I've been able to find all the following details on Hallworths with a criminal record by searching online using the Bedford Archives Service (BLARS). The text in each case is largely quoted from the archives, hence the strange language used.
Photos here from the Bedford Libraries of the Gaol & prisons of Bedford, and you can also read a great deal of information here about life in Bedford Gaol in the period to 1877
; see the plan of the Gaol and the treadmill used for Hard Labour for the male prisoners. The alternatives seemed to be a fine, or transportation!
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Thief Thomas Hallworth
These depositions are from the Quarter Session Records for 1819, also held at Beds Archive, relating to "James Pestell, Radwell, Herts, miller; to give evidence against William Studman, Biggleswade, victualler for receiving four bushells fine and coarse pollard stolen by Thomas Halworth from James Pestell. (see 238 - 243)"
Pollard = a mixture of fine bran and a small amount of flour.
QSR/24/1819/238 - Information of Jas. Pestell, Radwell, Herts., miller. Was told by his servant Bunn that Servant boy Thos Halworth left at 5 a.m. with some fine and coarse pollard. Pursued him and caught up with him and his cart two miles from Biggleswade, he was "lying down apparently asleep". J.P. continued on to Biggleswade and the Rose Inn where he stood in the bow window "to command a view of the street". T.H. took his cart into Wm. Studman's yard at the Yorkshire Grey. After 40 minutes he came out and down the street where J.P. called him in and gave him in charge. He and the constable then went to W.S. and recovered the pollard and gave that to the constable. See 106 {quoted above}.
QSR/24/1819/239 - Geo. Housden, Biggleswade, gardener. Saw Thos. Halworth go into the yard of the Yorkshire Grey "so soon as I had set down my Milk at home I went to William Studman's yard, I said Hallo so what are you up to here, what are you going to have a load of 'tators here". W.S. told him T.H. had brought him some bran for his horses and some pollard for his hogs.
QSR/24/1819/240,241 - Thos. Halworth, Radwell, Herts. William Studman asked him when he called in for a pint of ale whether he could get him some bran or pollard without his master knowing. He delivered three seeks {sacks} to him and received 2s. 6d. On the second occasion he was caught as in 238. He was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment and to be privately whipped at Hertford gaol; since being liberated his master has again taken him into his service.
QSR/24/1819/243 - Jn. Williams Bunn, Stotfold, miller. Foreman to Jas. Pestell, see 238, discovered that the pollard was missing after Thos. Halworth had left for Biggleswade. While he was wondering whether to follow him his master "came into the counting house". His master "had his chaise got ready & went after him".
QSR/23/1818/551 - Indictments and Presentments: William Studman, Biggleswade, labr, receiving stolen goods from Thomas Halworth who was convicted at Hertford QS for theft of "Pollard" from James Pestell.
I wonder of it's the same William Studman mentioned here in a petition/appeal (QSR/24/1819/507):
Petition by 112 inhabitants of Biggleswade asking the court to "mitigate the severity" of the sentence of fourteen years transportation passed on William Studman, late of Biggleswade on account of his "Age, Infirmity, and former Character". William Studman was taken by the gaoler to the hulks, see gaoler's general bill 424.
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Note here about an 1823 Bastardy case before the quarter sessions. {QSR/26/1823/159} Recognizances: Jas. Holworth, Marston; bastardy. With Susan Backhouse.
I wonder what happened there. Presuming this is the James Hallworth who's father/grandfather was James H., a dairyman in Marston Moretaine.
I wonder what happened there. Presuming this is the James Hallworth who's father/grandfather was James H., a dairyman in Marston Moretaine.
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This one, from 1827 was fascinating in it's brevity... what on earth was the crime?
QSR/28/1827/302 - Information of Chas. Halworth; "helped to mark tickets which Thos. Wheeler tied on to the pigeons. Information of Thos. Wheeler; tied the tickets on at the Dog and Badger."
Charles Hallworth gets a mention there - he was the Dog & Badger (Maulden) publican's brother.
Ah! - on reading QSR/28/1827/298, I see that Thomas Hine was suspected of stealing another man's homing pigeons. To identify the pigeons, Wheeler & Hallworth tied marked tickets to each (at the Dog & Badger), released them and went home to see where the pigeons arrived. "On arriving home he found a great number of pigeons around his dovehouse, about twenty of which had tickets attached to them."
Ingenious.
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from 1831 -
Farmer, King Baker of Cranfield, accuses Jonathan Hallsworth, late of Marston, (and also John Gillett, Joseph Mynards) for the theft of 2 hens. See Archives ref QSR/32/1831/252 and QSR/32/1831/846.
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There was also another Hallworth, here - David Hallworth in Marston, BEDS (born ~1814, Buckinghamshire), who was convicted in 1848 of the crime of being Idle, and his punishment was a month hard labour!
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Ruffian Miller of Maulden, George Hallworth
Follow this link to see all the detail available on this ruffian from the Bedford local government Archives online. There's an amazing level of detail recorded about his physical appearance (remember this was before photos/photofits)!
His name was George Hallworth, and as he was aged 30 at his trial in 1851, we can assume he was born ~1821. His birthplace is given as Maulden, and his trade was as a Miller - so he's very likely to be a relative of some sort. See above: our Charles (Phillip's father) had a son named George and he would be around the right age - though he's always described as a Farmhand rather than a Miller in contemporary census records. The victim of his crime was one Thomas Hallworth, who may well be Charles' neighbour (and first son) - see notes above.
Another record tells us that he baulked at paying his fine!
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A hardened criminal here - Jonathan Hallsworth aged 65, convicted in 1874 of "Stealing Dead Fence". Goodness! I presumed there was some error of transcription going on, but what! Apart from this kind of image which obviously comes to mind (on flickr), I couldn't begin to imagine what he may have done!
An email enquiry to the Archives themselves illicited this prompt response from Pamela (and it makes so much sense I wish I had worked it out for myself!);
"The offence of stealing a dead fence was quite common. When an old thorn hedge (generally a mixture of different prickly plants such as hawthorn, blackthorn, rose briars etc) needs rejuvenating because it is getting thin in the bottom you have to cut it down to the ground to allow new strong shoots to come from the bottom, obviously this leaves you with no hedge to keep your stock in the field so you use all or some of the thorn that you have cut down to create a temporary 'dead fence' by bundling the thorn together and 'planting' it in a trench next to the hedge you have cut down. The dead fence stays in place until the new hedge growth is sufficient to keep your sheep and cattle in the field. It was of course a serious thing for people to damage hedges and fences of any sort."
Jonathan was twice previously held in the Old Gaol. His sentence this time was 14 days hard labour (or 17 shillings 3 pence); Ref BLARS QGV12/2.
The trial of Jonathan Hallsworth at Ampthill Petty Sessions on 9th April 1874 was reported in the Bedfordshire Times as follows:
"Jonathan Hallsworth, who did not appear (64), Marston, Labourer, was charged by John Sheard, farmer, of Marston, with stealing at that place on the 21st ult part of a certain dead fence, value 3 {shillings?}. Fined 1/ and 9/3 costs or 14 days' hard labour. Committed." {Thanks again to Pamela at the Bedfordshire Archives.}
Some variation in the reported fine there.
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Finally, on the 5th of February 1875, two Hallworths were tried on the same day, of assault - so perhaps they were assulting each other? One was George Hallworth (aged 17). The other was William Hallworth (23). They were summarily convicted and sentenced to 7 days Hard Labour, or 17 shillings. They were discharged on the 11th Feb (no previous convictions).
SO remember your ancestors, and "do as you would be done by"!
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