Sarah
Hawkins Genealogy Site
Newspaper
Articles
The West Somerset Free Press. Williton, Minehead, and Watchet Journal. Saturday 05 Nov 1904
Page 7 Column 3
WILLITON PETTY SESSIONS.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD.
Before D. BADCOCK, Esq. (in the chair), the Hon. R. C. TROLLOPE, and O. T. SADLER, Esq.
RIDING WITHOUT REINS.
John REED, carter, of Sampford Brett, was summoned for riding in a cart drawn by two horses, without having reins, at Sampford Brett, on October 3rd. He pleaded guilty.
P.C. STONE stated that he saw defendant, who was in charge of a cart and two horses, sitting on the front part of the car, his feet resting on the shafts. Defendant had no reins, and when he saw him (witness) he jumped off. Defendant, on being asked why he had no reins, only replied that he had none.
Defendant said he had no intention of breaking the law. He did not intend to ride or he should have taken reins with him, but he got up on the cart to look in over on a potato field to see what sort of crop it was, and, on moving round the corner, the policeman came up.
Fined 2s. 6d. and 5s. costs.
Frederick REED was summoned for a similar offence, the time and place being also the same. He pleaded guilty.
P.C. STONE said the facts were the same as before.
The Bench imposed the same fine and costs, and told defendants to be more careful in future.
OFFENCE UNDER THE LICENSING ACT.
Henry James JONES, labourer, of Stogumber, was summoned for having, on October 6th, been drunk at Stogumber, whilst in charge of a child apparently under the age of seven years. He pleaded guilty.
P.C. BUDGER stated that at about 5.30 p.m. on October 6th, he saw defendant in the street at Stogumber “staggering drunk.” He was carrying a child on one arm, and he had a jug of milk in the other hand. Defendant was “rambling about” the street, and he (witness) told him that he was not in a fit state to have charge of a child. Defendant, he learned, had been wandering about for two hours.
Defendant said he had been a teetotaller, but drank some brandy that day, and it overcame him.
The Chairman said defendant had better remain a teetotaller, for it was disgraceful to be in a drunken condition, and the case was made worse by his being in charge of a child. It was the first time, however, that the Bench had had to deal with an offence of that kind under the Act, and they would fine him 10s., including costs.
TAKING MANGOLD FROM A FIELD.
Eli SAWYER, labourer, of Sampford Brett, was summoned by Alfred BOWERMAN, farmer, of Capton, for stealing 14 lbs. weight of mangold, of the value of 2d., the property of the prosecutor, on October 11th. He pleaded guilty and elected that the case should be dealt with at the court.
P.C. STONE stated that, in consequence of complaints, he concealed himself near Mr. BOWERMAN's field, and at about 5 p.m. he saw defendant enter the field and then leave it. He went towards him, and defendant commenced to run, but he overtook him and asked him what he had. Defendant replied, “Only a few mangolds.” He told him that he should charge him with stealing them, and defendant made no reply. He (witness) produced the mangolds.
Defendant pleaded that he was tempted to take the mangolds for his little girl's rabbits.
Mr. BOWERMAN, asked by the Bench whether he would like to say anything, said that he trusted the men in his employ, for a farmer's goods and and property were so exposed that a man might pilfer at any time. He was sorry to say that there seemed to be pilfering going on, and he was sorry to have to call for the help of the police. He did not wish to press the case as it was defendant's first offence, but he (prosecutor) wished to be protected.
The Chairman told defendant that he had pleaded guilty to a charge which might be punished by a month's imprisonment, but Mr. BOWERMAN did not wish to press the case, and defendant would be fined 5s. and 5s. costs.
DRUNKENNESS.
Robert STRONG, labourer, of Folly, Watchet, was summoned for having been drunk and disorderly in the highway at Watchet on October 23rd. He did not appear.
P.C. PARSONS said that on Sunday, October 22rd, at about 10.45 p.m., he was in company with P.S. TOMPKINS near the Gas-works, where he saw STRONG assisted along the footpath by two men. He was very drunk, and after he passed he began to shout and use “very filthy language.” He advised defendant to go on quietly, and one of his friends, who had just left him, came back and, with some difficulty, got him along. There were women and children in the road at the time.
Supt. PERRY stated that defendant had been summoned twice before for drunkenness – in 1893 and in January, 1904.
The Bench imposed a fine of £1, including costs.
RABBITING.
Frank WEBBER, William OATEN, and John SEARLE, young men, of Watchet, were summoned by James BOSLEY, of Warren Farm, Watchet, for trespassing in the daytime in search of conies on land in his occupation, on October 28th. They pleaded guilty.
Robert John BOSLEY, son of the prosecutor, stated that at about one o'clock in the daytime he was walking on the cliffs, when he heard the bushes rattling, and on looking over he saw the three defendants stooping down before rabbit holes and putting down nets. On seeing him they ran away, and he pursued them and came up to SEARLE, who had two rabbits in his pocket. He took the rabbits away and went back to the cliffs, where he found three nets, and a hat put into one of the holes.
Defendant OATEN said that Mr. BOSLEY put it into his head to go, for when he asked him one day what sort of a mangold crop he had Mr. BOSLEY replied that it would be a lot better if all the rabbits were killed, when he (defendant) asked him why he should not give them a day to catch some of them. Mr. BOSLEY said they were not his rabbits, and they must not let Mr. WICKSTEED catch them after rabbits.
Mr. James BOSLEY gave a complete denial to this statement, and said that OATEN told next day that he was sorry to have been caught the first time. OATEN ought to have been working for him that day.
Defendants were fined 5s. and 5s. costs each, or, in default, a week's imprisonment.
POACHING BY NIGHT.
Thomas EAMES, labourer, of Stogumber, was summoned by Leonard GOODRICH, gamekeeper, of Crowcombe, for taking three rabbits by night in a close of land, called Newland Fields, the properly of the Hon. Robert Cranmer TROLLOPE, on October 25th. Defendant did not appear.
The Hon. R. C. TROLLOPE retired from the Bench during the hearing of the case.
Leonard GOODRICH, gamekeeper, in the employ of the Hon. R. C. TROLLOPE, said he had been trapping rabbits on his property for him and had a number of wires set in Newland Fields on the night of October 25th. At about twenty minutes to ten o'clock, he was watching the place, and, after being there some time, he heard a rabbit squeak. He went out to where he heard the rabbit, and found that it had been taken out and the wire set again. When he got to the top of the field, a distance of about 200 yards, he saw defendant walking along by the hedge looking at the wires. It was a moonlight night. Defendant ran away when he heard him (witness) coming, and he ran after defendant and caught him about twenty yards from the road and took from him a bag containing three rabbits. They were quite warm; they had been taken out of wires and had just been killed. He asked defendant what he did there, and he said he was going along the road when he heard a rabbit squeak and thought that a stoat had it, and he went in over the fence and took it out of a wire. Witness had missed rabbits on three occasions before.
William SMITH, who was watching with GOODRICH on the occasion, corroborated the evidence that had been given by him, and stated that the rabbits, when taken from defendant, were quite warm.
The Bench retired, and on returning into court the Chairman said that had the defendant been present he should have explained to him the seriousness of the offence of taking rabbits at that time of night, which made it night poaching. It was a serious offence in the eyes of the law and rendered a man liable to a heavy fine or imprisonment, but, taking all the circumstances into consideration, the Bench would fine him £1 and 8s. costs, but if he should again be convicted he would be dealt with more severely.
VACCINATION EXEMPTIONS.
Certificates of exemption from vaccination were granted as follows:- To Thomas SIMONS, of Washford, for his child, Dorothy Mary, born August 13th; Herbert James HUNT, of Watchet, for his child, Ronald Theodore, born July 30th; John WEAVER, of Watchet, for his child, William John, born August 7th; and Albert BINDING, also of Watchet, for his child, Evelyn May, born August 8th.
REFUSED.
An extension of one hour, applied for by Mr. A. BALMER, of the Bell Inn, Watchet, on the occasion of a cricket dinner, on the night of November 16th, was not granted, the Bench considering that eleven o'clock was late enough.