Appendix
APPENDICES 14 - 16
APPENDIX 14
Isaac Henry Sercombe - witness at Police Court
London Daily News, 9 August 1851
THE POLICE COURTS - GUILDHALL
Ellice Drury was charged with obtaining under false pretence two volumes of Goldsmith’s Animated Nature, value £1 15s., the property of Mr. Henry William Agett, of Gough-square, Fleet-street, agent to a publishing house at Glasgow.
Mr. Agett said that the prisoner applied to him for employment as a canvasser on commission, and after he had been engaged a short time, he said that Mr. Sercombe, a clerk in the solicitor’s department of the Stamp-office, Somerset-house, wanted a complete edition, bound, of Goldsmith’s Natural History. Witness gave the two volumes to the prisoner, who pledged them for 5s. and sold the ticket to Mr. Fairey, of the Ram, in Smithfield, for 2s. 6d., who immediately redeemed them.
Mr. Sercombe attended to deny having given any order to the prisoner for the books in question.
Mr. Agett said he wished to press this case, as he had of late been plundered to a great extent by persons of prisoner’s description.
Committed for trial.
The Morning Post, 9 August 1851
THE POLICE COURTS
GUILDHALL. - Ellice Dring was brought up before Alderman Humphery, M.P., charged with obtaining, under false pretences, two vols. of “Goldsmith’s Animated Nature”, value £1 15s., the property of Mr. Henry Wm. Agett, Gough-square, Fleet-street, agent to Messrs. Blackie and Son, of Glasgow, publishers.
Mr. Agett said that prisoner applied to him for employment as a canvasser on commission, and after he had been engaged a short time he said that Mr. Sercombe, a clerk in the solicitor’s department of the Stamp-office, Somerset-house, wanted a complete edition, bound, of “Goldsmith’s Natural History”. Witness gave the two vols. to the prisoner, who pledged them for 5s., and sold the ticket to Mr. Fairey of the “Ram” in Smithfield for 2s. 6d., who immediately redeemed them.
Mr. Sercombe attended to deny ever having given any order to the prisoner for the books in question.
Mr. Agett said he wished to press this case as he had of late been plundered to a great extent by that class of person of the prisoner’s description.
Committed for trial.
APPENDIX 15
From The London Gazette 1845
28 January 1845
Whereas a Petition of John Sercombe, of No. 2, Marsh-hill, Homerton, in the parish of Hackney, in the county of Middlesex, Master Mariner, an insolvent debtor, having been filed in the Court of Bankruptcy, and the interim order for protection from process having been given to the said John Sercombe, under the provisions of the Statutes in that case made and provided, the said John Sercombe is hereby required to appear in court before Robert George Cecil Fane, Esq., the Commissioner acting in the matter of the said Petition, on the 13th day of February next, at one of the clock in the afternoon precisely, at the Court of Bankruptcy, in Basinghall-street, in the city of London, for his first examination touching his debts, estate, and effects, and to be further dealt with according to the provisions of the said Statutes; and the choice of the creditors’ assignees is to take place at the time so appointed. All persons indebted to the said John Sercombe, or that have any of his effects, are not to pay or deliver the same but to Mr. T.M. Alsager, No. 12, Birchin-lane, Cornhill, the Official Assignee, nominated in that behalf by the Commissioner acting in the matter of the said Petition.
18 February 1845
Notice is hereby given, that Robert George Cecil Fane, Esq., the Commissioner acting in the matter of this Petition, will proceed to make a Final Order thereon, at the Court of Bankruptcy, in Basinghall-street, in the city of London, on the 5th day of March next, at eleven o’clock in the forenoon precisely, unless cause be then and there shewn to the contrary.
In the Matter of the Petition of John Sercombe, of No.2, Marsh-hill, Homerton, in the parish of Hackney, in the county of Middlesex, Master Mariner.
APPENDIX 16
Boddy’s Bridge - where the Tree family lived in the 1840s and 1850s
Morning Chronicle, 13th December 1845
DISASTROUS EFFECTS of the HIGH TIDE YESTERDAY
In consequence of the prevalence of the north-east winds, and the gale of Thursday morning, which forced water up the Channel, the river overflowed its banks on Thursday night, and the tide rose to a great height. At midnight the sudden rushing of the waters over the embankments of the Thames and through the wharves and alleys leading into the streets, aroused the inhabitants from their slumbers, and a scene of indescribable confusion took place… An hour before the time named in the calendar for the primary high water, the river was several inches above the usual level, and it continued to flow with a velocity which astonished the oldest watermen and lightermen, until five minutes after one o’clock yesterday morning, an hour beyond the time named for high water at London-bridge, when the tide was one inch higher at the St. Katherine’s-dock-gates than it was in November, 1811, when a similar disastrous visitation occurred. It would be impossible to recount a tithe of the hair-breadth escapes from drowning, or to give anything like a complete list of the houses, warehouses, granaries, wharves, and other buildings damaged by the inundation… The water was six feet in depth yesterday morning, at half-past twelve o’clock, in Upper Ground-street, and a street leading out of it called Boddy’s-bridge, near Messrs. Hawes’ soap manufactory.
Morning Advertiser, 15th October 1847
ALARMING FIRE IN STAMFORD-STREET
Yesterday afternoon, a few minutes before two, a fire of an alarming nature took place at Beckerton’s hat-factory, Stamford-street, Blackfriars-road. They have large premises at the rear of their warehouse, in which drying and finishing were carried on, but for some time one of the proofing rooms has been unoccupied. One of the men was preparing proofing matter over a large fire, and while he was at dinner, by some accident, it boiled over, and in a few minutes the whole building was on fire. Before the engines could arrive the house at the rear (Boddy’s-bridge) was in a very precarious state, as the flames nearly touched the roofs of the houses, which were occupied by very poor people, and great destruction was made to their property. The engines were, however, soon on the spot, but a very bad supply of water was obtained at first, but by the assistance of the workmen employed at the adjacent factories, the fire was extinguished - entirely confined to the finishing room.
Isaac Henry Sercombe - witness at Police Court
London Daily News, 9 August 1851
THE POLICE COURTS - GUILDHALL
Ellice Drury was charged with obtaining under false pretence two volumes of Goldsmith’s Animated Nature, value £1 15s., the property of Mr. Henry William Agett, of Gough-square, Fleet-street, agent to a publishing house at Glasgow.
Mr. Agett said that the prisoner applied to him for employment as a canvasser on commission, and after he had been engaged a short time, he said that Mr. Sercombe, a clerk in the solicitor’s department of the Stamp-office, Somerset-house, wanted a complete edition, bound, of Goldsmith’s Natural History. Witness gave the two volumes to the prisoner, who pledged them for 5s. and sold the ticket to Mr. Fairey, of the Ram, in Smithfield, for 2s. 6d., who immediately redeemed them.
Mr. Sercombe attended to deny having given any order to the prisoner for the books in question.
Mr. Agett said he wished to press this case, as he had of late been plundered to a great extent by persons of prisoner’s description.
Committed for trial.
The Morning Post, 9 August 1851
THE POLICE COURTS
GUILDHALL. - Ellice Dring was brought up before Alderman Humphery, M.P., charged with obtaining, under false pretences, two vols. of “Goldsmith’s Animated Nature”, value £1 15s., the property of Mr. Henry Wm. Agett, Gough-square, Fleet-street, agent to Messrs. Blackie and Son, of Glasgow, publishers.
Mr. Agett said that prisoner applied to him for employment as a canvasser on commission, and after he had been engaged a short time he said that Mr. Sercombe, a clerk in the solicitor’s department of the Stamp-office, Somerset-house, wanted a complete edition, bound, of “Goldsmith’s Natural History”. Witness gave the two vols. to the prisoner, who pledged them for 5s., and sold the ticket to Mr. Fairey of the “Ram” in Smithfield for 2s. 6d., who immediately redeemed them.
Mr. Sercombe attended to deny ever having given any order to the prisoner for the books in question.
Mr. Agett said he wished to press this case as he had of late been plundered to a great extent by that class of person of the prisoner’s description.
Committed for trial.
APPENDIX 15
From The London Gazette 1845
28 January 1845
Whereas a Petition of John Sercombe, of No. 2, Marsh-hill, Homerton, in the parish of Hackney, in the county of Middlesex, Master Mariner, an insolvent debtor, having been filed in the Court of Bankruptcy, and the interim order for protection from process having been given to the said John Sercombe, under the provisions of the Statutes in that case made and provided, the said John Sercombe is hereby required to appear in court before Robert George Cecil Fane, Esq., the Commissioner acting in the matter of the said Petition, on the 13th day of February next, at one of the clock in the afternoon precisely, at the Court of Bankruptcy, in Basinghall-street, in the city of London, for his first examination touching his debts, estate, and effects, and to be further dealt with according to the provisions of the said Statutes; and the choice of the creditors’ assignees is to take place at the time so appointed. All persons indebted to the said John Sercombe, or that have any of his effects, are not to pay or deliver the same but to Mr. T.M. Alsager, No. 12, Birchin-lane, Cornhill, the Official Assignee, nominated in that behalf by the Commissioner acting in the matter of the said Petition.
18 February 1845
Notice is hereby given, that Robert George Cecil Fane, Esq., the Commissioner acting in the matter of this Petition, will proceed to make a Final Order thereon, at the Court of Bankruptcy, in Basinghall-street, in the city of London, on the 5th day of March next, at eleven o’clock in the forenoon precisely, unless cause be then and there shewn to the contrary.
In the Matter of the Petition of John Sercombe, of No.2, Marsh-hill, Homerton, in the parish of Hackney, in the county of Middlesex, Master Mariner.
APPENDIX 16
Boddy’s Bridge - where the Tree family lived in the 1840s and 1850s
Morning Chronicle, 13th December 1845
DISASTROUS EFFECTS of the HIGH TIDE YESTERDAY
In consequence of the prevalence of the north-east winds, and the gale of Thursday morning, which forced water up the Channel, the river overflowed its banks on Thursday night, and the tide rose to a great height. At midnight the sudden rushing of the waters over the embankments of the Thames and through the wharves and alleys leading into the streets, aroused the inhabitants from their slumbers, and a scene of indescribable confusion took place… An hour before the time named in the calendar for the primary high water, the river was several inches above the usual level, and it continued to flow with a velocity which astonished the oldest watermen and lightermen, until five minutes after one o’clock yesterday morning, an hour beyond the time named for high water at London-bridge, when the tide was one inch higher at the St. Katherine’s-dock-gates than it was in November, 1811, when a similar disastrous visitation occurred. It would be impossible to recount a tithe of the hair-breadth escapes from drowning, or to give anything like a complete list of the houses, warehouses, granaries, wharves, and other buildings damaged by the inundation… The water was six feet in depth yesterday morning, at half-past twelve o’clock, in Upper Ground-street, and a street leading out of it called Boddy’s-bridge, near Messrs. Hawes’ soap manufactory.
Morning Advertiser, 15th October 1847
ALARMING FIRE IN STAMFORD-STREET
Yesterday afternoon, a few minutes before two, a fire of an alarming nature took place at Beckerton’s hat-factory, Stamford-street, Blackfriars-road. They have large premises at the rear of their warehouse, in which drying and finishing were carried on, but for some time one of the proofing rooms has been unoccupied. One of the men was preparing proofing matter over a large fire, and while he was at dinner, by some accident, it boiled over, and in a few minutes the whole building was on fire. Before the engines could arrive the house at the rear (Boddy’s-bridge) was in a very precarious state, as the flames nearly touched the roofs of the houses, which were occupied by very poor people, and great destruction was made to their property. The engines were, however, soon on the spot, but a very bad supply of water was obtained at first, but by the assistance of the workmen employed at the adjacent factories, the fire was extinguished - entirely confined to the finishing room.