Kent Assizes 1809

  The London Chronicle report of the Kent Assizes

WEDNESDAY MARCH 29 the THE KING V ALBURY This was an indictinent against the defendant for having in his possession naval stores the property of his Majesty. Mr Serjeant Best (?)  the circumstances of the the case which were detailed in evidence as follows 

James Craigie an officer of the Thames Police deposed that the defendant was a ropemaker at Gillingham in the neighborhood of  Chatham, On the 2d of September he was walking near the rope walk of the defendant and saw a man knotting yarn some of the rope was in strands and some not; he thought it appeared to have the King's mark and he went to a person of the name of Evans to whom he told his suspicions,  In about 20 minutes afterwards he returned in company with Evans and one Ludon(?). The man had 40 or 50 lbs of great length. He there saw the defendant behind a tree and at the same time he discovered 7001bs weight rope lying in a hedge part of it with the King's mark. There were two or three yards of grass(?) between the rope yard and the hedge and there some in the yard that corresponded(?). The defendant said it was Danith(?) rope and did not know how it could come in the hedge. It could not be bought over the field to the hedge because the grass was high and it and it was not trod down.  It must have been brought there through the rope walk of the defendant.

In the evening the defendant came to the public house where the witness and Evans were. He said he could not tell how the rope came in the hedge and as it would depend on their evidence it was not worth their while to bring him into trouble about it. 

On cross examination by Mr Gurney he said was a public foot path through the field just above the hedge. Evans and Ludon corroborated the evidence of the last witness 

The Jury found the defendant guilty  

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