
BURGLARY - On Sunday evening last, between the hours of seven and nine o'clock, the house of Mr. Eliott [sic], leather cutter, of Peascod-street, was entered and property stolen to the value of �20; consisting of �5 in copper, between �6 and �7 in silver, a pair of dwelling pistols*, a gold pin, and several other trinkets. Mr. Elliott and his boy had gone to chapel in the evening, leaving the servant in charge of the house, who, after their departure, went to a friend's. Mr. Elliott had three keys to his front door, one of which he missed about a fortnight since, but supposing the boy had mislaid it, thought a new lock unnecessary. In a drawer close to that in which the silver was placed, were 55 pounds in notes, which fortunately escaped the hands of the plunderer, although there was hardly a drawer of cupboard in the house but what had been searched. The ten sovereigns at first reported to have been taken from the servants box, were afterwards found by her, and �1. 12s. (besides the watch) was the whole of her loss.
* Please note, the newspaper text uses the word "Dwelling" rather than "Duelling.
BURGLARY - Early on Thursday morning, the Lord Nelson public-house, Old Windsor, was entered and robbed of �15 worth of property. The thieves after taking a pane of glass from the parlour window, bored through the shutters, which are on the inside, with a centre bit, and finished their operation with a knife, the handle part of which they left in the room, as it had apparently been broken in the execution of their task. From the parlour they proceeded to the bar, the door of which they forced with a poker, and stole from thence 4 pair of shoes, a damask table cloth, a time-piece, and other articles. Upon discovery of the robbery, every exertion (on the part of Mr. Clarke the landlord, and the constables of the neighbourhood), were used, but they were unable to obtain the least information likely to lead to a discovery of the thieves. Mr. Clarke had not taken to the house more than a fortnight.
A large party dined at the Hope Inn, on Monday last, in honor if H.R.H. Princess Augusta's birth day. In the evening the houses of H.R.H.'s trades-people were illuminated.
Prince George of Cumberland honoured the fancy dress ball given by Mr. Wickham, at his residence at Kew, on Thursday evening, with his presence.
On Monday John Milum and Henry Grover, were committed by Thomas Grint Curties, Esq Mayor, at Reading. They were charged with having stolen a bag containing various articles from off one of the night Bath coaches, the property of Charles Blake. The prisoners were noticed by several persons to be standing at Pook's office when the bag was fastened to the coach, and to walk on the road before the coach started. These men it seems had been to a hat club, at a small public house, in London-street, where they had been drinking till between one and two in the morning.
HENLEY.
At the Town Court, held here on Monday last, a complaint was made against a spruce grocer's apprentice, by a lusty dame, the wife of a knight of the spade, for injury done to her dress. The lady, it appeared, in defiance of fire and smoke, had ventured into the Market Place to witness the burning of Mr. Guy Fawkes, the preceding Thursday; and whilst she was attentive to the amusement going on, some young stripling was equally attentive to the flounce of the chintz pattern gown which adorned her person, and a certain instrument of destruction, called a squib, coming in contact with the said part of her apparel, it suddenly caught fire, and part of it was burnt. Several witnesses were present to prove the innocence of the party charged; and the lady, who said "if it was her dying breath, she knowed it was he," not being willing to swear positively, the Magistrates dismissed the complaint.
Last Wednesday night a large quantity of perch and jack were stolen from some fishing punts, at Sonning, the property of Mr. Bromley.
AYLESBURY.
MAGISTRATE'S CHAMBER.
MULETING THE POOR.
Colonel Browne said a most extraordinary circumstance had taken place in the parish of Aylesbury. The late assistant overseer had died in debt, and a shilling a week had been taken off every poor person's pittance, by his securities, to make up the loss.
Mr. De Fraine said it was done by his bondsmen, with the option to every poor person of coming into the workhouse.
Sir J.D. King : The bondsmen had no right to do so.
Mr. De Fraine : The contract in the first instance was made with my brother (the late assistant overseer) : when he died I took it in hand, and in six months I have expended �150 more that I have received. My brother's widow was left in the house, but she failed, and the bondsmen have taken it into their hands.
Sir J.D. King They have no right to take money from poor old men of 90, to pay your debts.
Mr. Ashfield : If a good contract had been taken we should not have heard of these complaints. A poor old woman who had brought up eleven children, had complained to him on the same subject, having been mulet of a shilling.
Sir J.D. King said Mr. De Fraine should not have taken to an unprofitable concern.
Colonel Browne could not help repeating that it was the most insolent act he had ever heard of, to take off from the poor of a whole parish to save the contractor's bondsmen. Unless they were paid he was determined to bring the case into a Court of Justice, be the expense to him whatever it might. Let a meeting be called;- but that a deputy overseer should strike off a whole parish he would not suffer to pass unnoticed.
Sir J.D. King asked Mr. De Frane [sic] how much the reduction would save in a week. The latter said not more than �5. The worthy Baronet advised that a meeting of the parish should be called, to take into consideration the propriety of their dissolving the contract.
The parish officers were sent for : and Mr. J.K. Fowler, one of the churchwardens, appearing, he said they were obliged to call upon the contractor's bondsmen, and they had provided things to make the poor comfortable in the workhouse, as they could keep them cheaper there. The contractor last Saturday had good meat in the market at 3 1/2 per lb. If the Magistrates made an order, they would attend to it; but the distress in the parish was so great that the officers could not collect the rates. The deputy-overseer's securities were yesterday obliged to advance money out of their own pockets to pay the contractor. The amount of his contract was �84 per week. He was sorry to say that many abuses prevailed in the parish; men get drunk, and spend money away from their families. He thought the best plan would be to build a large workhouse; the Rev. John Dell had offered to contribute �100 towards the expenses of the building.
Mr. Archer : In establishing a workhouse you cannot call on persons requiring labour to come into it.
Mr. Fowler said the large occupiers in the parish could not pay their rates. He promised, however, that a meeting of the parish officers should take place on Monday night; and if they could not settle it a vestry should be called; or, if the Magistrates wished it, he would call one to-morrow (Sunday) for Thursday next.
Sir J.D. King : Do not let it go abroad that the poor are muleted to pay the contractor's debts.
[Mr. Ashfield observed that from a feeling of strong necessity the Magistrates of Cottesloe Hundreds had been compelled to reduce the rates of allowance to the poor. We could not, however, ascertain more of the scale mentioned by the worthy Magistrate, than the following:- man and wife, 5s. 6d.; aged man, 4s.; and aged woman 3s. 6d. per week.]
Sir J.D. King : Let a general meeting of the parish be held : but let it not be supposed to be done to save the contractor's bondsmen. He considered it wrong that a man should have power to compel people to come in or go out of the workhouse as he thought fit. The impression in the parish now was that the reduction in the paupers pay was made to pay the contractor's debts.
BIRTHS.
Nov. 11 at Addlestone, near Chertsey, the lady of the Rev. Henry Palmer, of a daughter.
At Homer Green, near Sephton, the wife of John Rawlinson, gardener, of two girls and a boy, all living.
The wife of Henry Fitzsimmons, plaisterer, Shidley, of two girls and a boy. The boy has since died.
On Saturday, the wife of Mr. George Andrews, masen [sic], of Clark's Court, Bristol, of two girls and a boy, one still-born.
The mother has not has a child before for eleven years.
At Runnymede, the Hon.Mrs. Neville Reid, of a daughter.
At Reading, the Lady of Adolphus Wm. Hume, Esq of a daughter.
MARRIED.
Nov. 8. by the Rev. Isaac Gosset, Mr. J.T. Johnson, of Bishop Stortford, Herts, to Miss Susan Alicia Goodman, of New Windsor.
Nov. 9. at New Windsor, by the Rev. Isaac Gosset, Mr. Harris, of Greenwich, to Mary Sophia, eldest surviving daughter of Wm. Mathew, Esq of the former place.
Nov. 12, at St.George's, Hanover-square, Major Bruce, to Isabella, third daughter of Lieut-Colonel Basset, Windsor Castle.
Lately, J.W. Fane, Esq. M.P., of Wormsley, Oxon, to Ellen Catherine, third daughter of the Hon. T. Parker, of Ensham Hall, in the same county.
At Charlton-on-Otmoor, Oxon, Emanuel, eldest son of Mr. John Dodwell, Long Crendon, Bucks, to Elizabeth, only child of
DIED.
Nov. 8, Mr. Richard Miller, of Kenton Lodge, near Harrow, and 7, Mortimer-street, Cavendish-square, sincerely and deservedly lamented by his numerous family and friends.
Nov. 13, Mrs. Newman, of Cranford.
On Saturday last, at Henley, Mr. John Greenwood, of Ewelme.
Oct. 22, at Broome, W. Kenrick, esq one of the Judges on the North Wales circuit.