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13 Chapel Street
Blue Town
Sheerness
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Kentish Gazette, 2 April 1850.
Edward Norris, 17, burglary, and stealing a canvass bag, containing four
sovereigns and other monies of George Norris, at Minster,
in Sheppey.
The prosecutor in this case is brother of the prisoner, and lives with
his father at Rushenden, in the parish of Minster, in Sheppey. In
the month of August last he had in his possession a bag, containing all
his clothes and the monies named in the indictment, the
latter of which was kept in the bag; the box was kept in his bedroom,
locked. It was safe at about five o'clock on the morning of
Sunday, the 14th of August, and on prosecutor’s getting up at about five
o'clock on the 16th he found it was gone. He immediately communicated intelligence of the loss to his father, who searched the
premises, and found the box concealed behind some mangel
wurzel at the bottom of the garden. It had been broken open, and the bag
and money stolen. The prosecutor’s father, Edward
Norris, had on the previous evening retired to bed at about ten o'clock,
having previously examined the fastenings and found them
secure. On getting up the next morning about four o'clock he found the
front door had been opened, the latch having apparently
been forced up from the outside. On the following Wednesday, information
of the robbery having been given to Pratten, the
constable of Minster, that officer went to the "Hit or Miss" public
house, where he apprehended the prisoner, whom he searched,
and in his pocket he found two sovereigns, four half sovereigns, eight
half crowns, and a sixpence, and a canvass bag. He showed
the bag to prosecutor, who was present, and who identified it as his
properly. The bag was subsequently given to Mr. Bone, the
governor of the gaol, by whom it was now produced.The learned Judge, in summing up, reminded the jury that to convict the
prisoner on the charge of burglary it was necessary that it
should be proved the offence was committed between the hours of nine at
night and six in the morning, and that unless they were
satisfied the robbery took place between those hours, the prisoner could
not be convicted of more than a larceny.
The jury consulted, and retuned a verdict of guilty of larceny. The
prosecutor recommended the prisoner to mercy, and the learned
Judge taking the recommendation into consideration, as also the long
time prisoner had been in custody, sentenced him to one
month's hard labour.
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Southeastern Gazette, 15 March 1853.
George Segrue, 15, for stealing three shoe-brushes, value 2s., the
property of William Alfred Tong, ("Anchor
and Hope") at Minster, in Sheppey. Mr. Addison
prosecuted.
The prisoner, it appeared, went into the house of Mr. Tong:, a
publican, on the 17th January, at Minster, and asked for a night's
lodging, which was given him. He left the house on the following
morning, and shortly after the brushes were missed. They were
subsequently found in a bundle in prisoner’s possession, at the "Hit
or Miss" public-house, Minster.
One month’s hard labour.
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Sheerness Guardian 3 August 1859.
KENT SUMMER ASSIZES.
The following cases are those of local interest.
"The Knife" at Sheerness.
Michael Paraw, 35, seamen, was charged with stabbing and wounding
John Golding, on the 5th of May last, at Minster, in Sheppey. Mr.
Russell for the prosecution. The particulars of the case were given
in this paper at the time of the occurrence.
Francis Thomas a man of colour, said that he was at the "New Inn,"
Sheerness, on the day in question. The prosecutor who is a petty
officer on board the Creasy, and the prisoner, were also there.
Prisoner treated prosecutor to some gin, and then began to pull his
whiskers about, in consequence of which a fight took place, the
prosecutor getting the worst of it. The prisoner then left the room
for about half-an-hour, when he returned, deliberately opened his
knife, which was suspended from his side by a "lanyard," and
stabbed prosecutor in one of his shoulders. Prosecutor fell, and
prisoner again tried to stab him, but witness interfered and
prevented him. Prisoner then left the house, and threw the knife
away.
Mrs. Ovenden deposed to having found the knife, which had
prisoner’s name on it, in a yard close by.
David Ovenden, husband of last witness, and police sergeant at
Sheerness, saw Golding bleeding from a wound in his left shoulder.
Witness afterwards took the prisoner at a public-house called the
"Hit or Miss."
Prisoner who urged that he was drunk, was found guilty of unlawfully
wounding, and was sentenced to six months hard labour.
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Sheerness Guardian, 19 May, 1860.
The "Invisible Blues." — An Extraordinary Public-House Row.
A most determined riot was created by some seven or eight sailors
belonging to H. M. Ship "Wasp," at the house of Mr. French the "Hit
or Miss,"” public-house, Chapel-street, Blue Town, on the night of
Wednesday last.
It appears that the seamen had been drinking at the house for some
times and whilst partly intoxicated, they got up a quarrel with Mr.
C. French and began to abuse him. They then assailed the furniture
and smashed a table and several other articles to shivers. They also
pulled down the bar door, broke a quantity of glasses, two chairs,
and a great number of ornaments. On being turned out of the premises
they assailed the house with stones and other missiles and broke no
less than forty eight panes of glass. They likewise pulled down the
shutters of the two lower windows and broke them. They then
destroyed the framework of the windows and committed other
atrocities. During the riot, a coat, a hat, and a scarf were stolen
and made off with, and strange to say though the disturbance lasted
a considerable time and caused great uproar in the locality, there
was not a policeman to be found in the town who could be called upon
to interfere, — the whole of the force having been summoned to
Sittingbourne and detained there for the purpose of drill, although
jeopardising the interests and security of the town. It is the
general opinion of the inhabitants that though our small police
force is both efficient and willing and in this matter themselves
blameless, great blame is due to the superintendant or some others
of the "powers that be" at head quarters, for acting so
reprehensibly as to take the entire force from the town, not only on
Wednesday, but on Thursday, instead of withdrawing only a portion.
Not only were these rioters left unmolested, but on Thursday, when
the body of a young female was found in the moat, in the absence of
the police there was no one to take charge of the case. We trust
that these two occurrences will prevent a repetition of such gross
neglect and inattention, more especially when it is considered, that
there is a considerable naval and military population in the town,
and that cases requiring the notice and attention of the police are
of frequent if not of continuous occurrence. We understand that
after the fracas had been committed at the house of Mr. French, the
same parties created considerable riot and disorder in other parts
of the town.
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From the Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. 31 August 1867. Price 1d.
POLICE COURT. FRIDAY
Before E. Twopeny, Esq., (Chairman), and the Rev. G. B. Moore.
MAD DRUNK
Edward Braithwaite, mariner, of H.M.S. "Cumberland," was charged with
maliciously damaging three glasses and assaulting Samuel Macdowell,
licensed victualler, at the “Hit or Miss" public-house, Sheerness, on
the 19th of August. Prosecutor, a cripple, said that about eleven o'clock last Monday the
prisoner, who had been drinking at his house, came up to him in the bar
and said, “You have insulted me, and I will break your nose.” Prisoner
then struck him and dragged him out into the passage, where they both
fell. He had previously pushed his wife down. Prosecutor said that
Braithwaite had been drinking in the house before he came in, while he
also supplied him with liquor. While in his house he had drank three or
four quarterns of sherry out of the measures, and had some ginger-beer
and beer. He was mad-drunk.
Police-constable Wood said Braithwaite was very drunk when he
apprehended him for the assault, and had his jacket, belt, and cap off,
and his sleeves tucked up. He went quietly to the station. The man's Sergeant attended, and gave prisoner a good character, as he
had been in the service fourteen years, faultless. He had been on board
the "Cumberland” for the last eighteen months, as ship's corporal, and
was a quiet, well-conducted man. Had never seen him the worse for liquor
before. In confirmation of what he had said, witness drew his attention
to the three good conduct stripes which prisoner wore; the last of which
had been accorded about three months ago. The Chairman admonished prosecutor for supplying drink to the prisoner
when he saw the state he was in, and disallowed his expenses, observing
that it was particularly enjoined in the license that publicans should
not allow tippling. Prisoner was fined altogether £1. |
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From the London Gazette, October 1868. Samuel Seymour McDowell, late
of "Hit or Miss Inn," Chapel-street, Blue Town, Sheerness, Innkeeper,
and Dealer in Marine and General Stores, and now in furnished
lodgings-at the "Horse and
Groom Inn," Kent-street, Blue Town, Sheerness aforesaid, out of
business adjudicated bankrupt on 8 July 1868. An order of discharge was
granted by the County Court of Kent holden at Sheerness on 23 October,
1868.
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I will be adding the historical information when I find or are sent it,
but this project is a very big one, and I do not know when or where the
information will come from.
All emails are answered.
LICENSEE LIST
KNIGHT John 1824-28+
RUFFORD Sarah 1832-39+
TURNER John 1840+
WOODHARDS Nathaniel 1847-58+ (also marine store dealer)
FRENCH John 1861-62+ (age 48 in 1861 )
MACDOWELL/McDOWELL Samuel 1867-Aug/68
SOSBY Sophie (widow) Aug/1868+
https://pubwiki.co.uk/HitorMiss.shtml
Whitstable Times
and Herne Bay Herald
From the Pigot's Directory 1828-29
From the Pigot's Directory 1832-33-34
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