Francis Hewer

On 1 June 1866 Francis Hewer took two boats (‘Prosper’, his own boat, and ‘William’, which he had hired)  to Framilode and loaded them with sacks of peas to be delivered to Buscot Park between Lechlade and Faringdon (the peas were the property of Robert Campbell who had purchased them to feed his cattle).

On 12 June 1866 depositions were taken from a number of witnesses to the fact that Francis Hewer had stolen seven of the sacks of peas and that Charles Bendall and Thomas Gardner had received them, knowing them to be stolen. Charles claimed to have bought them from someone else but this was disproved. Francis admitted they were his sacks and he had left them with Charles ‘for his [Francis’] convenience’, i.e. Charles was innocent.

The manager of Buscot Park, when interviewed, said that Francis was in a hurry to be paid and leave once the cargo of peas had been unloaded. He paid Francis £5 on account and said he would send a cheque for the rest once the sacks had been checked.

When charged with this offence (or ‘felony’), Francis stated, ‘I am quite innocent and have not been before the magistrate before.’ Charles and Thomas refused to comment.

NB All three defendants were described as living in the parish of Minchinhampton. Francis was described as a labourer.

Nailsworth Police

Tuesday, June 12th – Magistrate’s Office – Before T. Lancaster, Esq.

WHOLESALE ROBBERY OF CORN ON THE CANAL

Francis Hewer was brought up on remand, charged with stealing, at the parish of Minchinhampton, on the 1st inst., seven sacks of peas the property of Robert Campbell, Esq., of Buscot Park, Berkshire, and Charles Bendall and Thomas Gardner were charged with receiving. Bendall, five sacks and Gardner, two of the peas so stolen. Mr. Witchell appeared for the prosecution and Mr. Hall for the prisoners. The case occupied four and a half hours in hearing, but the facts may be briefly told in narrative form.

The prisoner Hewer is captain and owner of the barge “Prosper”, and he was employed by Mr. Day, manager to Mr. Campbell of Buscot, the great breeder, to carry 600 sacks of peas from the Framilode junction to Berkshire by the canal. He hired the barge “William” to assist, and on 24th May both barges, laden with the 600 sacks of peas, started from the junction. They came as far as Brimscombe Port, where they had to be lightened, as they were drawing too much water, and 176 sacks were taken out of the two barges and put into the canal company’s stores. The bulk was taken on to Buscot Park and duly delivered and on the 1st of June Hewer returned with the “Prosper” to fetch the remaining 176 sacks. That evening he reached as far as the Golden Valley, where he was, by the rules of the company, compelled to remain that night without going further. About nine o’clock that evening Hewer was seen by Elizabeth Smith carrying a sack full of something, and the prisoner Gardner walking behind him, in a direction from the boat. She saw them put the sack in a stable in the occupation of Mr. Aldum, coal merchant, and on their coming out Gardner locked the door and put the key in his pocket. A day or two after this, a quarrel took place between Hewer and Mrs. Smith’s husband, a waterman, with respect to an amount alleged to be owed to Smith for helping to navigate the barges from the junction to the mouth of the tunnel; and Mrs. Smith, having seen five full sacks in the prisoner Bendall’s house, gave information to P.C. Merton, who was on duty at Chalford. This was on Saturday night the 2nd inst., and on the following day Merton and Sergeant Davies searched Bendall’s house, and in the kitchen they saw two sacks of peas. On Bendall being asked where he had them from he stated that Hewer left one of them for his horses, and that the other he bought from Mr. J. Hyde of the Thrupp. Searching farther, they found three more sacks in the cellar, and they then arrested Bendall on the charge of receiving the peas knowing them to be stolen. About five o’clock on the morning of Monday the 4th, Merton went to Gardner’s house, and asked him for the two sacks of peas that he had. Gardner went to the stable and unlocked it, and showed the two sacks, and Merton thereupon arrested him on the charge of receiving. Gardner said he bought the peas of Hewer at 15s a sack. P.C. Merton then went to Buscot Park and saw Mr. Day on the subject. He went from thence to Lechlade where Hewer was, and arrested him on the charge of stealing the peas. Hewer said that he had sold Gardner the two sacks at 12s a sack and that they were his own, but he did not attempt any explanation of how he came by them.

These facts were proved by Mrs. Smith and P.C. Merton, and a number of other witnesses were called in support of the case. Mr. Hyde proved that he had not sold any peas to Bendall, as stated by him. Mr. Aldum, coal merchant, deposed that either on Thursday, May 31, or Friday, June 1, Gardner came to him and asked permission to put two sacks into his stable, the horses being out that night. Witness consented, thinking it was two sacks of chaff for fodder. On the Saturday he was on his wharf, and Gardner was there with a cart. Gardner asked witness to help him to lift one of the sacks into the cart, and then he unlocked witness’s stable door, having put his own lock upon it. He assisted to lift the sack into the cart, and in doing so he observed that it was corn of some sort, being heavy. There were three sacks in the stable, and Gardner carted away one and left the other two there. On the Sunday evening he heard of the peas having been stolen, and he went to Gardner and told him to take his stolen property out of his stable. It was proved by John Dutton, of Chalford Lynch, a next door neighbour of Gardner, that Gardner came to him about ten o’clock on the Sunday night, and asked him for permission to put two sacks on his premises.  Dutton asked him if he bought them, and he said “Yes”. He then asked him I he gave the full value for them, and on Gardner replying “not quite”, Dutton refused to let him leave them there. At that time one of the sacks was on Dutton’s garden wall, but he requested the prisoner to take it away. A man in the employ of Mr. Campbell explained how the robbery had come to be undetected on the delivery of the peas at Buscot Park. He received and unloaded the last lot on Monday  the 4th. The unloading was commenced at six in the morning, and Hewer was in a great hurry to get it finished. Witness weighed each sack to see that it was the right weight, and they ere then emptied, and when the whole had been delivered he counted the empty sacks and found the right number. The peas had probably been put out of Mr. Campbell’s sacks when stolen, and it was supposed that the prisoner Hewer had contrived to put the proper sacks upon the heap of empties when the back of Mr. Campbell’s servant was turned.  Mr. Day compared the stolen peas with a sample of those in bulk, and with a sample from the same stock at Gloucester from which these came, and de deposed to their being the property of Mr. Campbell. The peas were worth £1 per sack at Framilode junction.

The prisoners reserved their defence, Hewer merely saying when cautioned, that the peas were his own property. They were all committed for trial at the next quarter sessions, but admitted to bail.

On Sunday and Monday night large quantities of peas were found thrown about Chalford and the Rackhill out of different houses, and in an unoccupied house P.C. Packer of Bisley found a sack of Indian corn. One man was seen carrying a sack, which he put on another man’s ground, and only removed on the threat of the other to send for a policeman. Three sacks of corn were lately emptied into the canal at the mouth of the tunnel. Mr Campbell feeds an immense quantity of stock, and he receives large quantities of corn by this route, and there is little doubt but that he has been considerably robbed.

All three defendants were found guilty. On 3 July, Francis Hewer was sentenced to 12 months’ hard labour at Gloucester Goal. Charles Bendall and Thomas Gardner were each sentenced to 6 months.

THE CORN ROBBERIES ON THE STROUD CANAL

Francis Hewer was indicted for stealing a quantity of peas, the property of R. Campbell, Esq., of Buscot Park, and Chas. Bendall, Thos. Gardner, Jas. Wheeler, Jos. Newberry, and Emanuel Edwards were charged with receiving them knowing them to be stolen. We reported the circumstances fully at the time. Hewer was captain of a boat on the Stroud canal, and was employed to carry peas from the Berkeley Canal to Buscot Park. On the passage he sold quantities to the other prisoners, and concealed the loss by getting the sacks counted on delivery. Hewer was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, and the others to six months each.

The Wharf House at Latton Wharf (also known as Cricklade Wharf). The canal basin was in front of the house and is now filled in.

Most of the barges collected coal from Lydney or Bullo Pill (or roadstone from Bristol or Chepstow) and delivered to wharfs along the Stroudwater and Thames & Severn Canals as far as Chalford. Only a few passed over the summit to Cirencester and Lechlade. Those bringing coal from Bullo Pill entered the canal at Framilode …

… Around one third of the narrow canal boats made the short but potentially hazardous trip across the River Severn to collect coal from Bullo Pill on occasions. …

Table 2. Summary of Narrow Canal Boat Traffic on the Stroudwater Canal Jan-May 1881

We regret to record the death of Mr. Francis Hewer, of Ashmead’s House, which occurred on Thursday in last week at the good old age of 81. The funeral took place on Monday at Christ Church, the Rev. A.E. Addenbrookes officiating. The chief mourners were Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Mills, Mrs. Clifford (daughters), Misses E. Hewer and Emma Hewer, Masters James and Joseph Hewer, Misses Eva Mills, Emma Gardiner and Master Fred Gardiner (grandchildren). Others present included Messrs. Ted Long, F. Hayes and E. Godwin. The bearers were Messrs. Charles Crook, [?]an Rowles, J. Baughan, and A. Mills. Wreaths were sent by members of the family. Mr. W.F. Drew was the undertaker, and the hearse was supplied by Mr. S. Reynolds, of Stroud.