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Record Number: 24960

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Witness statement in trial for theft: John Peto: 'On Sunday night, the 26th of August, Bostock came to my house, about eight o'clock ... that was just about nine o'clock, when the policemen were relieving their men�after that we sat, and Stubbs read the newspaper out loud�I do not know what paper�it was about the trail of the man for using the cow ill�he read that aloud�my wife heard that�I do not know what the conversation was about the cow�we only talked about what a shocking thing it was�we were joking one another�my wife was in the room all the time�all eight of us ... I am not capable of reading�I do not know the name of the newspaper�I borrowed it from the public-house the time I sent for the porter'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

26 Aug 1838

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London
specific address: 1 Coleman Place, Banner Street, St Lake's
location in dwelling

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

William Stubbs

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

'criminal'

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

John Peto, Elizabeth Peto, their children, Thomas Bostock (family)

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

[n/a]

Title:

[newspaper]

Genre:

Law

Form of Text:

Print: Newspaper

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (other)
from the public house

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Source Information:

Record ID:

24960

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, 27 April 2009), 17 Sept 1838, Trial of William Mullins, Thomas Bostock, William Stubbs (t18380917-2182)

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, 27 April 2009), 17 Sept 1838, Trial of William Mullins, Thomas Bostock, William Stubbs (t18380917-2182), http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=24960, accessed: 03 March 2026

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Additional Comments:

Wife of witness, Elizabeth Peto, stated that she was in the habit of reading the newspaper on a Sunday evening