The Lieflock Line, Wootton Rivers and Tangley Trees

An item in the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette of Thursday 18 September 1890 reported that 'Henry James Lovelock, a young man apprenticed at Mrs Watley's iron foundry, was charged on remand with stealing two florins and two shillings from a till in the bar of the King's Arms Inn, Pewsey, on the 77th inst. Mr George Plank is the landlord of the inn, and on Sunday night, the 7th inst., about seven o'clock prisoner, who was with two companions in the tap room, suddenly got up and left them. He remained away for some considerable time and eventually Mrs Plank, the landlady, went into the bar and found Lovelock with the till half open and his hand in it. She seized hold of his hand, in which were the two florins and two shillings. She at once sent for the police and charged him with the theft. He was taken into custody and brought before the magistrates on the following Monday, when he was remanded until the petty sessions. He now pleaded guilty and expressed regret for what he had done. He was sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour.'

From 'The Portsmouth Evening News' of 9 October 1886:

'Henry James Lovelock, 14, of 3, Park Street, Forton, was charged with stealing from the Marine Barracks a case of surgical instruments, value £2 2s - Corporal George Wright-Barfield, of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, stated that yesterday the prisoner's mother brought him to the barracks to see if he was big enough to pass as a drummer. Witness measured him, and soon after he was gone missed the case containing the instruments. - Prisoner was remanded until Tuesday.'

He was brought up on remand on 16 October, pleaded guilty and fined 11s.

From 'The Gloucester Citizen' of 13 Feb 1902:

'A remarkable system of alleged wholesale robbery was revealed at the Newport Police-court on Wednesday, when Henry James Lovelock, alias Bishop, who has been committed to the Monmouth Assizes by the Pontypool magistrates, was brought up from Usk gaol , under a writ of habeas corpus, to answer several charges of stealing passengers' luggage, the property of the Great Western Railway Company, as carriers, from the Newport railway station. Prisoner was committed for trial att he Monmouth Assizes next week.'

and this on 20 Feb 1902:

'Monmouth Assizes: Henry James Bishop (26), labourer, pleaded guilty to two charges of larceny at Newport, in January last, and was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment with hard labour. There was another charge against prisoner of attempted assault on a little girl at Abersychan on December 31st. He was found guilty, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour.'