11th February 1927 - Buntingford Petty Sessions

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Buntingford Petty Sessions

Friday last, before Sir Charles Heaton-Ellis, C.B.E., and Claud Fraser, Esq.

Licensing

Inspector Herbert presented the annual report respecting licensed premises in the Division.

There were, he said, 33 fully licensed premises, 8 licensed for consumption "on the premises," four "off" licenses, and one grocer's licence, making a total of 46.

During the year, four licenses had been transferred. No licensee had been proceeded against, and there had only been one male convicted of drunkenness.

The Inspector then stated the times of the licensed hours in force in the Division.

The Chairman said the Bench were very satisfied with the report. It was satisfactory to the Bench, the Police and the Public, and the Bench wished to express their appreciation.

The application for the full transfer of the licence fo "The White Hart" Public House, Buntingford, from Harry Woodley to Mary Jane Woodley was granted.

A Cottered Theft Charge

Victor John Ginn (21), of Broadfield, Buntingford, appeared on a charge of stealing middlings and meal at Cromer, Stevenage, on 24th January, 1927. The defendant pleaded "Guilty."

Mr W.H. Kittow, farmer, of Bancroft, Cottered, said he sent the defendant with six bags of meal and five bags of middlings from Bancroft to Luffenhall Farm.

He was passing through Cromer between 3 and 4 p.m. on the day in question, when he saw the defendant turn his horse and cart into "The Chequers" yard. He (the witness) thought it strange, so he approached the defendant, who told him that he was taking some potatoes for Mr Gray to a Mr Paul. 

The witness then looked in a shed at "The Chequers" and saw four sacks of meal. He opened the bags and found that the meal was quite warm, having just come from the mill.

The defendant, who at first denied leaving the meal there, later admitted that he left one bag. He saw him again later, when he admitted leaving one bag of meal and three of middlings. The defendant, who had been in his employ for some time was receiving 34/6 per week.

P.C. Hill, of Chipping, said on receiving information from Mr Kittow he visited "The Chequers" yard, Cromer, in company with Sergt. Dean.

He later saw the defendant and conveyed him to Buntingford Police Station, where he made a statement to the effect that on 24th January he was ordered to take six bags of meal and five bags of dan to Luffenhall. He left three bags of dan and one of meal at Cromer for Mr M. Gray, who had asked him to bring him some.

Montague Grey, of Cottered, a farmer and dealer, was then charged with receiving the stolen middlings and meal. He pleaded "Not guilty."

Mr W.H. Kittow repeated his former evidence, and added that on the evening of the day of the offence Gray came up to see him.

The defendant Gray told witness that he was very sorry for what had happened, but said that he was not there when the meal was delivered at his building, and that he did not know anything about it. Mr Kittow added that he had known Gray for many years, and if he had known that he was short of meal he would willingly have sent him some.

P.C. Hill said he saw the defendant Gray in company with Mr Kittow on 25th January, when Gray made a statement to the effect that he saw Ginn two or three days previous to the offence and asked him to bring him some meal from Walkern Mill or Kitchener's.

He visited his premises at Cromer on Monday, 24th January, and found four bags of meal in a cart shed. He later saw Mr Kittow and told that the meal was not his (defendant's). He had never bought any stuff off of Ginn in his life, and he did not want other people's stuff in his shed.

In a statement to the Bench, the defendant said that Ginn had previously bought meal for him from Walkern Mill and from Cromer Mill. As the roads were in such a bad state, he could not get out with his own horse, so he asked Ginn to [word erased] him some meal from Cromer [or?] Walkern Mill or Mr Kitchen[er's] at Walkern.

He was not at "The Chequers" when the meal was left there by Ginn, and he was very sorry that Ginn had left it there on that occasion.

Inspector Herbert said that the defendant was a man of good character.

After consultation, the Chairman addressing Ginn said he had pleaded guilty to a very serious charge. The Bench, however, had decided to take a lenient view of the case, and instead of sending the defendant to prison he would be fined £2 and 15/- costs, and would be placed under probation for a period of two years.

With reference to Gray's case, the Chairman said the Bench did not consider that there was sufficient evidence to convict, and the case would be dismissed.

A Housing Tangle

Robert H. Clark, of High Street, Royston, made application for an ejectment order against Mrs Fox, for the possession of a cottage occupied by her at Buntingford.

Mr R. Clark, jun., said he father had been served with a notice by the Buntingford Rural District Council to put the property into habitable repair. His father was willing to do this provided he could get possession of the cottage. At present there were seven persons living in two rooms.

The Clerk: Is the rent in arrear?

Mr Clark: No.

The Clerk: Then the Bench cannot grant an ejectment order.

Mr Clark: Then what am I to do? The Council have served us with a statutory notice, signed by the Medical Officer of Health, and we cannot do the repairs necessary till the place is unoccupied.

The Clerk: The Council must take action themselves.

Mr Clark: It comes back on the owner every time. I had a similar case at Melbourn some years ago, and the Bench issued an ejectment order.

The Clerk: Yes, that was before the Rent Restriction Act come into force.

Mr Clark: I don't want to press for an ejectment, but you see our position. We are being pressed by the District Council, and yet we cannot get possession of the house. It is impossible to do the necessary repairs while the people are living there.

The Chairman: If the Council have condemned the property then they must close it.

Mr Clark: They have not condemned it, but have served us with a notice to put it in habitable repair.

The Clerk: The Council must take action under Section 11 of the Housing Act, 1925. This Bench has no power to issue an ejectment order under the circumstances of the case.

18th March 1927 - Buntingford Petty Sessions

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Buntingford Petty Sessions

A Tottenham Youth's Escapade

A bright and intelligent Tottenham schoolboy, aged 13 and a half years, appeared before two magistrates on Friday last, on a charge of stealing a gent's bicycle at Braughing on 7th March. There was a further charge of stealing a bicycle at Tottenham on the same date.

The boy rode the bicycle he had stolen from Tottenham to Dassels, where he saw another gent's cycle outside a cottage and decided to leave the one he had ridden from Tottenham, and tide off on the one he saw at Dassels.

The cycle he stole at Braughing happened to belong to an ex-policeman, Mr Joseph Briden, and although the lad had a good start, Mr Briden soon had the two bicycles and the lad in his custody.

The boy was brought before Capt. H.H. Williams at an Occasional Court on Tuesday in last week, and remanded until the following Friday, when the case was heard by Mr Claud Fraser and Captain H.H. Williams.

Mr Joseph Briden, of Braughing, said on Monday, 7th March, he left his cycle outside a cottage at Dassels.

When he came out of the cottage, he found that his cycle had disappeared and that another was lying on the side of the road about 10 yards away.

On making enquiries he learned that a lad, riding a cycle too high for him, had been seen going in the direction of Ware. The witness road on, and about 1 mile from Puckeridge he saw his cycle lying on the side of the road; he also saw a lad hurrying along the footpath. Asked what he was doing, the lad admitted stealing the machine, and the witness detained him till P.C. Barker arrived.

P.C. Barker then gave evidence of taking charge of the lad at Puckeridge, and read a very concise statement which the lad made to him at the Police Station.

The lad stated that while at tea on Sunday, 6th March, his father and step-mother accused him of stealing some silk stockings, which he denied. When he returned from Church his father swore at him and sent him to bed.

During the night he made up his mind to run away, and at 6.30 a.m. the next morning, he got up and waited till his father had gone to work. He left the house at 8 a.m. and walked towards Edmonton, and turned into White Hart Lane where he saw a cycle standing outside a shop.

He took the cycle, and rode along the arterial road and on to a place called Harestreet, where he decided to turn around and go home. About 1 and a half miles from Harestreet he saw another cycle outside a cottage, and as he thought he could ride it better than the one he had he exchanged the machines; later he found he could not reach it properly, so he laid it down and walked on until he was stopped by a man, who asked him what he was doing.

Mr H.T. Cawthorne, of Walthamstowe, said the cycle stolen from Tottenham belonged to him. He valued the machine at £2.

On being charged with the offences, the young pleaded guilty. His step-mother who was in Court, told the Bench that she could do nothing with the lad - he was a real naughty boy.

After a short adjournment, the Chairman, addressing the lad, said the magistrates were very sorry to see him before them. Having regard to his age, they had decided to adopt a lenient view, and he would be placed under the supervision of Mr Andrews, the Probation Officer, for a period of two years.

The boy, wiping his tears with his school cap, siad "Thank you, Sir," to the Chairman, and left the Court with Mr Andrews.

11th March 1927 - Occasional Court

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Occasional Court

A youth of 13 and a half years was brought before the magistrates on Tuesday morning on a charge of stealing a bicycle at Braughing on Monday.

He was remanded until this (Friday) morning.

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Read the Petty Sessions report.

2nd July 1926 - Buntingford Petty Sessions

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Buntingford Petty Sessions

Friday last, before Col. C.H.B. Heaton-Ellis (in the chair), The Hon. Baron C.R. Dimsdale, Captain H.H. Williams, and D. Crossman, C. Fraser and H.C. Marshall Esqs.

An Assault Case

Thomas Charles, of Harestreet, was summoned for assaulting Jonah Brown, of Sandon Road, Buntingford.

In his evidence the paintiff stated that the defendant jeered at him when he passed on 17th May. On June 3rd he stopped him in the High Street, and said he would hit plaintiff with a stick. Witness went up the Harestreet Road, where defendant struck him on the arm and shoulder.

Herbert Barron, of Harestreet, and George Jackson, of Buntingford, gave evidence on behalf of the defendant. Mr G.H. Maughan represented the plaintiff.

After hearing all the evidence the Chairman said it appeared that there was a long standing feud between the two. There was no doubt that the defendant did assault the plaintiff, as was shown by the medical certificate.

Defendant would be bound over for six months in the sum of £10.

Buntingford Farm Labourer Committed to Trial for Thefts

Cecil Henry Wood (26), a farm labourer, of Baldock Lane, Buntingford, was brought up in the custody of two warders from Brixton and charged with three separate offences, which, except for an hour's interval, occupied the Court till 2.45 p.m.

He was first charged with breaking into and stealing from Messrs. Forrest Stores, Ltd., Buntingford, property of the value of £1 13s. 4d. on the night of 17th and 18th June last.

Thomas Chamberlain Bayman, manager of the branch shop of Forrest Stores, Ltd., High Street, Buntingford, said on June 18th at 7.30 a.m. he went to the lock-up shop straight through to get a sack barrow. He found one of the four panes of the window of the door at the back broken and the bolts drawn back.

He was the last to leave the previous night when the door was securely fastened. Witness to the barrow to his home and then went to the police station and returned to the shop with P.S. Dean. He showed P.S. Dean the till, which the previous night contained 25s., and it was absolutely empty. All the drawers behind the counter were open. The cake case had been opened, some chocolate squares taken and a small caramel bitten and replaced on the case.

He was subsequently shown the same morning at 10.30 a bottle of sherry partly empty, four packets of cigarettes and 1 and three quarter packets of chocolate, of the total value of 7/9, all of which were produced and identified as having been in stock at the stores.

P.S. Dean, stationed at Buntingford, said he received a report from thr last witness and went with him to the shop. He found an entrance had been effected by breaking the glass and drawing the bowls of the door at the rear of the shop.

He took possession of the caramel produced, and found on it two distinct teeth marks. He searched the premises and at the rear the ground was wet, and he saw distinct foot-marks of hob nailed boots with toe and heel tips.

In company with P.C. Williams he traced these foot-marks along the footpath leading from High Street to Baldock Lane. Near Back Lane he saw the prisoner pass, and noticing his pockets were bulky called on him to stop. As he went towards him he noticed the footprints made by the prisoner corresponded exactly with those he had seen at the rear of Forrest Stores.

When asked what he had in his pockets he said "nothing". Witness searched him and found in the lining of his coat the gun produced and three cartridges. He said he had no gun licence. Witness told him his footprints corresponded with those found at the rear of Forrest Stores and that he suspected him of breaking into the stores, and he replied "I should not do a thing like that."

He gave his correct name and address, and refused to have his house searched, so witness took him into custody. On the way to the Police Station he threw the gun down and bolted. Witness ran and caught him, and he said "I'm not coming with you; I was out of work and hungry, and that is what made me steal."

At the station witness asked him to bite the caramel produced, which he did, and the marks corresponded exactly with those on the one found in the shop. He then said "I did break into Forrest Stores and steal some money and things, and you will find them on a table at my house."

In company with P.C. Voller and P.C. Williams, witness went to the prisoner's house and found on the kitchen table 25/5 in money, 1 and three quarter bars of chocolate, four packets of cigarettes and a bottle of sherry (three-parts full), all of which were prdouced. These were shown to him, and he said "That is all I took."

When charged the prisoner made no reply, and told the Bench he did not wish to say anything.

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The second charge was that of breaking and entering the premises of Mr A.S. Grigg, of Cockhampstead Farm, Braughing, and stealing property of the value of £1 11s. 2d. on the night of the 27th and 28th March last.

Theodore Austin Grigg, farmer, assisting his father at Cockhampstead Farm, said on March 27th he went out in the evening and came in just before 11 o'clock, and went to bed at 11.30 p.m.

The next morning he came down at 7 a.m. he discovered that his father's desk in the dining room had been broken open. He went into the kitchen to see if the door had been forced,but it was all right. The bottom half of the window was wide open, by which someone had entered. He went upstairs and told his father.

Albery Scantlebury Grigg, of Cockhampstead Farm, said in consequence of what his son said on the morning of March 28th he examined his desk in the dining room which he kept locked. The lock had been broken off after an attempt to cut it out, but the mahogany was too hard.

He found all the silver and copper missing - a little over 30s. His wallet, containing £8 in treasury notes, was not taken, but all the papers were dis-arranged. From the kitchen dresser one-and-a-half pounds of cheese and some stewed figs had been taken, and the place was dis-arranged. There were two guns kept in the corner of the kitchen. The double-barrelled one had been loaded with cartridges taken from the top of the mantlepiece, and with both barrels cocked placed by the door. He informed the police immediately.

P.C. G.A. Voller, of Bishops Stortford, said on March 18th [transciber note - it definitely looks like 18th but should be 28th] a report was received that Cockhampstead Farm had been broken into during the night and £1 10s. in money stolen from a desk in the dining room and a quantity of cheese from the larder, to the value of 1s. 2s.

In company with other officers the premises was examined and it was found that entrance had been gained by an insecure window in the kitchen. At 11.15 a.m. on June 18th he interviewed the prisoner in custody at this station and informed him that he suspected him of breaking into Cockhampstead Farm and stealing some money and cheese.

He at first denied it, and then said "I may as well tell you the truth. I wish to state that I have broken into Mr Grigg's house at Cockhampstead twice. On the first occasion I took some money from a desk and also some cheese from a cupboard. I cannot say how much money it was. This happened on a Saturday night. When I broke in the second time I took a gun, the one which the sergeant took from me today. This was on a Thursday night. I was hungry when I done these jobs, otherwise I should not have done them. I am sorry for the trouble I have put everyone to." He read the statement to the prisoner and he signed it. Later he was charged with the offence.

In answer to the Chairman, Supt. Wright stated that the prisoner was born in 1898, and was a single man. He joined the Army in 1915, and was transferred to the Army Reserve in 1919.

The prisoner said he was in the Northampton Regiment and served in France.

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The third charge against the prisoner was that of breaking into Cockhampstead Farm on the night of 13th and 14th May last, and stealing a gun, the property of Mr A.G. Grigg, to the value of £1.

Theodore Austin Grigg, of Cockhampstead Farm, said on May 13th last he went to bed at 10 o'clock and got up the next morning at 7. He went downstairs and found the kitchen door wide open, and groceries strewn on the doorstep and just outside. The drawers in the dresser in the kitchen had been ransacked and a single barrelled gun that stood in the corner taken away.

He recognised the gun produced. He went through into the scullery and found the window open, and in the sink in front of it was some mud that had come off someone's shoes. The kitchen door was locked and fastened the night before. The key lay just inside on the floor. He valued the gun at £2.

P.C. Voller, who was commended in the previous case by the Chairman for the way he gave his evidence, recapitulated his interview with the prisoner on June 18th, and with regard to this charge asked him to give an explanation of how he came into possession of the gun. He stated "I bought it from a strange man at Puckeridge three months ago, and gave 30/- for it."

Witness told him that this was not a satisfactory explanation, and that he was suspected of breaking into Cockhampstead Farm and stealing the gun which was found in his possession. The prisoner then made the voluntary statement already given in the previous case, and when charged and cautioned made no reply.

The prisoner was committed for trial and remanded to Brixon until Monday last, when his trial took place at the County Quarter Sessions at Hertford. All the witnesses in the cases were bound over to give evidence at the Quarter Sessions.

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At the Herts. Assizes at Hertford on Monday last Woods was sentenced to six months' inprisonment in respect of each of the charges, the sentences to run concurrently.