William Tilbury b. c.1816/7
Ostler at the Bell Inn, Ealing, Middlesex, UK
Prisoner in Newgate, London, from March 1839 for 1 year
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A Truss of Hay fell off the back of a Cart
Found its way into the Stable
Sources: Parish register transcript, IGI, Google Books Online
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Where did this William, working in Ealing in 1839, come from? I have not been able to arrive at a definite conclusion. The Newgate Prison register gives his parish of birth as Wycombe, but the Wycombe (High, and West) registers list no such baptism. Neither have I found a William of such an age, and ostler (or similar), in the '41 or '51 censuses.
William Henry Tilbury of Richmond, Surrey, was working as ostler in Richmond from August to October 1838; he appeared in Court - also in Richmond - as a witness in April 1840: in between there would have been time for him to work in Ealing, go to prison, and return to Richmond. Thus it might be that this William, and William Henry, were the same person. (William Henry - b. 1816, Chr. 1817 - varied his age in the censuses.)
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From "Central Criminal Court - Minutes of Evidence"
by Henry Buckler (pages 847-8)
Fifth Session, 1839
New Court, Friday, March 8th, Sixth Jury, before Mr. Recorder
No. 1013. JOSEPH DEAN and WILLIAM TILBURY were indicted for stealing, on the 2nd of March, 1 truss of hay, value 2s., the goods of William COLLEY.
Mr. PAYNE conducted the Prosecution.
Reuben HALL (police-constable T 55.):
I was on duty near the Bell public-house at Ealing, on the 2nd of March, at six o'clock — I saw a cart of hay there — both the prisoners were by the side of the cart, and appeared to be speaking together — the name of William COLLEY was on the cart — I saw DEAN get on the cart, and take down a truss of hay — TILBURY, the ostler, went into the corn-house, which was four or five yards from the cart — a person can see from the corn-house to where the cart was—Dean took the truss into the corn-house, and, as he was going in TILBURY was coming out — when DEAN had taken the hay in he came out, and both the prisoners went to the water-trough together, and appeared to be talking — DEAN then came to his cart — I went, and asked him what truss of bay that was that he had taken into the corn-house — he said he had not taken one in, and he did not know any thing about it
— I said,
"Come here, and I will show it you"
— I took him to the corn-house, showed it him, and said,
"Now I will swear I saw you take that truss off the cart, and put it down there"
— he said,
"I hope not"
— I said,
"I will"
— he said,
"I hope not, as I am a poor man, I hope you will look over it"
— he said he would satisfy me, and as there was nobody but TILBURY, me, and him, knew of it, I might look over it — TILBURY was at that time standing near the water-trough, about six yards from where we were, and must have heard what he said — I went to TILBURY, and asked what truss of hay that was that the carman took into the corn-house — he said he had not seen one — TILBURY was so close to DEAN at the time DEAN went into the corn-house, that they almost touched one another — I took them both into custody — I then got on COLLEY's cart, and found two trasses of hay that were loose, not tied with ropes, besides the load of hay.
Cross-examined by Mr. DOANE.
Q. Were there not other wagons there?
A. There was a cart of hay, or something — there was one other — TILBURY was not near any other cart but COLLEY's — the other cart was before COLLEY's — I should think the leading horse's head of COLLEY's cart was four or five yards from the other cart — it was TILBURY's duty to attend on the carts — when DEAN took the hay into the corn-house TILBURY was coming out, in a direction to the water-trough — then DEAN came out, and TILBURY made a sort of stop for DEAN to come out, and they went together to the trough — I saw no other person there — the carter of the other cart might have been in the public-house — I was four or five yards from the prisoners — I was on duty, and in my police dress — I did not see Mr. WILLIAMS, the landlord — this is the truss of hay.
Q. Do you mean that here is any thing like a truss of hay?
A. Yes — I will swear here is more than twenty pounds.
DEAN.
I did not take the hay off the cart, it was by the side of it, and I went into the house with a leg of pork, after you spoke to me — I never went to the trough at all.
WITNESS.
You did not go into the house, you went towards the trough, talking to TILBURY — you did not quit the spot till I took you.
JURY.
Q. Is the corn-house distinct from the stable?
A. It joins it — there is a way through from one to the other — the carmen do not go into the corn-house.
William COLLEY.
I am a farmer, and live at Northolt. DEAN was my carter
— I saw the cart loaded on the 1st of March — the hay produced by the policeman is mine — I had not authorized DEAN to leave any at the Bell — he had no authority to leave any hay on the road — he was only to take one load and one truss, which I allowed for the horses — two trusses he took wrongfully.
Cross-examined.
Q. Did you see the load at all,
A. I did, the day before, between nine and ten o'clock at night — one truss was allowed the carter, and I saw that truss on the top — there is not quite a truss of this hay now — there is more than forty pounds weight — it has been pulled about.
COURT.
Q. Is this what a farmer would call a truss of hay?
A. Not at present — it was when it left my premises — I first saw it on the 2nd OF March, at the station-house — it was then a truss of hay — we took it from the station-house to Brentford, and to London, it lost five or ten pounds in pulling about.
(TILBURY received a good character.)
DEAN — GUILTY.
Aged 55. Confined One Year.
TILBURY — GUILTY
Aged 22. Confined One Year.
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Many years later another Tilbury - George - was mine host at the Bell Inn, Ealing.
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