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Shepton Mallet Journal. City of Wells Reporter and County Advertiser. Friday 01 Oct 1909
Page 4 Column 5 and 6
SHEPTON MALLET PETTY SESSIONS.
FRIDAY. - Before Messrs. H. V. DOBSON (in the chair), H. G. SPENCER and C. R. WAINWRIGHT.
JURY LISTS.
The jury lists were formerly presented and approved.
LICENSING.
The license of the Prestleigh Inn was transferred from the late Eliza DREDGE to William DREDGE, of Halstock, Dorset, her brother, who appeared with James DREDGE, another brother as acting administrator of the estate of the deceased; and that of the Downside Inn from Thomas TRIPP to Henry Edward DYKE.
THE SHEEP DIPPING ORDER.
Robert T. CREED, farmer, of Stean Bow farm, Pilton, was summoned for having, prior to Sept. 9th, unlawfully failed to dip 97 sheep in contravention of the Sheep Dipping (England) Order, 1908, made under the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894. The summons was with the consent of the solicitor for the defence, Mr. A. J. MAWER, amended to one of having in his possession 97 sheep which had not been dipped within the time specified in the Order quoted. Mr MAWER on behalf of his client pleaded guilty. - P.C. PRIDDLE stated that he was present on the 9th September, when Mr. CREED dipped 97 sheep. He had not received a notice before that he intended to dip the sheep, Mr. MAWER addressing the Bench for the defence suggested that the offence was a more or less technical one. The sheep dipping order prescribed that in this country all sheep must be dipped between the 14th July and the 1st September. Mr. CREED had in his possession 97 sheep, 70 of which he had dipped on July. On the 20th of August he obtained from P.S. HECTOR forms of notice of intention to dip, but owing to the harvest and the difficult weather he was unable to dip them before the 1st September within the prescribed period. On the 6th September he sent the notices, and on the 9th September, 8 days late, he dipped the 97 sheep in the presence of the police officer in accordance with the prescribed regulation. Mr. CREED had no desire whatever to evade the law, and Mr. MAWER proceeded to point out the exceptions which the Order permitted, extending the time for dipping, and asked for leniency. Mr. CREED always dipped his sheep twice a year, and all these were old sheep which had been some time on the farm. The first dipping it was admitted was not after notice as required by the Order. The Bench ordered Mr. CREED to pay the costs.
ALL ABOUT THE HARES.
Richard TIDBALL, of Ditcheat, engine driver, was summoned by Henry DAUBENY, farmer, for assaulting him on September 17th. Mr. F. O. O. CHUBB appeared for the defendant, and pleaded not guilty. Henry BAUBENY <sic>, farmer, of Ditcheat said that he was at the Arthur's Bridge Inn, and a man named JONES came in with a dog and a gun. Witness remarked to him that he was gaining now, and added “I hope you wont shoot any hares' in fact I told you once before that anyone shooting hares on my ground I should summon them.” Defendant was not then present, but when he came in witness again expressed the hope that JONES would not shoot any hares, and repeated that if he did he would summon him or anyone else he caught shooting hares. TIDBALL replied that he hoped witness did not accuse him of doing so; that he had accused him of it once before, but that he had never shot anything on witness's place in his life except a pigeon, and that he shot from the road, and went on to witnesses land to pick it up, having put down the gun. TIDBALL then put up his fists, and knocked witness down against another man by a blow on the cheek. The landlord came in and stopped the row, and witness went to another room. TIDBALL followed him later, and the landlord said that he should not come in there, caught hold of him between the shoulders and pushed him out, saying he would not have that on there. TIDBALL offered to have one hand tied and to fight witness. The next day he was still swearing and abusing him. Cross-examined: TIDBALL had a gun and did some shooting. He had never known him to shoot a hare on witness's land. He had never seen TIDBALL shoot anything. He understood that he had shot the pigeon referred to. His neighbour, Mr. LOOK told him there was a lot of shooting going on about half-past six o'clock in the morning. They preserved the hares for hunting purposes. There had been something said about the shooting of hares a month before at the Manor House Inn, when TIDBALL was there. He did not say anything to him about shooting the hares at first, but he did threaten TIDBALL that if he shot hares he would summon him. The landlord then did say he had had enough of that as he had been on with JONES about hares before. In reply to further questions witness admitted having been assaulted in a public house before, and prosecuting a man. TIDBALL had, stated that he could prove witness had shot hares and taken them home in a bag. He did not use bad language to TIDBALL. A considerable number of other questions were asked as to an offer of TIDBALL to stand a pint of beer, and shake hands. - Edwin Charles HOWARD, landlord of the Inn, said that he saw TIDBALL knock DAUBENY down. He got DAUBENY into the other room, and refused to let TIDBALL go in there. TIDBALL got into the smoking room a few minutes later, and said something about a pint of beer, but witness took hold of him and pushed him out of the place. TIDBALL was a quiet man. - William TANNER, carter, said that as he was going into the Inn, TIDBALL struck DAUBENY, and he fell against witness, or he would have struck his head on the fender. Paul GARLAND, of Lamyat, who was in the smoking room, said that TIDBALL offered DAUBENY a pint of fourpenny to be friendly, but the landlord put him out. - Mr. CHUBB for the defence contended that DAUBENY was the aggressor by his repeated allusions to the shooting of hares. TIDBALL went into the box and gave evidence on his own behalf, and gave a story bearing out the line of cross-examination by Mr. CHUBB that DAUBENY had kept up his allusions to the hares. DAUBENY was not drunk, but had had enough. DAUBENY called him bad names, and asked him to come outside. He made a rush at him in a fighting attitude, and witness pushed him off. He afterwards wanted DAUBENY to shake hands and make peace. He offered him a pint of fourpenny. Witness did not offer to fight him. The Bench having heard other evidence dismissed the case, ordering each party to pay their own costs.
ALLEGED LAX TERRITORIAL.
Arthur MACEY, labourer, of Stoke Lane was summoned under the Territorial Forces Act, by William Stephens DONNE, senior Capt. of F. Company, 4th Battalion P.A.S.L.I. for absenting himself from camp. The case stood over as Capt. DONNE was unable to attend, and the Col.-Sergt. Instructor could not proceed.
A QUESTION OF LIGHT.
George BINNING, baker, of Pilton, was summoned for driving a vehicle without a light, on September 13th, and pleaded guilty to not having a red light behind. He had, he said, a light in front. - P.S. FRY said that at 10.15 p.m. on Monday, Sept 13th, he was on duty at Pylle, and saw the defendant in charge of a pony and small dog cart delivering bread in the village. On the front of the cart he had an ordinary lantern which did not show a light in the direction in which he was going, as it was swinging about. It was tied on, and the front board was not as wide as the cart. He asked defendant why he did not carry a proper light at the side of the cart. He said he had a light that showed all round. He admitted having been spoken to by P.C. PRIDDLE as to the light on his cart, but not he said on this cart. Defendant was fined 7/6 inclusive.
SCRABBLING FOR TROUT.
Seward MASSEY, Tom MASSEY, and Ernest TREASURE, lads of Stoke Lane, were summoned by Artemus STOCK, miller, of the same place, for taking trout otherwise than by angling from a pond in his occupation on 11th September. Complainant said that he was returning from a journey on the day in question, and noticed that the hatches of his pond had been interfered with. He walked down the footpath to the second pond, and saw Seward MASSEY and Ernest TREASURE in the pond scrabbling for the fish, within ten yards of him. A fish slipped through the hatch, and the defendants got over the wall at the head of the pond, and down to the bottom side of the hatch. All three defendants were then in the steam. As soon as they saw him they ran away across the field. Great mischief was done, and the mill stopped, by the boys interfering with the hatches. TREASURE denied that he put the hatch down. The boys, who were told that they were liable to a fine of £2 each were each fined 2/6, the costs being remitted.
<NOTES: Robert Thomas CREED son of Benjamin Robert or Robert CREED and Anna Delilah HOOPER, married Sarah Minnie CHAPPELL>