From the Southeastern Gazette, 3 April 1866.

STOCKBURY. Charge of Robbing a Friendly Society.

At, the county magistrates' clerk’s office, Maidstone, on Wednesday (before C. G. Whittaker, Esq.)

Edward Godden was charged with stealing about £18, and a cash-box. the property of the Hand-in-Hand Friendly Society, held at the “Harrow” public-house, Stockbury, on Saturday, the 24th March.

Mr. Wm. Hales, the secretary, stated that on Saturday evening a meeting in connection with the society was held at the “Harrow.” Mr. Jennings, the landlord, always kept the money of the society in a cash box. Up to that (Saturday) evening the prisoner had been one of the stewards, but his term of office expiring he gave up a key of the box which he had formerly possessed. Witness left at about half past 10 o’clock, leaving in the room six persons, and among them the prisoner. The cash box than contained something over £18, tied up in two bags. The prisoner did not know how much the box contained.

P.S. Harrington stated that on Monday he went to the prisoner's house, which is seven or eight rods from the “Harrow,” and near the back door he saw a footmark. He traced footmarks round to the back of a barn in a field adjoining the house. With the prisoner’s leave he searched the house afterwards, giving information to his superintendent, Mr. Ovenden.

Supt. Ovenden stated that on Tuesday he took the prisoner into custody at Stockbury, on the charge of robbing the friendly society. He said “I am willing to go, but I am innocent; I know nothing about it.” Witness subsequently walked up the road with the prisoner, who pointed to a gap in the hedge and said “I want to go through there.” Witness got through the hedge with him, and Godden without saying anything, kicked some stinging nettles aside and disclosed two small bags. These bags on being examined proved to contain the one £6 12s. 10d. in silver, and the other £5 in silver, and 14s. 10d. in copper coin. The prisoner’s wife had since given £4 14s. 2d. up to witness.

P.C. Brown had the prisoner in his charge. He said he had a wife and eight children, and he was very sorry. He should never have stolen the box on Saturday night if he had felt them as he did now.

A member named Charles Williamson, of Sittingbourne, deposed to the prisoner being left in the room alone on Saturday night, and a little girl named Maria Browning spoke to finding the box, which had been broken open, at the back of the barn situate in a field adjoining the prisoners house.

Mr. Jennings, the landlord of the public-house, deposed to not being able to find the box on Saturday night, but as he expected to find it in the morning, he said nothing. He, however, could not find it in the morning, and he spoke to the secretary, who informed P.S. Harrington of the loss.

The prisoner, who said nothing in defence, was committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions.

From the Southeastern Gazette, 10 April 1866.

ROBBING A FRIENDLY SOCIETY AT STOCKBURY.

Edwin Godden, 52, labourer, was charged with stealing a box, three canvas bags, and £18 9s. 3d., the property and moneys of John Jennings, at Stockbury, on the 24th March, Mr. Biron prosecuted, and prisoner was undefended.

Mr. Biron, in opening, stated that the prisoner was a member of the Stockbury Benefit Society, and there would be no difficulty in the ease, as the box was then in the keeping of the landlord. The case would have been different if the box had not been in his keeping, as in that case the prisoner could have pleaded that he was part owner of the property.

William Haynes, a shoemaker, said he was secretary to the Stockbury Benefit Society, which was not enrolled; it had been established over twenty years. The meetings were held weekly at Mr. Jenning’s, the prosecutor in this case. The moneys and goods of the society were kept in a box, of which he and two other officials kept keys. The landlord had the charge of that box between the meetings. On the evening in question the box was locked, and left in the corner of the room. When witness left, prisoner and two strangers were in the room. The box contained three money bags, in which was about £18. The box produced and the bags were the property of the society. The prisoner had been a steward, and gave up his office that very night.

John Jennings said he kept the “Harrow,” and that the box in question was kept by him from lodge meeting to lodge meeting. On the 20th he missed the box.

P.S. Harrington said that on the 26th March he went to prisoner’s house, and at the back of a barn he found some splints of wood. He had since fitted the splints with the box produced, and they corresponded. He found a hop pitcher that corresponded with a hole in the box.

P.C. Brown remembered receiving the prisoner into his charge on the 27th March. He said he was very sorry; he had a wife and eight children, and if he had felt on the Saturday night as he did then, he would never have stolen the box.

Supt. Ovenden said on the 27th March he went to the prisoner’s house, and charged him with the theft. Prisoner said he was willing to go on the charge; but he was innocent, and knew nothing about it. Witness left him for a time with the other policeman, and when he returned he told prisoner he must go with him. He then walked up the road for some distance, and said he wanted to go to a gap in a hedge. Witness went with him, and on the other side of the hedge prisoner pushed aside some nettles, and disclosed £14 10s. in silver and copper, in a brown parcel. Witness saw some footmarks from the prisoner’s house leading to the barn, and the measurement of the prisoner’s feet and the footmarks corresponded. Prisoner’s wife had since handed him £2 11s., making a total of £17 1s.

William Williamson, a member of the society, said, as he was leaving the club-room on the night in question, he saw Godden in the room by himself.

Maria Browning said that on going to the barn near the house, on the 25th March, she found the box produced.

Prisoner, when called upon for his defence, merely said he did not break the box open.

The learned Chairman said that if the society had been enrolled the property would have been vested in the trustees; as it was the landlord being in charge of the box, that was sufficient to lay the property in him, just the same as in the case of a carrier carrying goods, who though not in the ordinary sense of the word the owner, yet legally, if taken out of his custody, the property was said to be in him. The chairman then summed up the evidence, and the jury found the prisoner guilty.

Prisoner called witnesses to character.

The Chairman said there were peculiarities in the case in which made the Court inclined to take a merciful view of it. The prisoner had borne a good character, and had lived for a long time in one service, and he had done all he could to make restitution. Under these circumstances, he should sentence him to three months’ hard labour only.

From the East Kent Gazette, 23 March 1912.

For Sale, Mare (Black Welsh), 15 hands, suitable for van work. W. G. Russell, The "Harrow Inn," Stockbury,

East Kent Gazette, 6 July 1912.

Venturesome Ride Down Stockbury Hill.

An accident caused by venturing to cycle down a steep Hill at Stochbury, with only one break on the machine, set up injuries and shock which ended fatally. The cyclist was Mr. John William Ruler, age 75 years, who for the past two years had lived in retirement at York Cottage, South Street, Stochbury. For 20-years Mr. Ruler had been employed as an engine fitter in Chatham Dockyard. On his retirement he received the gratuity from the dockyard, and a pension from the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. He have been twice married, and he leaves a family who are all married, and are settled in different parts of the world. Mr. Ruler was an ardent abstainer, and he used frequently to speak at temperance meetings. He was also a non-smoker and a vegetarian.

The circumstances which lead up to his death were investigated on Tuesday evening, at the "Harrow Inn," Stockbury, before Mr. C. B. Harris, county coroner, and the following jury:- Messr's. Shirley Hales (foreman), G. J. Giles, B. Parsons, G. Turner, W. Palmer, W. Price, W. G. Russell, C. Hales, E. Conley, E. Seager, J. W. Bolton, F. Spratt, and C. Hughes.

Mrs. Emily Ruler, the Widow, gave evidence of identification, and then went on to say that soon after 10 o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, June 19th, the deceased left home to cycle to Sittingbourne. He have been used to cycling for a number of years. He was brought back home about 11 o'clock, having met with an accident. He told her that he was cycling down Honeycrock Hill, near Stockbury Church, and it was rather a bad Hill. He had only one brake, and that was on the hind wheel. Witness said her husband and taken away the brake on the front wheel to put on a new carrier.
Asked by the Coroner if the deceased had had an accident before, Mrs. Ruler replied in the affirmative. She said he was going down Detling Hill on the previous week, to meet her at Maidstone, and he nearly fell off then. He said the machine wobbled, and he nearly had an accident. Witness explained that he had taken off the front brake nearly a month before.

Confining herself to the accident in question, Mrs. Ruler said the deceased told her that he was thrown off. He said the machine wobbled, just as it did when he was going down Detling Hill. He told her that he lost control of the machine, and was thrown off.

The Coroner:- I see there are several spokes on the front wheel gone, and marks on the toe of his boots, as if his foot caught in it did he say anything about that?

Witness:- He said the spokes were gone, but he did not know anything about it.

Continuing Mrs. Ruler said the deceased was much shaken, but was quite conscious. He was brought home by Mr. Moss and another man. He complained of pains in the groin. There were no bruises, but there was a deep cut on the left elbow.

The Coroner:- He did not run into anything, or anything running to him?

No, sir.

He only said he wobbled and fell off?

Yes.

He described it as a pure accident?

Yes.

How did he come to ride the machine after the accident at Detling?

Mrs. Ruler said her husband seemed all right before he started. he cycled to Newington the day before the accident. The deceased kept his bed; but he always complained about his groin; and he died at 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

The coroner:- Are you quite satisfied that it was a accident?

Yes. That was how he described it to me.

Dr. a. E. McAnally, of Newington, stated that it was called to see the deceased on June 19th, and he found him lying on the sofa, groaning considerably from pain in the left hip and thigh. There was also a punctured wound, the size of a shilling, on the left elbow. There was no injury to his foot, as though he had put his foot to the spokes. The deceased went on fairly well, except that he complained of being faint whenever he moved. The wound in the arm was healing quite naturally. The doctor added that when he first saw the deceased he was suffering from shock.

The Coroner:- Yes, I expect, having regard to his age.

Yes.

Continuing, the doctor said the turn for the worse was absolutely sudden. That deceased sat up in bed on Saturday, and witness had a long talk with him. He was told that the deceased died at 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

In answer to the Coroner, Mrs. Ruler said:- He had no idea of dying; not had I. He complained of a pain, and I got some oils and commenced to rub him, when I noticed that he looked strange. I then went for a neighbour, and when I came back found he had gone.

The doctor said he attributed death to sudden heart failure due to shock from the accident and his age. Dr. McAnally said the deceased told him how it happened, and his account of the accident was exactly as he (witness) had heard the widow say.

A son of the deceased was present at the enquiry said his father used to ride with loose bearings.

The Coroner, in summing up, regretted that the deceased did not take the warning given to him when he had the accident at Detling Hill in the previous week.

The jury then returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased died from heart failure, following shock from an accident that was sustained through a fall from a bicycle.