THIS IS FINDON —  www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

WILLIAM WILKINS' MISTAKE

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002

First published in the Findon News, July 2002.

William Wilkins was a Findon labourer in the days of Queen Elizabeth I and in 1558 he took a chance at supplementing his income.  

Food stocks were low and on a dark evening at the beginning of winter, the 3rd November 1558, he broke into a sheep pasture described as on “le Downes” in Findon.  There was a skirmish and a scuffle as he stole eleven sheep from the shelter of the shadows.  The flock was agitated and voiced its concern as some of their number slipped away in the darkness.   William Warne owned the sheep that disappeared into the night and he valued them at 22s.  

Maybe thinking he had successfully got away with this escapade, Wilkins attempted a similar act on 12th November 1558.   Wilkins had made a mistake in attempting the same crime again.

He entered the common close of Findon.  Not a creature stirred in the blue mist of evening.  That is until he proceeded to seize and drive off fifteen protesting sheep.  They were reputedly worth 30s. and belonged to John Halle.   Wilkins also drove off a further group of ten sheep worth 20s. owned by William Walls. (Probably sheep belonging to different owners were pastured together in large flocks in those days).

On 20th November 1558, three Findon husbandmen, William Walls, John Halle and William Warne came before the Justice of the Peace, Thomas Bishop, and entered recognizances to give evidence against Wilkins. 

Wilkins was caught and indicted for grand larceny and on 4th January 1559 was at Lewes Sessions before Sir Nicholas Pelham, John Culpepper, John Ashburnham, Drew Barentyne, Josh Hussey, J.P.s and a grand jury.   

He was brought to Horsham Assizes almost six months later to the day, on 6th July, 1559.   The forbidding judges were Serjeant Ralph Cholmley and Gilbert Gerard, Attorney-General.  Thanks to his neighbours the evidence was against him and sentence was passed.   Fortune did not smile on William Wilkins of Findon.  His knees must have collapsed beneath him as he was found guilty on both counts. 

Continue if you would like to read about a 16th century Pig Thief in Findon.                  

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THIS IS FINDON — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.