Possibly Space under the stairs ????????????? -------------------------------------------------- From: <jwmos99@msn.com> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 11:50 AM To: <cornish-gen@rootsweb.com>; <cornish@rootsweb.com> Subject: [CORNISH-GEN] weekly news, 4 July 1851, Qtr Sessions, part 3 > > Does anyone know what a "Spence under the stairs" might have been? > > > West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser > > QUARTER SESSIONS, 4 JULY 1851 - part 3 > > WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 > > JOHN GIDLEY, 34, was charged with stealing on the 1st of May, at Truro, a > pick, the property of SAMUEL DATE. Mr. J. B. COLLINS conducted the > prosecution; Mr. STOKES the defence. > > The prosecutor, who works on the roads as a labourer for the Truro Union, > stated that on the 15th of March, he delivered his pick to DREW, a smith > at Truro, for the purpose of being altered, and left it in his possession. > About the 14th of May, Drew informed him that he had lost his pick about > the beginning of that month. The prosecutor, on the 24th of May, obtained > a warrant from the Mayor of Truro, and went to Gidley's house with a > constable, WARD, who found the pick in a Spence, under the stairs. Witness > knew the > pick to be his by a mark on the hilt, and an eye on the handle. > > -ROBERT DREW, smith, stated that he altered the pick as desired by > prosecutor; and had seen the prisoner, who had tools of his own there, > handling this pick. Prisoner had a similar two-point pick there, but with > quite a different eye, - one being oval, the other a diamond. Witness left > the shop about a quarter of an hour, and shortly after his return, missed > the prosecutor's pick. > > -JAMES LONG, smith, in the employ of Mr. JEFFERY, about twelve months > since, made five or six similar picks for Date; the pick now produced was > one of those he so made; he knew it by the eye. > > MR. STOKES, opening the defence, said the question for consideration was > as to the identity of the property. It was admitted that the prisoner did > take the pick from Drew's shop; but it would be proved that the pick was > his own property, and Drew himself had admitted that prisoner had at his > shop, at the time referred to, a pick similar to that of the prosecutor's. > If therefore, the proof should fail as to the pick being the prisoner's > property, still the circumstances would not warrant a verdict that the > prisoner took the pick with felonious intent. > > -ROBERT DREW, recalled by the Chairman, stated that the prisoner's pick > was taken away from his shop about the same time as prosecutor's; it was > not left there after prosecutor's pick was taken away, and he (Drew) > allowed prisoner 1.6d. for it, in account. > > -JOHN BLACKMORE, a labourer on the Kenwyn parish roads, had during the > last three years worked with prisoner, and occasionally used prisoner's > tools. About three years ago, the prisoner's father-in-law, named RICHARD > SOBEY, the foreman of the roads, brought the pick in question to him > (Blackmore), and stated that it was Gidley's. (Witness looked at the pick > and hilt and from several marks which he pointed out to the jury, > positively swore that the pick belonged to the prisoner.) Had often > carried the pick to smiths' shops to be repaired. The last time he carried > the pick for repairs was about March twelve months. The last time he > worked with that pick was about ten or twelve months since, but had seen > it several times since. Witness and prisoner were in the habit of using > each other's > tools. > > -RICHARD BEHENNA, a foreman at REED's smith's shop, Truro, had been there > three years. Prisoner and his partner repeatedly brought tools there to be > repaired. In March, 1850, the prisoner brought him this pick, and he > (witness) laid it at both ends, and then noticed in the interior of the > eye a notch in the iron - a flaw in the working. The witness removed the > pick from the handle, and pointed out the mark to the jury. > > The Chairman in summing up, spoke of the unimpeachable character of the > witnesses on both sides, observing that the conflict of testimony showed > that there was some singular mistake as to the property. The only > circumstance which appeared of a suspicious nature, as against the > prisoner, was the fact of his having been allowed 1s.6d. for his own pick; > if his own pick had been left at the shop, the notion of "mistake" would > have been more obvious. Still, with such testimony as had been adduced as > to the property, he thought they could not convict of felonious intent. > > The jury, however, after rather long consultation, returned a verdict of > Guilty. One Fortnight to hard labour. > ......... > > ELIZABETH TREWOLA, 45, was charged with stealing on the 14th of June, a > pound weight of butter, the property of FRANCIS GUNDRY, of the Queen's > Head, Truro. > > -ELIZABETH GUNDRY, daughter of prosecutor, bought of MRS. WILLIAMS at the > market, a pound and two half-pounds of butter , and afterwards saw it in > the dairy. On the following day, WOOLCOCK, a policeman, went to prisoner's > house and there found in a glass cupboard, a pound of butter, which she > said she had purchased about half-past eight at the market. He took charge > of the butter, and apprehended the prisoner; and, on the following > Wednesday, it was produced before the magistrates where it was identified > by > E. Gundry and by Mrs. Williams. Mrs. Williams testified she sold 5 lbs. of > butter, all to private individuals. She had a unique butter-print. On > being apprehended, prisoner said she had never been in the Queen's Head. > > -FRANCIS MARY STEVENS, a servant of Mr. Gundry, who had known prisoner for > four years, saw her in the passage-way, between the tap and the bar-door, > at the Queen's Head. She asked for a glass of porter. Witness went to the > bar for the porter, leaving the prisoner alone in the passage, the dairy > door being open. At that time, prisoner had nothing with her; she remained > about a quarter of an hour. When witness came out with the porter, > prisoner had something under her left arm. > > -WILLIAM NICHOLLS, constable of Redruth, on Sunday morning the 15th of > June, saw the prisoner at Truro prison. She said "This is a bad job; I did > it through drink; can't it be settled?" Verdict, Guilty. Two Months' hard > labour. > > ......... > > RICHARD TREMBRATH, 21, was charged with stealing, on the 10th of June, at > the parish of St. Buryan, a basket containing a shilling, two sixpences, > fivepence-halfpenny, and a pair of gloves, the property of ELIZABETH > BOASE. The prosecutrix stated that on the 11th of June, she was at OATES's > public house with a MRS. WARREN. While they were there, prisoner came in, > and in his presence prosecutrix counted her money into her basket, and > also put her gloves in. The prisoner immediately afterwards snatched the > basket out of her hand and ran away. She ran after him but could not catch > him. > > > Afterwards she went to a Mrs. WALLIS's, where the basket was shown her. > She then informed a constable, and prisoner was brought to Mrs. Wallis's, > where, in the presence of witness, he took three half pence out of his > pocket and said to Mrs. Wallis "there's the money I had from you for the > basket." > > MRS. WALLIS stated that she lived at Buryan about a quarter of a mile from > Oates's beer-shop. On the 11th of June, prisoner came to her house and > offered the basket for sale, and she gave him three halfpence for it. > Afterwards he was brought by the constable, and paid her back the three > halfpence; and she gave up the basket to the prosecutrix. At the time of > the transaction, the prisoner was not "true drunk" but had been drinking. > Verdict, Guilty. Four Months' hard labour. > > ........... > > CATHERINE MORRIS, 31, was charged with having on the 19th of April, at > Redruth, stolen from the person of JOHN OLIVER, one sovereign, two > half-crowns, and two shillings, the property of the said John Oliver. The > prosecutor, a miner living at Gwennap, on the 19th of April, was at the > King's Arms, in Redruth, having the money named in a bag. Prisoner was in > the room when he paid for a pint of beer. > He was standing with his back towards her, when she put her hand into his > right hand pocket and ran off. He then missed his bag and money, and ran > after the prisoner into the street, and apprehended her, and gave her in > charge. Knew the bag and money were in his pocket about ten minutes > before. > > -WILLIAM BARNETT, a lad employed at the yard of the King's Arms on the day > in question, saw the prisoner pass down through the court with a bag in > one hand, and a finger and thumb of the other hand in the bag. Afterwards > saw constable Tredinnick pick up the bag about thirty or forty yards from > the place; he believed that bag to be the same he had seen in prisoner's > hands. > > -JOHN TREDINNICK, constable, apprehended prisoner and was present when she > was searched; there was found on her two half-crowns and three shillings > in a housewife, but no bag. In consequence of information given by the > last witness, witness went down the back-yard of the inn, and at about ten > or fifteen paces from where Barnett told him the prisoner had passed, he > found a bag on the ground. This witness produced the bag, which was > identified by the prosecutor and his wife. > > CHARLES TREGONING, constable of Redruth, stated that, after he had the > prisoner in custody, she at first denied all knowledge of the robbery; but > the next day she said if there was any sovereign among the silver, she > must have lost it in the crowd. Verdict, Guilty of stealing from the > person. Four Months' hard labour. > > ............ > > JOHN DAVIS, 19, charged with stealing, on the 28th of April, from the > boiler-house at Drakewalls mine, in the parish of Calstock, a pair of > shoes and a pair of stockings, the property of HENRY WILLIAMS, miner. > Guilty. Four Months' hard labour. > > > > > ------------------------------- > Listmom: ybowers@gmail.com or CORNISH-GEN-admin@rootsweb.com > > Visit the OPC (Online Parish Clerk) web page for transcription information > http://www.cornwall-opc.org/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CORNISH-GEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

John Griffiths wrote: > Possibly Space under the stairs ????????????? > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: <jwmos99@msn.com> > Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 11:50 AM > To: <cornish-gen@rootsweb.com>; <cornish@rootsweb.com> > Subject: [CORNISH-GEN] weekly news, 4 July 1851, Qtr Sessions, part 3 > >> Does anyone know what a "Spence under the stairs" might have been? A cupboard. See this: Spench. A man was whipped at Douglas in 1699 for breaking open a ' spench-door ' (Records). Probably the archaic English ' spence,' a larder or buttery, the place from which food was dispensed. Cregeen has Spinch, a scullion. In Cornish cottages to-day a cupboard under the staircase is called a spence. from http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/md1933/s.htm Clare