At the epiphany sessions of 1842 four inmates of the Leighton workhouse, James Fanch, James Elgerton, Samuel Kempster and William Banks, were accused of theft from the Duke’s Head Public House at Heath & Reach.
Although the porter had reported that the workhouse was locked up at 8pm it was apparently an easy thing for the men to get out of the sleeping ward and climb out over the front gates. Another inmate, Jabez Cosby, gave evidence against the men saying that he had seen Kempster and Banks get up and go out at about 1 am. He said they returned at about 4 am – in both cases he worked out the time by when he heard the rattle of train engines.
Cosby said he knew what time Kempster and Banks went out because he heard the rattle of the mail train about an hour later. The workhouse was off Union Street (now Grovebury Road) very close to the Dunstable branch line which ran along what is now a cycle path from Grovebury roundabout to Mentmore Gardens.
Kempster, Elgerton, Banks and Fanch shared the beer, bacon and pork before hiding the remains around the house and garden. The master of the house says he searched the men's day room after he heard of the robbery at the pub and found the provisions hidden in the privies, the rafters and the garden. Cosby seems to not have been considered a reliable witness (both Banks and Fanch described him as the biggest rogue of all) and the four men were acquitted of the robbery [QSR1842/1/5/45-48]. According to our gaol database https://apps.bedford.gov.uk/grd/all four men had other brushes with the law and in 1843 William Banks was transported for 7 years for stealing pickles.
It is interesting to note that the parish constable says that rather than searching for the provisions stolen from the pub cellar the premises were actually being searched for some stolen horsehair. Whether stolen goods had been previously found in the workhouse or assumptions were being made on likely offenders is unclear.
Only a few months later more inmates were brought to trial [QSR1843/1/5/36-37]. On this occasion Mr Meacher, the relieving officer, had a £5 note stolen from his pocketbook, which was in his jacket hanging in his hall. He immediately suspected Robert Green aged 14, an inmate of the workhouse, who had been in the house when the note went missing as he was in the habit of being at [Meacher's] house "to clean my house, knives and shoes". The note was soon traced as another boy from the workhouse, 13 year old George Edwards, had it changed for silver by Mr Manley the grocer. Green was charged with theft and Edwards with receiving stolen goods. Both were sentenced to 6 weeks imprisonment and to be privately whipped