1813 - Proceedings of the Old Bailey (1)

From International Robin Hood Bibliography
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Record
Date 1813
Topic Deception and fraud committed at the Robin Hood in Robin Hood Court, Shoe Lane
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Site of the Robin Hood, Shoe Lane, Holborn.

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-06-17. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2021-01-08.

Record

[7 Apr. 1813:]
Q. Did you know at that time, that Newport-street was the lodging of the advertising clerk - A. No. We went to a public-house, and concluded that the business was done away with, and all failed. It entered into our minds that the money might still be obtained. I thought it was a neglect in the man that was sent, for this purpose, that they had kept good look out, and at the Robin Hood, Robin Hood-court, Shoe-lane, at a public-house, it was agreed that a letter should be written. The prisoner wrote that letter, I think, (I am not confident,) for the purpose of giving it to a porter to carry to Francis-street.

Q. Did you or Birdett write a letter which was sent by a porter to Francis-street - A. There was no other than one letter written or sent.

Q. Did you see Kennet writing a letter to be sent to Francis-street - A. I did. I delivered the letter to the porter.

Q. Could any other letter go out without your knowledge - A. It was possible. I might be out of the way.

Q. Were you out of the way - A. I was not. I can have no doubt but that is the letter; I believe it to be Kennet's writing firmly. (The letter read, marked B.) It is a disguised hand writing.

Q. When you dispatched the porter, you, Richardson, Birdett, and Kennet, were at the Robin Hood - A. Yes, when this porter was dispatched, and the prisoner and myself waited at the end of Chancery-lane, and I believe Richardson was likewise there He got out of the coach, and returned, and said, he saw the clerk coming down.

Q. How long had you been in the coach, before Richardson returned, saying, he saw the young man come - A. About a quarter of an hour; when Richardson came to us, and said, he saw the young man go into the tap.

Q. How long had he been absent from you - A. Not ten minutes. We went from the Robin Hood together. I beg pardon, I believe the dress was changed by Kennet.

Q. Where did he change his dress - A. At Birdett's house, not of despoiling the money, he changed his dress.

COURT. Was he at the end of Chancery-lane, disguised - A. Yes, disguised; he put on this disguise again at Birdett's. He went from the Robin Hood to Ship-yard, and put on this disguise again. We took a coach in Fleet-street, from there we waited at the top of Chancery-lane. Richardson went out of the coach; he saw this clerk coming down Holborn. He was at a loss to find out this tavern.

Q. How long had Richardson been absent when he returned, and said he had found the young man. - A. Not ten minutes.

Q. When he reported the young man was just gone into the tavern, what was done then - A. When Richardson came back he took the prisoner, Kennet, from the coach.

Q. Did you actually see Kennet go into the tavern - A. I did. I saw Kennet and the young man come out together, and go up Warwick-court.

Mr. Solicitor General. How far did he go into the tavern - A. I don't know; I did not see.

Q. Did you there see Mr. Kennet go into the tavern - A. No, I did not.

Q. Did you lose sight of Kennet when you saw him go from the coach - A. I saw him go into the tavern, and some little time after I saw him come out of the tavern and go up the court. I beg your pardon, that was Richardson. Richardson got out of the coach; he was absent I suppose half an hour.

Mr. Solicitor General. I suppose upon your account the disguised figure has been put on, then you go into Chancery-lane. I want you to take up the transaction there; now the coach is stopped in Chancery-lane, who gets out there - A. Richardson gets out there.

Q. How long is he absent - A. Half an hour; and when he came back, he said, he had found the clerk, and that he seemed at a loss to know where he was going to. Richardson accosted him, and shewed him over to the tavern. Then after the young man had got into the tavern, he came to the coach.

Q. Who then got out of the coach - A. Kennet got out of the coach. I saw him go into the tavern. A little time after, I saw him come out of the tavern and go up Warwick-court.

Q. Had it been settled between you, where you were to meet again - A. I expected to meet them at the Robin Hood. I went there first, and did not meet them, and went from there to Birdett's. I saw them at Birdett's an hour after. I there saw the money divided in four shares. Three of us had six hundred pounds each; and Birdett had two hundred and ninety pounds. [1]

Source notes

IRHB has silently regularized the use of spaces before punctuation marks in the quotation and corrected the HTML text at Proceedings of the Old Bailey from the PDF of the original printed edition.

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