From the Kentish Gazette, 30 June 1857.

ASHFORD.

Caution to Innkeepers.

Richard Oakenfull, landlord of the "Coach and Horses" public-house, was summoned before the magistrates, on the 20th instant, at the instance of Major Manly, of the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons, for refusing to weigh the oats served by him to four horses of the regiment billeted upon him, when ordered to do so by that officer. A serjeant-major of the regiment, who was in attendance, said that Major Manly did not find fault with either the quality or quantity of the oats supplied; but the regulations were that they should be weighed, and upon his directing the defendant to do so, he said that he had no scales, and would not, and was very insolent to him; Major Manly thereupon bought a sufficient quantity of oats elsewhere, for which he charged the defendant, and directed the sergeant to take out a summons against him. The defendant, in reply to the charge, said he was very busy on the day in question, and was not able to borrow scales; but as the regulations demanded that ten pounds of oats should be supplied to each horse, he provided a bushel of oats weighing forty pounds for the four, and told the officer they weighed that amount. The magistrate said that by refusing to weigh them separately, he had incurred a penalty not exceeding £5, nor less than £2; but in consideration of the circumstances he would only inflict the mitigated penalty of £2. and costs; he must also pay the value of the oats, 8s., which Major Manly had purchased for the horses.

South Eastern Gazette 2 September 1862.

BURGLARY.

During Wednesday night the "Coach and Horses," Drum-lane, was burglariously entered. An entrance was effected by breaking a pane in the window of a back room which looked into the stable yard, and so undoing the fastening. The thieves appear, on entering to have taken some boxes of matches from a cupboard, in order to provide themselves with a light, and they then went and opened a desk, which stood in the room; but Mrs. Oakenfull, the landlady, had fortunately taken all the cash out before going to bed. The thieves, however, very coolly rallied themselves with the provisions in the cupboard, leaving the bones of some meat picked very clean, in a chair. There were also traces of their having helped themselves very plentifully to the beer. The only property missing, in addition to the provisions, was about a pound of tobacco and cigars, 4s. of copper from the till, and some under clothing; the thieves not attempting to force their way from the bar to the other parts of the house. The police believe the robbery was committed by some person who knew the premises.

Kentish Gazette 9 September 1862

Ashford Police Court, Friday: Before W.P. Burra Esq.

Two suspicious-looking women, said to be well-known to the police as thieves, were brought up in custody charged with being concerned in the burglary at the "Coach and Horses," Drum Lane, Ashford, on Wednesday night week. They gave the names of Jane Revel, of Richmond, and Sarah Walker, of Chillenden; but Sergeant Newman, of the Folkestone police stated that when apprehended Revel gave the name of Jane Jemima Castle. This that “lady” accounted for by stating that her mother was “not married when she had her,” so that she could take which she liked of her mother's two names.

Elizabeth Oakenfull stated that her husband kept the "Coach and Horses" beer-shop, Ashford. The house was broken into on Wednesday night or early on Thursday morning, the 27th or 28th of last month. She saw the house closed and fastened up at about twenty minutes past or half past eleven o'clock. Their son discovered the house had been entered in the morning.

Richard Oakenfull, son of the last witness, deposed that he came downstairs between 5 and 6 o'clock on the morning of the 28th Aug. He went up to his father's room and asked him if anyone had been in the night, as all the tobacco and cigars and meat had been taken. His father then came down, and they found that the back window had been broken, and the house entered; a quantity of things having been stolen.

Mrs. Oakenfull identified a shirt and two handkerchiefs, which were produced, as having formed part of the property stolen from the house. She had folded them up and placed them with other clothes in a basket the night before, and when she came down in the morning after the robbery she found they were missing. She was positive they formed part of the things stolen.

Thomas Newman, sergeant of police for the borough of Folkestone, stated that on Tuesday, the 2nd inst., he received information of the Swan public house at Folkestone having been broken into, and money and other property to the amount of £10 being stolen. From further information he received, he traced the two prisoners, who were in company with two men, to Dover, and from Dover to Canterbury, and at the Wellington public house, Broad Street, in that city, he found the prisoner Revel in company with one of the men, named Thomas Joy. She had a bundle, which he searched, and found it did not contain any of the proceeds of the burglary at Folkestone, but the man had a bundle which contained nearly all the property stolen from the Swan, with the exception of the money. The prisoner Walker with the other man was apprehended by another constable, and all four were taken to Folkestone. They were examined before the magistrates for that borough on the following day, when the two men were committed to take their trial for burglary, the women being discharged. The woman Revel, however, claimed the bundle found in her possession as her property, and in that the things which had been produced, and identified by Mrs. Oakenfull, were found.

Sergeant Smith, K.C.C., stationed at Sandgate, deposed that he met the prisoners in Folkestone on the 3rd instant. Revel was carrying a large bundle, and the other had a few things. In reply to questions which witness put to them, they both said they had got nothing but what belonged to them. On searching them witness found in their possession things which, in consequence of information he had received, he felt convinced had been stolen at Ashford. Revel at first claimed the shirt as her own property; she subsequently said it belonged to one of the young men who had just been committed. She said she had picked up the white pocket handkerchief in the street at Dover. A passport belonging to one of the men was found upon her, and he had other evidence that all four had been acting together. Serg. Smith also stated that there was a large quantity of property found in the possession of the prisoners that was of a doubtful character, and was doubtless the proceeds of similar robberies.

Mrs. Oakenfull described a quantity of the articles stolen from her house, and Sergeant Smith mentioned several of them which were now at Folkestone, and had been in a bundle in the possession of James Burns, the man with whom Walker was travelling about.

Superintendent Dewar therefore asked for a remand for a week to enable him to bring further evidence.

On being asked whether they had anything to say why they should not be remanded, Revel replied “The shirt was given into my hands at Dover by one of the men that are took up, to wash for him. The white handkerchief I picked up in Snargate Street, Dover.”

Walker: I know nothing at all about the case. I have got nothing – only what belongs to myself, and that the policeman has got on the table.

The prisoners were then remanded.

Sergeant Smith stated that after the two men were committed for the burglary at the Swan, Folkestone, a clear case of robbery committed by them at a public house at Sandgate was discovered. This occurred on Sunday night, and the prisoners must have concealed themselves on the premises when the house closed, and then let themselves out after the inmates had gone to bed. The landlord did not retire until 12 o'clock, and his son was up by five the next morning, when he found the door open, and a watch and other property taken away. The watch and other things had been pawned by the men. They remained hanging about the neighbourhood, and on Sunday broke into the Swan. Joy was a German, and his real name is not known, as he gave more than one name to the police; he is said to have been sentenced on a previous occasion to four years penal servitude. Burns has been discharged from the 17th Lancers. Walker is well-known as a thief. They all appear to have been on a thieving tour together, and it is fortunate they have been taken.

At the Borough Police Court, on Wednesday, Thomas Joy, 28, described as a baker, Jas. Burns, 20, engine driver, Sarah Walker, 23, and Jane Jemima Castle, 20, were placed at the bar, charged with feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Wm. Hall Robinson (the Swan Inn, Dover Road), and stealing £3 0s. 6d., in gold and silver, and 7s. or 8s. in coppers, 2 boxes of cigars, 1 silk handkerchief, 1 concertina, 2 coats, 1 monkey jacket, 4 clocks, 1 letter, 1 public house license, pair sugar tongs, 1 gold pin, 1 frock, and 1 child's coat. The robbery took place during Monday night, and on Tuesday the prisoners were traced to Dover, and from thence to Canterbury, where they were taken into custody. A portion of the missing property was found in their possession. The whole of the prisoners were committed for trial.

Kentish Gazette 7 March 1865.

DISTRICT INTELLIGENCE. ASHFORD. SUDDEN DEATH.

On Thursday evening Mrs. Oakenfull, landlady of the "Coach and Horses," expired in a very sudden manner. She had been bustling about during the day, and appeared in her usual health; but when sitting in her chair at tea she fell back and died. Mrs. Oakenfull was subject to disease of the heart, and it was anticipated that her end would be a sudden one.