James Brown was charged with poaching on land in the occupation of Mr Cook at Hill End. Mr Armstrong appeared for the defendant. Thomas Cook said he saw defendant on the 3rd. instant fire off a gun and stoop to pick up something but could not tell what it was. Mr Armstrong said the charge arose out of ill feeling between the parties and an action had been commenced in another court against the complainant. Case dismissed. (December 1859)
RABBITTING. Charles Mays (aged 17, a labourer living at Back Lane) and George Fairey (aged 20, living at Back Lane, Preston) both of Preston near Hitchin were charged with setting snares to take rabbits on land in the occupation of Mr. Bird and where a gentleman named Powell has the right of shooting. The defendants, who were only committed a fortnight ago for a similar offence, were committed to the House of Correction at Hertford, for one month each. (December 1860)
John Palmer of Preston was charged with poaching on land in the occupation of Mr John Cook of Hill End Farm. The offence was proved by Henry Russell, gamekeeper to H. Rogers of Stagenhoe Park, but it being the first time the defendant had been brought before the Bench, he was ordered to pay 10s, including costs. (January 1861)
George Fairey ( aged 20, living at Back Lane, Preston) was charged with poaching on land in the parish of Kings Walden, where Mr Baker has the right of shooting. The offence was proved by one of Mr Baker’s gamekeepers and the defendant was fined 5s and costs and in default committed for three months. (January 1861)
Henry Jeeves (aged 23, of Preston -
George Saunders labourer, of Hitchin was charged with setting snares for the purpose of taking game on land belonging to Samuel Kirkby (aged 68), of Preston. Fined £1 including costs. (October 1868)
POACHING Charles Fairey, Henry Adams, John Butterfield and Charles Smith all of Kings Walden were charged with trespassing in search of conies on the 21st of December on land in occupation of C C Hale Esq.
Silas Houghton said that on the 21st of December he was in the Breachwood Green road when he saw the four men on land in the occupation of C.C.Hale, Esq. They were going up a footpath towards Leacher Wood. Witness then followed them and saw Smith standing outside and the other three in the wood. The defendants ran away when they saw the witness, who then found two snares set. He ran after them and overtook Butterfield and hearing a rabbit halloa, he took Butterfield back and asked him if he set the snares, and he said he did not. On being asked why he ran away, he said because he knew he was doing wrong.
Fairey admitted he was in the woods, but he denied he knew the snares were there.
Police constable Berry corroborated the evidence of Houghton.
In defence, Fairey said he did not set the snares nor did he know anything about them. Adams and Butterfield said they did not know anything about the snares and Smith declared that he was 100 yards from where the snares were when the constables saw him.
There were two previous convictions against Fairey.
The Bench fined Fairey £1 including costs. The other three were fined 10s each including costs. (January 1876)
POACHING. Charles Smith, Charles Fairey, Charles Brown and John Butterfield were charged with poaching on land belonging to C. C. Hale Esq. at Kings Walden on the 12th inst. Smith and Butterfield did not appear. The case having been proved, Fairey who has been up before was fined £1 and 12s 6d costs or three weeks, and Brown was fined 15s or a fortnight. (January 1877)
Charles Fairey and Charles Brown of Kings Walden were charged with trespassing in search of conies on land in the occupation of Mr Whitbread Roberts on the 21st January. A gamekeeper named Barker said he saw the defendants on either side of a hedge in the occupation of Mr Roberts. He saw Brown strike a rabbit and witness took it from him. Four convictions were proved against Fairey and two against Brown Fined 12s each; in default 14 days. (January 1877)
Thomas Fairey charged with poaching on land belonging to C. C. Hale Esq., of Kings Walden on 23rd April, was fined £1 and 12s 6d costs or one month’s imprisonment. (May 1879)
THE POACHING PREVENTION ACT. At Hitchin Petty Sessions on Tuesday, Salvinas Loveridge, 23, and Joseph Loveridge, 16, gypsies were charged with an offence under the Poaching Prevention Act. Supt. Reynolds said that he was at Preston about nine o’clock that (Tuesday) morning and saw the defendants, one of whom tried to shun him. He got out of the trap and searched a bundle Joseph was carrying which Salvinas said was a bed. He found the tin produced containing 51 partridges eggs covered with grass in the middle of the bundle. The defendants both said they picked the eggs up as they passed along the road and did not go on anyone’s land. Fined 12s 6d and 5s 6d costs each. (May 1889). (Sylvanus Loveridge was at Walkern, Herts in 1901 when his wife was a hawker.).
There was a postcript to this story which clearly involved the same gypsy family:Thomas
and James Loveridge were charged with unlawfully sleeping in an outhouse at Hexton
on Tuesday morning, the 24 February. Police-
THE GAME LAWS At the Hitchin Petty Sessions on Tuesday, James Freeman, Robert Crawley (aged 16, of Preston Green) and Henry Jeeves (aged 17, living at the Chequers Inn in 1891), labourers of Preston were charged with trespassing in search of game in a field of Mr Richard Marsh’s on February 18th at Kings Walden. Edward Hagger, a gamekeeper in the service of Mrs Hinds of Kings Walden, said he saw the defendants beating a hedge in the field, having two dogs with them. They had no sticks. The defendants said they merely walked along a field; they only went a few yards out of the footpath and were not in search of game. Each of them was fined 5s. (March 1888)
SEARCHING FOR GAME. At the Hitchin Petty Sessions on Tuesday, James Shambrook (aged 28 of St Pauls Walden) Arthur Reeves, labourers, were charged with trespassing in search of game at Preston on November 18th. F. R. Sleet, a gamekeeper in the employment of Lord Glamis said that the men were searching the hedges on the roadside and egging their dogs on to look for game. The defendants said they only went for a walk along the road and had two puppies with them. They never left the road. The Chairman informed them that they were just as much trespassing when on the road searching for game as if they were in a wood. They would be convicted, but discharged with a caution. (December 1888)
CHARGE OF POACHING. Thomas and Henry Jeeves, late of Kings Walden were charged with having on the 16th inst. trespassed on land in the occupation of Mr Whitbread Roberts in search of conies.
Police-
In his defence, Thomas Jeeves strongly denied that he was poaching. The fact was
that Farr owed him a little money and these proceedings were taken because he (the
prisoner) had sent him a bill last week. He did not think the policeman had any business
to pull out his staff and say he would knock his -
The chairman said that there was not the least doubt that the prisoners were ferreting on this occasion and ordered them to pay a fine of 40s and 12s 6d expenses. (December 1871)
Joseph Peters (aged 30, married and a domestic gardener, living at Blacksmiths Lane, Preston in 1881) was summoned for having on the 7th inst. trespassed upon land in occupation of Mr Marriott in the parish of Hitchin in search of game. In consequence of the defendant’s good character, the magistrates let him off on a payment of 17s 6d. (October 1872
POACHING. Alfred Fairey (aged 22, living at Preston 1871, a labourer) was charged on a warrant, not having appeared when he was summoned, with poaching upon land in the occupation of Mr George Wright of Kings Walden. The prisoner was further charged with a like offence at Paul’s Walden upon land in the occupation of Mr Richard Jepps. To this charge the accused pleaded guilty but he entirely denied trespassing in search of game on Mr Wright’s land. The magistrates however considered both cases proved and fined the prisoner in each case 40s and costs, or the alternative of two months imprisonment. The fines and the costs amounted to £5 14s 6d in default of paying which, Fairey will be imprisoned for four months. (November 1872)
SNARING. John Ward of Preston was convicted in his absence of setting a snare to take game on the 5th inst on land at Preston belonging to Thomas Harwood Darton Esq. Fined 20s and costs. Committed for one month’s hard labour in default. (January 1856)
William Winch and Thomas Currell of Preston were charged with setting snares to take hares on land belonging to Charles Chomley Hale Esq. at Kings Walden. Winch who is an old offender and was seen to set the snares, did not appear. Winch was seen by one of Mr Hales’ keepers to follow Winch to where the snares stood. Both the defendants had been at work in the same field. Currell having borne a good character, the Bench ordered him to pay 5s and issued a warrant against Winch (May 1856)
William Winch of Preston was convicted of shooting two partridges on land at Offley Holes. Fined £5 and costs or three months hard labour. He was an old offender. (January 1857)
George Read (aged 28, a carrier) and Daniel Winch of Preston were convicted of trespassing in search of game on land in the occupation of Mr Kirkby in the parish of Kings Walden. Fined 15s each including costs. (February 1857)
George Brown and |Thomas Fairey (aged 56 a labourer of Kings Walden) were charged with poaching on land belonging to C. C. Hale Esq. of Kings Walden. Fined 10s 6d each including costs, or in default to be committed for fourteen days. The money was paid.(March 1866
William Fitzjohn of Kingswalden was charged with poaching on land the property of Lord Caithness on 31st May.
Samuel Brims said he was gardener to Lord Caithness and was watching a trap which had a rabbit in it and about six o’clock in the morning, defendant came along and took out the rabbit which was in the trap and set it again. Fined 10s including costs.
John Wade (Ward?) labourer of Preston, was charged with trespassing for rabbits on the land of Mr F. P. D. Ratcliffe. Fined 10s including costs or seven days committed. (October 1870)
John Farr (aged 19), labourer of Preston, charged with trespassing for rabbits on land in the possession of T. A. Dashwood Esq. Fined £2 incl costs. (December 1870)
Amos and Alfred Fairey (brothers, aged 17 and 21 living at Preston) charged with using a dog to take game from the land of C. C. Hales at Kings Walden. Fined £2 each including costs; or a month. (December 1870)
Daniel Winch of Preston was charged with poaching on lands in occupation of Mr Posselwhite. Fine and costs £1 or on one month’s imprisonment. Committed (January 1858)
These articles reproduced by kind permission of the Hertfordshire Mercury.
GAME TRESPASS. Charles Fairey (b 1858c) of Preston and Samuel Reeves of Whitwell were charged with game trespass on the 12 January. Fairey did not appear. John Barker said on the 12 of January he saw the two defendants in Kings Walden Park in a dell at rabbit holes. When they saw him they ran away. He went to the holes and took up half a dozen nets set for ferreting.
Reeves said he had been at work at Mr Taylor’s and went across the park, home and saw Fairey. He spoke to him but he had nothing whatever to do with Fairey.
Fairey was fined £1 and 9s costs, the case against the other defendant being adjourned for a week to enable him to call a witness. (Jan 1885)
George Fairey (of Preston b 1821c), John Palmer (of Preston b 1826c) and Daniel Winch (of Preston b 1816c) were charged with trespassing in search of rabbits on land at Offley in the occupation of Wm. Olney. They pleaded guilty and were fined – Winch 20s and Fairey and Palmer 10s each which they paid. (Feb 1843)
Daniel Butterfield and Henry Barber were charged with setting snares to take game in a field in the occupation of Mr James Titmus (b 1806c) at Poynders Green in the parish of Hitchin. (March 1843)
John Ward and Thomas Ward (b 1816) of Preston were charged with trespassing in search of rabbits in the parish of Kings Walden in the occupation of Harriett Saunderson (widowed licensee of Red Lion b 1791). The offence was proved against them by the evidence of George Young gamekeeper to Wm Curling, Esq. of Hitchin and they were fined 20s each and in default of payment committed to the House of Correction at Hertford with hard labour for one calendar month. (Nov 1841)
A charge of trespass in pursuit of game preferred by the gamekeeper of T P Halsey Esq. of Preston (of Temple Farm) against Thomas Cook and John Cook (aged 15 and 14), sons of John Cook (Farmer) of Hill End was adjourned till Tuesday next. (Jan 1844)
SNARING Henry Ward of Whitwell was charged with setting snares in a wood belonging to Lady Glamis Fined £5 and 15s 6d costs being an old offender. In default of payment, he was committed for three months of hard labour. (Feb 1848)
Thomas Fairey (b 1845 of Preston Hill Cottage) was charged with poaching on land of Mr C C Hale of Kings Walden Bury. John Walker, keeper to Mr Hale proved the case and the defendant was fined £1 and 12s 6d costs. He was sent to gaol for one month in default of payment. (May 1879)
Amos Scott and William Andrews (of Preston b 1835c) were charged with trespassing in search of game on land in the occupation of William Jackson, Hill End, Hitchin. They admitted the offence. Mr Jackson said that on the morning of 28 September, he saw the defendants digging at a rabbit hole. They had two dogs with them and two rabbits were found in Scott’s possession.
Scott said the rabbits had been killed the day before. Each of the defendants were fined 10s including costs. (Oct 1884)