Catalogue description Examinations and Depositions: Information of John Tatman, yeoman, son and bailiff of...

Examinations and Depositions: Information of John Tatman, yeoman, son and bailiff of Jane Tatman of Chalton, Moggerhanger, widow. He and the household were keeping harvest home at his mother's house when between 11 at night and one in the morning John Tatman, a young labourer, hearing a dog bark in the yard, went out to see what was the matter. He returned and took his fellow labourers to the dovehouse, "I followed them, and saw that the Dove house had been broken open and the pigeons were flying about in a disturbed state. The Labourers had gone in pursuit of some one" They came back in half an hour and Thomas Emery said they had taken the man at Moggerhanger. "I saw the prisoner there - he had a horse and higgling Cart with skeps or baskets for holding pigeons or small fowls in the Cart and about it" Thomas Emery charged him with the crime "he neither denied nor confessed the crime as far as I could hear but I am rather hard of hearing". A sack and bag were brought into the house which they said had been dropped by the man and were full of pigeons but they had let them fly. "I know the Prisoner a little - he is a Fishmonger and lives I believe at Biggleswade". Also Informations of Thomas Emery of Moggerhanger, labr, who went in pursuit saw the man and two dogs. Not being able to overtake the prisoner he turned back. One of his fellow labourers William Prentice came back and told him the mans cart had overturned at Moggerhanger. His master and he then went to Moggerhanger. Information of Henry (sic) Prentice. He tracked a cart that had been in his master's field until he overtook it, overturned at Moggerhanger. The prisoner and three dogs were with it, one of the dogs, the little black one had followed his bitch and was not his. He said the cart had been overturned by a "Whiskey or Gig I am sure that it could not have been overturned as he said, there was no track near it - and the Prisoner's Cart would have been on the other side of the road. Information of John Tatman, Moggerhanger, labr, he was at harvest home at Mrs. Tatmans, heard the dog bark, went outside and saw the dovehouse door open. He went back and gave the alarm. Information of William Tatman, Chalton, who joined in the pursuit and picked up a bag of pigeons about 40 or 50 in number. The prisoner in his defence said "I am innocent of the charge. I was pursuing my trade of fish mongering - and buying poultry - I had my gig overturned".