Transcription by Veanne Treasure of documents held at the Somerset Heritage Centre - March 2011

Q/SR 412 - 83


The Information and Deposition of John WHITE of the Parish of Evercreech in the said County Tollkeeper taken on oath before me Thomas CONEY Clerk two of his Majesty?s of the Peace for the said County the second day of March 1819.

Who saith that he keeps a Turnpike Gate called Pecking Mill Gate in the said Parish of Evercreech. That about twenty minutes before one o?clock in the morning of the twenty first day of February last Levi TREASURE of Stoke Lane coal carrier and James TREASURE of the same place coal carrier both passed through the said gate called Pecking Mill Gate each of them driving a cart. That Pecking Mill Gate is in the direct road from Ansford to Stoke Lane through Stratton in the Parish of Evercreech where one Richard ALLEN lives.

Taken and sworn before )
me the day and year first ) signed John WHITE
above written )

signed Thomas CONEY

Q/SR 412 ? 84

The Information and Deposition of Richard ALLEN of the Parish of Evercreech Yeoman taken on oath before me Thomas CONEY Clerk one of his Majesty?s Justices of the Peace in and for the said County the 2nd day of March 1819.

Who on his oath saith that in the evening of Saturday the 20th day of February last or early the following morning he had a quantity of peas in the haum, he supposes about a sack, stolen from his Corn Barton in the Parish of Evercreech aforesaid. That seeing a quantity of peas in the haum scattered about in various places he traced them till he came to Stoke Lane where he found two carts one opposite the house in the occupation of Levi TREASURE and the other opposite the house in the occupation of Edward TREASURE in each of which was a quantity of peas in the haum. He enquired of the said Levi TREASURE?s wife whether he the said Levi TREASURE was at home who said he was not. That this Deponent told Levi TREASURE?s wife that he had lost some peas and suspected the said Levi TREASURE had carried them away, for that there were many peas in the haum scattered about the cart opposite the door. And this Deponent saith that after Levi TREASURE?s wife had denied his being home he was going away, but returned unexpectedly to the house when he saw Levi TREASURE coming down stairs when this Deponent said to him ?I have lost some peas and I suspect that you and your brothers carts have hauled them away because there are peas in both carts and I have traced them from my Barton to this place and said to him that if he was an honest man he would suffer me to go into his premises and see if his peas were there when the said Levi TREASURE said that he would be d????d if he should?. That this Deponent then went to Edward TREASURE and told him that he had seen some peas in the said Edward TREASURE?s cart and suspected that he had also taken some, when the said Edward TREASURE called for his son and asked him where he had picked up the peas that were in his cart. When he said that he picked up the cart peas which were at the back of the house from the bottom of Ansford Hill. That this Deponent then said that there were no peas scattered on the road beyond Stratton the place from which they had been taken. That the boy seemed very much confused as did also the said Levi TREASURE?s wife and this Deponent further saith that the peas and haum which this Deponent found in the cart at the said Levi TREASURE?s and Edward TREASURE?s were exactly similar to those this Deponent had lost there being two sorts of peas grown in the same field namely the Partridge Peas and Grey Peas. And that he firmly suspects the peas found in the cart of the said Levi TREASURE and Edward TREASURE were part of those this Deponent had lost and that the same had been stolen by the said Levi TREASURE and James TREASURE son of the said Edward TREASURE.

Taken and sworn the )
day and year above written ) Signed Richard ALLEN
before me )


Signed Thomas CONEY