From the newspaper archives: assault, sheep rustling, foul and bee theft and a psalm

Whilst we may think that crime has increased in recent times I combed the archives and found that assault, theft of chickens and beehives, sheep rustling were already reported in Lambourn nearly 200 years ago. I suspect that thieves tying bones to the door of the house they robbed is a thing of the past.

The Berkshire Chronicle
Lambourn: Saturday, January 10th 1829

On Friday evening some villains entered the garden of a poor man, Up Lambourn, and carried away five stocks of bees, which were worth six pounds.

On Saturday night, a sheep, the property Mr. Waldron, of Marriage-hill, (a few miles from this town,) was slaughtered in the fold ; the skin, head, and entrails, was left behind.

Several fowl-houses also in the neighbourhood have been plundered during the last fortnight, and neither age nor sex spared; for old cock, which had walked one farm-yard upwards of 12 years, fell prey to these nocturnal depredators.

Saturday, three young men of this town were taken before the magistrates at Wantage, for assaulting some females ; they were severely reprimanded, and fined 12s. each, with costs.

The Villains who robbed Mr. Puzey larder and destroyed the fruit trees, had the audacity, the night following the robbery, to tie the bones of the meat to the knocker of the front door. A large reward has been offered for their apprehension.

A farmer, in a neighbouring village, was observed a few nights ago sitting on a plough, which stood in one of his fields, singing psalms. Being asked his motive for so doing, he replied, that it was to prevent the thieves in the village from pulling his hedges.

Christian Noll

Notes:
£1 in 1820 would now be £130
The Berkshire Chronicle cost 7 pence in 1829 – that would be £3.50 today
Marriage-hill is most probably Marridge Hill, a few miles from Membury.
Beehive etching is not from the Berkshire Chronicle