How many eggs can you eat ?

Hertfordshire Mercury, 23rd May 1914

Transcript

At Hertford County Sessions. Abraham and Sophia Grey, both gypsies, were summoned for being unlawfully found in possession of 63 partridge eggs and 24 pheasant eggs, at Bengeo Rural, on 4th May.  Neither of the two accused appeared to answer the summons.

P.C. Williams said that, on the day in question, he had received a complaint about some gypsies fighting on the Chapmore End Road, and had been able to ascertain that the row had been about some pheasant eggs.  He had searched the defendants’ van and had found that it contained a box full of chaff, set into the floor of the van, but there had been no eggs in the van.  The Constable then went 60 yards along the road towards Bengeo and entered a field where he had found a pail under the hedge containing 63 partridge eggs and 24 pheasant eggs.  The pail had some chaff in it similar to that in the van, with some fresh blood on it, and there was also some wet blood on the pail.  The defendants had denied all knowledge of the eggs.

P.C. Hodder corroborated, and said that the defendants had been fighting, and added that they had been bleeding very much.

David Gladding, a labourer of Chapmore End, said that, on the day in question, he had been cycling home when he had come across the gypsies fighting.  He had jumped from his cycle and quieted them.  He had heard that the row was about pheasant eggs.  Someone had then taken him to the defendants’ van where he had seen the eggs in a pail.  Later on, the female defendant had taken the pail down the road and had entered the field with it.  She had returned without the pail.  The fight had been a serious one, as the gypsies were using a chopper and sticks, and they had all been bleeding.  He sent for the police.

The defendants were each fined £5 8s 9d, and 9 shillings costs or, in default, 1 month’s hard labour.

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