Henry Thomas GILSON

GEDCOM Note

(Medical):There is another Henry Gilson in West Ham at this time, bu t born in Theydon Bois and married to Sarah. No trace of ours before 1 865
1865 31 Jul Mrge bachelor of full age, Bow, labourer, s of Henry Gils on painter and glazier
1871 Census West Ham lodging with widow of brother John. General labou rer & pensioner, widower.
No sign of Probate

The following Old Bailey report may refer to ours or t'other. He is sa id to be 18 yrs of age.

21 Oct 1839 2732. HENRY GILSON was indicted for feloniously assaultin g John Gilbert, on the 1st of October, and cutting and wounding him o n his head, with intent to main and disable him.— 2nd COUNT, stating h is intent to be to do him some grievous doily harm.

MR. BALLANTINE conducted the Prosecution.

JOHN GILBERT . I am gardener to Mr. Harris, of Stratford-green. On

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the 1st of October, about half-past ten o'clock in the morning, I wa s working in master's garden, and saw some boys in an adjoining fiel d belonging to my master— I went up to the top of our field, and said , What did you do over in this field?"— they said, We were not over i n your field"— I said, "It is false; you pushed the gate open, I saw o ne of you in the field but I don't know which it was"— one of them wa s very saucy to me, and I got over the fence, and got hold of him— h e threw himself down, and I bent down with him to pull him towards th e fence— as soon as I did to, the prisoner, who stood by at the time , said, "If you don't let him go I will do for you"— he then up with t he weapon whatever he had, and cut me across the head— I cannot say wh at instrument it was— my eyesight was taken away— I tried to get at hi m, but he jumped back— he was going to strike me again, but I held m y hands up, and fended the blow— I directly turned over in a kind of m isty and staggering way, and the blood began to run— I could not wor k for three days, I was so giddy— my head was cut about two inches— Mr . Rees, a surgeon, saw me.

COURT. Q. Before he struck you had you struck him? A. I never held u p a hand against him in any other way than to defend myself after I wa s struck.

ISAAC BENNETT . I am a labourer, and live at West Ham. On the mornin g of the 1st of October I was at work with some others, about a quarte r of a mile from Mr. Harris's, and saw four young lads come by— the pr isoner was one— he had an instrument which appeared like a crowbar, bu t whether it was or not I cannot say— about an hour afterwards I saw t hem come back again, running as hard as they could— the prisoner had t he same thing in his hand— I said, "What have you been up to now?"— h e said, "Nothing but skylarking"— a very few minutes after Gilbert cam e up, hallooing "Stop them, stop them"— his head was bleeding very muc h.

WILLIAM HOGG (police-constable P 2.) I took the prisoner into custod y on the 15th of October— I told him I had a warrant against him for a ssaulting John Gilbert— he said he only struck him in his own defenc e with a piece of iron hoop.

JOSEPH REES . I am a surgeon, and live at Stratford. I examined Gilber t on the 1st of October— there was a wound in the upper part of the he ad about two inches in length, which seemed to be inflicted by a blun t instrument— I do not think an iron hoop would be heavy enough to d o it— I found him very weak from loss of blood— he was not in a condit ion to work for three or four days.

Prisoner's Defence. I was coming across the fields, and met with thes e three lads— we went to the corner of the field— Gilbert spoke to one , and he said Eh" once or twice, as he was rather hard of hearing— h e instantly caught hold of him— I asked what he was going to do with h im, and directly I spoke he swung his arm round, and caught me in th e eye, and I then struck him with the hoop.

JOHN GILBERT re-examined. I never touched him.

GUILTY. Aged 18.— Of an Assault only.— Confined Six Months.