Tithe Barn Theft 1642
Information taken at Burgh before me Alexander Rigby Esq one of his majesties Justices of the peace within the said county the xvjth day of April Ao Caroli &c xviij Anoq dmi 1642
Robert Almond of Coppull in the said county of Lancaster husbandman being sworne upon his oath informeth and saieth that he being a thresher at the tythe barne in Coppull for Mr Worthington of Blainscoes service, hath had a jealousie or suspicion once or twice that he hath not found the heaps of corne in the barne in the morning according as he had left them overnight and further saieth that yesterday morning being the fifteenth of this instant April he this informer going into the barne did [illeg] there was some corne taken from the heap and this informer sending word to the said Mr Worthington thereof. The said Mr Worthngton sent to the constable to desire him to make search in some houses in Coppull for the same and this informer goeinge with the constable to the house of Richard Bibby of Coppull pyper went to search in the shippon and looking under some hay there found a heap of oats in the quantity of a sackful and a half being in the chaff under the hay, and this informer saieth that he doth verily thinke the same corne to be the corne which was taken out of the chaff heap of corne in the tythe barn of Coppull aforesaid the night before and further saieth not.
Alexander Rigby
Thomas Worthington in Coppull in the county of Lancaster yeoman servant to William Worthington of Blainscoe esq beinge sworne upon his oath informeth and saieth that he being sent by his said Mr the afterdaie being the 15th of April to the constable of Coppull aforesaid to make search for some corn of his Mrs which was supposed to be stolen the night before out of the tythe barne in Coppull aforesaid, saieth that he went to the constable according to his Mrs appointment, and he & the constable goeing accompanied by one Robert Almond to the house of Richard Bibby of Coppull pyper to search for the same went into a shippon adjoining to the said Bibby his house, and looking there found a heap of oates in the chaffe in the quantity of a sackful and a half or thereabouts under a parcel of hay there, which this informer doth conteine to be his said Mrs oates, because the thresher did imagine there to be some oats gone out of the chaff house in the said tythe barne and further he saieth not.
Alexander Rigby
Thomas Nailor Constable of the township of Coppull being sworne upon his oath informeth and saieth that he being desired yesterday the xvth of April instant by Thomas Worthington servant to William Worthington of Coppull Esq to make search for some corne of his which was supposed to be stolen out of the tythe barne in Coppull, did goe to the house of Richard Bibby in Coppull aforesaid & making search in his shippon found a heape of oates in the chaffe under a parcel of hay in this same shippon, which the informer dothe believe to bee the oats which Robert Almond thresher in the tythe barne of Coppull aforesaid suspected were stolen out of the chaff house and further he saieth not.
Alexander Rigby
The examination of Richard Bibby of Coppull pyper taken the daie & yeare aforesaid before mee the daie and yeare aforesaid as followeth
Who being examined where he was upon Thursday at night being the xiijth day of this instant April saieth that at the beginning of the night, he was at the house of Mr John Worthington in Worthington alehousekeeper where he piped until nine or tenn of the clock and then gininge [?] over came home to his own house about xj of the clock in the night time, where he found his wife and all his children in bed, at which tyme his eldest son Roger Bibby, told him that he had fetched a handful of corn out of the tythe barn in Coppull for to geive a cow which was sick, whereupon this examinant did find fault with his said son, saieing it had been a great deal better for him, to have begged a handful of corn throughout the whole town, whereupon this examinant said no more but went to bed, and utterly denieth that he knows any thing when the same corn was stolen until his son told him so as aforesaid.
Alexander Rigby
Roger Bibby of Coppull labourer son of the said Richard Bibby being examined whether he took some corn out of the chafe heap in the tythe barne in Coppull aforesaid upon Thursday att night last saieth that by the persuasion of his mother Elizabeth Bibby about ten of the clock in the night he went into the said Tythe barne, att a hole where a board was fallen out and opened the barn door, and delivered out of the same a certain quantity of corn out of the chaff heap to his mother, but how much the same was he knoweth not, and then he made up the doors again, and went forth at the hole aforesaid, and being examined why he stole the same corn saieth he did it for a cow of theirs which was sick and would eat no hay, and being further examined whether his father Richard Bibby knew when the same was stolen, saieth that he did not know thereof, until this examinant told him the next morning after they rise out of bed, and then his father went into the shippon, and looked at the same corn where it lay and being examined whether he knew or not what time of the night his father came home, saieth that he did not know for they were all in bed, and being examined whether he ever knew of any corn gone out of the same tythe barn before that time, utterly denieth that he ever knew of any that was gone from thence but at that time.
Alexander Rigby
Elizabeth the wife of Richard Bibby of Coppull aforesaid pyper being examined confesseth and saieth that she desired her son Roger Bibby upon Thursday at night being the xiiijth day of this instant April to go into a hole in the tythe barn & to get some oats for a cow they had which was sick, and thereupon the said Roger went into a hole in the tythe barn & opened the doores and delivered some winnowed oats to this examinant, which this examinant did take from him and brought to their own house & layed them in the shippon.
Alexander Rigby.