This news item appeared in the
Northampton Mercury of Saturday 13 April 1844, reporting on the Northampton Borough Sessions of Tuesday 9 Apr 1844:
LUCY SMITH,
wife of Thomas Smith, was indicted for stealing a quantity of ribbon, the property of Mr. T. S. Wright.
Mr. Scriven appeared for the prosecution. Charles Goosey, one of Mr. Wright's assistants, saw the prisoner come in and out of the shop quite as many as twelve times on Saturday last. Some persons were looking at some ribbons, when the prisoner put her hand over the shoulders of the parties, took a piece of ribbon up, concealed it under her shawl, and ultimately put it in her basket. She had previously asked to be shown some net. Witness was engaged with a customer when she took the ribbon, and upon observing what had occurred, he went to the prisoner, and served her with some net, for which she tendered a shilling. Witness went under pretence of getting change and sent for a policeman, and she was given into custody. The ribbon was found in her basket.
Prisoner comes from West Haddon, and a Mrs. Hoole of that place, said she had an excellent character. Her sister,
Mrs. Bottrill, a respectably dressed person, who cried bitterly, also said she had always borne a good character. The distress of her sister affected the prisoner who had hitherto exhibited no signs of emotion.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
There were two other indictments against her, one for stealing a pair of shoes, the property of Henry Freeman, and the other for stealing 14 yards of cotton print, the property of J. Phipps, both on the same day. At the suggestion, however, of the Recorder, no evidence was offered in either of these cases. After a feeling address, the Recorder sentenced the prisoner to Six Months' Imprisonment.
The Cast of Characters:
- Thomas Smith was a Brickmaker. In 1841, he and his wife, Lucy Thompson (25), lived in West Haddon. Staying with them was Elizabeth Tompson (10) - actually 12 - she too was Lucy's sister.
- Thomas Wright (35) was a Draper at Waterloo House, 21 Market Square, Northampton in 1841 and had a Charles Goosey (15), Draper's Apprentice, listed in his considerable household (employ) of 27 people.
- Mr. Thos. Scriven, of the Town of Northampton, Solicitor, according to the 1841 census, when he was aged 40, lived in St Giles Square.
- Mrs. Hoole, will have been Ann Hoole, wife of Thomas Hoole, Brazier, who in 1841 lived next door to Stephen and Mary Bottrill, then of The Bell Inn, West Haddon.
- Henry Freeman (35), Shoemaker, in 1841, resided at Great Russell Street, Northampton. (Great Russell Street, Northampton, in 1974 waiting to be demolished.) Perhaps he sold his wares in the market?
- In 1841 there was a John Phipps (40), Draper, in Albion Place, Northampton and a John Phipps (15), Draper, in Gold Street, Northampton. We can assume it was one of these.
- The Recorder was N. R. Clarke, Esq., Sergeant-at-Law.