1767 - Proceedings of the Old Bailey (3)
| Record | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1767 |
| Topic | Theft at the Robin Hood, Leather Lane, Holborn |
By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-01-21. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-01-21.
Record
[19 Sep. 1767:]
Thomas Bird was indicted for stealing a sattin cardinal, value 20 s. the property of Mary Kirby, widow, Aug. 6 .*
Mary Kirby. I live at the Robinhood, Leather-lane; I lost a sattin cardinal out of the parlour; I did not miss it till the 7th of August; the prisoner was in the house on the 6th in the morning, but I did not see him; he was taken up the same day three doors from us, upon suspicion of robbing a room at Dobney's; I missing my cardinal, and knowing the prisoner had been before Justice Girdler, and a cardinal had been brought there, and no body owned it, I went to the pawnbroker, named Careless, in Fox-court; there I found my cardinal in pawn.
William Cullen. I am servant to Mr. Careless in Fox-court; the prisoner pledged a cardinal with me on the 6th of August, in his own name for 7 s. about seven in the morning; (produced and deposed to by prosecutrix.)
John Woolse. I keep the Robinhood in Leather-lane; the prisoner came to my house between six and seven in the morning of the 6th of August, along with two more; they called for some bread and cheese and beer; I heard the prisoner own, before the Justice, the cardinal was taken before the second pot was drawn, but did not say he took it.
Prisoner's defence.
I had been out, and coming back, I met two men, one had a bundle; they wanted to get some beer; I took them in at Mr. Woolfe's; we had some beer: I went home, which is but two doors off; when I came to them again, the beer was almost cut; one of them beckoned me to the door, and asked me if any pawnbroker was up; I told him yes; I took him into Fox-court, Gray's inn-lane; there he asked me to go and pledge either a cardinal or a gown; I took the cardinal, and pledged it for 7 s. and gave him the money; he went back and paid the reckoning, which came to 1 s. and a halfpenny.
Woolfe. The prisoner went out three times, but they did not all depart the house till the reckoning was paid; one of the others went out once.
Martha Pain. He lodged at the Gridiron, Gray's inn-lane, four years and a half, where I am servant; he always behaved himself very well there.
Guilty . T .[1]
Source notes
Spaces before punctuation marks removed by IRHB.
Lists
- Not included in Sussex, Lucy, compil. 'References to Robin Hood up to 1600', in: Knight, Stephen. Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw (Oxford, UK; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell, 1994), pp. 262-88.
Sources
Notes