Some poachers, a little bolter and a farmer speaks out

More Aylesham troubles week of Reggie’s death- watch for recurring characters

Dover Express and East Kent News 30th? August 1929

AYLESHAM MINERS

FARMER TELLS OF HIS TROUBLES

At the sitting of the Wingham Petty Sessions at the court house on Thursday, Bernard Allen, of Aylesham, was summoned for trespassing in search of conies at Nonington on August 16th, and pleaded not guilty.

William Whittington, under keeper to Cmdr. O. Brien, St Albans’s Park, said that at 3.30 on August 16th he saw defendant with three men coming across Old Court fields. He went to them and asked them to get to the road, which they did. A few minutes later a hare came out of the corn and defendant went on to the field and the others went on to the field again and put their dogs on to the hare.

Defendant: Hares are not conies, sir.

Witness said he went to them again and asked them to get on to the road, and they did. A few minutes later a rabbit came out of the corn and defendant went on to the field and put his dog onto the rabbit which it caught. Defendant took the rabbit from the dog and killed it, putting it into his pocket. When asked for it by Mr. Baleden, who was with witness, he refused. Witness went and fetched the constable to get defendant’s name.

How big was the rabbit?-it was about half grown.

Defendant: It was a little bolter.

Robert Baleden, Church Street Farm, Nonington, said he had the shooting rights over the ground. He was cutting a 15 acre field of corn and had two acres left to cut when the defendant and three miners came along the top of the field, where a water main had just been laid, and they were making it into a path. The four men had two dogs with them and he sent and asked them to go on the road... They were most abusive and adopted a threatening attitude. He went and told them he had suffered a lot of damage from their dogs and through miners they running through the standing corn, but if they went off nothing would be said. He started cutting again and had gone a few runs when a hare started to run over the hills towards where the miners were sitting on the bank. He stopped the tractor and shouted them to go off, which they did. He had finished cutting the field and moved out the tractor and binder*(this word not clear-brambled) when he saw the men and dogs about 200yds. From the road in a field, and the dogs were chasing a rabbit and the men were running after it. He and the last witness went up to them, and as he got there the defendant had just taken a rabbit which was alive out of the mouth of the dog, so witness said “You had better give me that rabbit.”. He said:”No,” and witness said “Don’t be silly, give me the rabbit and have no more trouble,” Whereon the defendant broke the neck off the rabbit and put it in his pocket. Witness was rather annoyed and said “You mean you are going to keep it?” and defendant said” Yes, I am” Witness said “All right,” and he and the keeper got in the car and fetched the constable. As they went along by Aylesham coming along by Old Court Firs, they found defendant sitting on a bank, beside a field of corn with the other men and the dogs. This sort of trouble they had had out their way ever since the Spring.

The Magistrates Clerk: I do not think you had better say anything about that now.
Defendant said that the witness never saw him break the rabbit’s neck.
Witness: I did.
P.C. Charman, K.C.C., Nonington said that about 3.40pm, the last witness came to him and informed him that there had been trouble with men in the corn at Church Street Farm and he went there and saw defendant sitting on a bank by the side of the road. He asked defendant for the rabbit and he said “My dog did catch a rabbit but I took it away from the dog. The rabbit being alive ran away.”
Defendant said it was just a little bolter and that’s why he let it go. My dog could not catch a rabbit; it is only a little fox terrier. As for making it go after a hare, I should not think of it.!
The chairman said that there would be a conviction.
Supt. Lane said that there was nothing known against the defendant in the district.
The Chairman, Mr. A.H. Godfrey, said that the defendant had two opportunities to keep out of trouble. He had brought himself into this deliberately and in addition to that he had told the police officer a deliberate lie when he knew he had the rabbit and had put it in his pocket. He would be fined 1pound or 14 days.

Defendant asked for time as he had been out of work sometime with boils.

The, chairman in granting time for payment, said if he came there again they would make it pretty hot for him.

Basil Newington, of Aylesham, pleaded guilty, to trespassing on land belonging to Lord FitzWalter in search of conies.

Frederick Hughes, gamekeeper to Lord FitzWalter, said that on August 13th about 1.30 he saw defendant and another man come away from the bank close to Bushy Ruff. He asked what they had got in the basket and defendant said it was nothing to do with him. The policeman who had been sent for came along and there was a bit of a scuffle-but got six rabbits out of the other man’s basket. The policeman took their names and addresses but the other man gave a wrong name he believed.

P.C. Honey, K.C.C., chillienden said he found the defendant detained and asked if he had any rabbits, and he replied,”I got a couple.” And when asked to produce them said “No you don’t, I shall have to pay for them.” When witness started to search him they went over on the bank together. He took six rabbits away from him.

Defendant: You did not take them off me, you took them off Jackson. The policeman said” Let’s have those __________ rabbits.” and jumped on him on the bank.

Supt. Lane said that defendant was before the court on November 3rd, 1927, and also on February 7th this year, and fined 1 pound on each occasion for poaching.

The chairman said that they were inflicting a heavier penalty this time. He would have to pay 2 pds. Or go to prison for a month.

Defendant asked for time, saying he had been off work for six weeks.

The chairman said that he could have a month, but didn’t he think he was foolish to go on like this?

Defendant: I could not see I was doing any damage walking around when they were cutting the corn.

The Chairman: You had better stop that sort of thing or you will get iate (word unreadable- brambled)-_ serious trouble.

* Ok, binder is correct- it was a sort of grain cutter on the tractor like this
* binder also Kentish for a hedge laying instrument- but grain cutter makes more sense here