Quarter Sessions records are a rich source for many types of historical research. With responsibility for both local justice and administration many people had dealings with the Quarter Sessions court at some point. The records of the Quarter Sessions are a starting point for some fascinating stories of life in Dorset particularly during the 19th century. Other records held at the Dorset History Centre and elsewhere can be used to shed further light on these stories.
One such story can be followed in the Quarter Sessions Order Books, Calendar of Prisoners and other ‘waste’ papers as well as reports in the local newspaper. It involves a hapless tithingman (this office has ancient origins but by the 1800s he would be a local constable). John Taylor was the tithingman for Stour Provost and in December 1824 he was taking William Kendall to Dorchester Prison before Kendall’s trial at the Assizes for sheep stealing. During the journey, Kendall escaped!
The journey of some 26 miles was by horse and cart, which would have taken some hours. Taylor’s account of the escape was that the horse pulling the cart was blind and while going up a hill Taylor was obliged to get off the cart to attend to the horse, in the meantime the prisoner succeeded in slipping from the cart via the tailboard and made his escape.
Taylor himself was indicted (charged) with permitting a man charged with felony to escape while being conveyed to Dorchester Gaol and he was brought to trial at the January Quarter Sessions 1825. The trial was reported in the Sherborne Mercury on Monday 17 January 1825, when it was stated that Taylor made no immediate exertions to apprehend Kendall. Taylor was found guilty and sentenced to six weeks imprisonment with a fine of £25 (a hefty fine of over £2,300 in today’s money) but he was released from prison two days later when the fine was paid to the court, though it is not noted who paid it.
The office of Tythingman though onerous did receive some payment. The Stour Provost Overseers of the Poor accounts record that John Taylor was paid £1 1s 0d for serving in this office on 20th November 1825 and he received expenses for handcuffs and medicines. Though this shows just how high the fine was. By March 1826 it seems he had lost this office; the accounts note that Mr Chitty was paid £20 13s 10d for the prosecution of John TAYLOR, late Tythingman.
Taylor was obviously determined to make amends and he succeeded in recapturing Kendall and took him to Dorchester Prison, from where Kendall was tried at the Assizes in March 1826 and acquitted! Taylor is reported as a witness and at the trial and ‘gave him [Kendall] a good character, as did the prosecutor; and after a short consultation, he [Kendall] was acquitted.’
Nevertheless, Taylor it seems was determined to clear his name and the Quarter Sessions ‘waste papers’ add further to the story. Letters in these papers show that in late 1828 Taylor appealed directly to the Home Secretary, Robert Peel, who refused to make a judgement on the word of Taylor alone and suggested that if the Magistrates were prepared to make an appeal on his behalf it would be considered.
A note in the Quarter Sessions order books for January sessions 1829 shows the Magistrates were prepared to support Taylor and representation was made to the Secretary of State for the return of his fine: ‘Taylor by his persevering exertions retook the said prisoner and delivered him unto our Gaol where he took his trial at our Assizes 1826 and in due consideration of such service as meriting remittance we the undersigned do recommend the said Taylor as an fit object of considering to His Majesty’s Government.’
Unfortunately, no record has been found in the Quarter Sessions records showing whether this representation was successful. Perhaps the answer could be found in the archives of the Home Office at The National Archives?