History
Piddington People
William Dumbleton (1858-1880) and the Piddington murder
by Sandra Lewis née Dumbleton
On 3rd February 1880, Thomas Plenderleith, a travelling draper, was walking along the Ludgershall Road when he spotted a hat on the ground. He stopped to pick it up and made a grisly discovery. The body of John Edmonds, known as Gentleman Johnny, was lying in a ditch with his throat cut. By the end of the day, 21-year-old farm labourer William Dumbleton was in police custody facing the charge of murder.
William’s arrest was based on the fact that he had initially lied to the police about being in the Seven Stars public house in Piddington the night before and that he also had spots of blood on his clothes. After initial inquests, held in Ludgershall, William was charged with murder and sent to trial at Northampton Assizes.
It took the jury just 30 minutes to find William guilty. The judge handed down the only sentence that he could at the time, death by hanging. On 10th May 1880, at Aylesbury Gaol, William was hanged and later buried somewhere in the grounds of the gaol.
This is William’s story and why I believe he was not solely responsible for the murder.
William’s arrest was based on the fact that he had initially lied to the police about being in the Seven Stars public house in Piddington the night before and that he also had spots of blood on his clothes. After initial inquests, held in Ludgershall, William was charged with murder and sent to trial at Northampton Assizes.
It took the jury just 30 minutes to find William guilty. The judge handed down the only sentence that he could at the time, death by hanging. On 10th May 1880, at Aylesbury Gaol, William was hanged and later buried somewhere in the grounds of the gaol.
This is William’s story and why I believe he was not solely responsible for the murder.
William Henry Dumbleton was born on 27th March 1858, just ten days after the death of his father, who was also called William. William had a number of half-siblings from his father’s first marriage, to Ann Marches. His mother, Elizabeth Barrett, married William Dumbleton in 1854. Elizabeth already had a daughter, Rosenea Barrett, who was born in Bicester Union Workhouse in 1851. Rosenea’s father is unknown but there is a possibility that William (Snr) was also her father, as just a few months after her birth there are marriage banns for Elizabeth and William. William was 64 at the time the banns were read in 1851. I have often questioned why a man of his age in the 1850s would want to marry a woman who already had an illegitimate child. My personal thoughts are that Elizabeth and William had a sexual encounter which resulted in the pregnancy. Maybe she went to the Workhouse to give birth as she did not have anywhere else to go.
After the death of William Snr in 1858, Elizabeth went on to have several more children: Albert Edwin, Ann Selina and Ellen. It is not currently known if these three children all shared the same father. At the time of the murder, William, his mother and his siblings lived in a building somewhere on Lower End. The property was rented and had a shared privy. The land and buildings were accessible by everyone.
There were a number of comments about William’s mother and his upbringing in the newspaper articles about the murder. They did not paint her in a very good light. She was often described as a crass woman who smoked a pipe. The judge, Mr Justice Lindley, actually spoke of the possibility of leniency in the sentencing of William due to his ‘rough’ upbringing, but this never happened. The newspaper reports at the time were full of incorrect information; they were very prejudiced and reported the story in a manner that left no scope for William to be found anything other than guilty. Even in court, before the jury had heard any witness testimonies, Justice Nathaniel Lindley made an address that made it very clear that he was certain of William’s guilt. William had no legal representation at any point up until the morning of the trial. He was appointed a solicitor, Mr Kennedy, at the start of the trial. Kennedy had no time to prepare a defence case. William did not stand a chance of proving his innocence.
There were also a number of inconsistencies in the evidence given by witnesses in the trial. For example, Mr William Bond, a surgeon from Brill, carried out tests on the victim’s body and on the blood spots on William’s clothes. He initially stated that the arteries and veins in John Edmonds's neck were left intact but, in the trial, stated that the arteries and veins were completely severed. This inconsistency was never questioned. In respect to the blood on his clothing, William said that he had cut his hand earlier. There was indeed a cut on his hand but when it was examined it was believed to be an old cut. William then stated that he had rubbed ash into the cut to dry it out; this was a known remedy for stopping bleeding and could age the wound. William also said that he had killed a blackbird and that some of the blood on his clothes was from the bird. When William was searched, bird feathers were found in his pockets. Testing of the blood on his clothes did show a mix of mammalian and non-mammalian blood. None of this information was discussed in detail at the trial.
It is believed that the main motive for the murder was robbery. John Edmonds was a travelling watch repairman. According to reports from the time, Edmonds would travel around mending and cleaning pocket watches. On the night of the murder, Edmonds was in possession of two pocket watches; one was his own and the other belonged to Edward Faulkner. When his body was examined, only one pocket watch was discovered. It is thought that William tried to rob Edmonds of the watch. However, the witness depositions show that William knew that Edmonds had two pocket watches on him that night, as Edmonds was showing them off in the Seven Stars and was letting people hold them. If robbery was the motive then why didn’t William take both pocket watches? William
was poor, he would have looked out of place with a pocket watch. He would not have been able to sell it on because people would know about the murder.
He would have had to leave Piddington and travel quite far to be able to detach himself from the crime and be able to sell it on.
On the night of the murder, William was in the Seven Stars public house, drinking with Thomas Walker, John Edmonds, Thomas Gibbons and Edwin Gibbons. Thomas Gibbons was William’s half-brother-in-law, as he was married to William’s half-sister Elizabeth Dumbleton, thus making Edwin Gibbons his half-nephew. The landlord, James Munday, states that all of the men left the Seven Stars at the same time, at 10pm. Initially, Edwin Gibbons lied to the police about being in the Seven Stars, saying that he wasn’t there that night. It is not known why he said this, or if there was any follow-up questioning about why he lied. Also in the Seven Stars that night was James Sharp. Sharp seems to be the only person in the pub that night who was never questioned by the police about the murder.
So, who was James Sharp? William named James Sharp in all of his three ‘confessions’. In his first two confessions, William states that it was Sharp who committed the murder and that he (William) had given his pocket knife to Sharp not knowing what Sharp had intended to use it for. The first two ‘confessions’ made to PC Esau Thorne and PC Avery were remarkably alike in content and stated that Sharp killed Edmonds. The third and final ‘confession’ was made to the prison chaplain shortly before his execution. In this version, William states that Sharp asked for his knife and, rather than giving it to him, he slit Edmonds’s throat himself. Considering the fact that all confessions should have been recorded verbatim, it is unlikely that William would have spoken in the manner in which the final ‘confession’ was written. William was an illiterate agricultural labourer; he would not have been able to read what that final ‘confession’ stated. Full details of each confession can be found online via various newspaper archive websites.
During the course of doing research into the murder it was discovered that James Sharp was a step first cousin of the murder victim, John Edmonds. Sharp’s mother, Ann Sharp, married John Edmonds’s uncle, Richard Edmonds. The Edmonds family all lived along High Street, Ludgershall. They would have known each other. Despite the fact that Sharp was named a number of times by William and that he was in the pub that night (although he left sometime before 10pm,
it is not clear exactly what time he left), he was never questioned. Sharp also attended the murder trial at the Northampton Assizes. That’s a long way to go for someone who was not important enough to be questioned and apparently had no involvement in the crime. James Sharp spent almost his entire life living in Ludgershall before dying aged 68 in Aylesbury. He never married and lived with his mother and then his half-sister, Julia Edmonds, for a number of years.
In September 2019, I was contacted by Chalkboard TV, the production company that makes the BBC 1 series Murder, Mystery and My Family. They wanted to feature the murder in their next series and wanted more information. I gave them my file on the case and highlighted the reasons why I felt that the conviction was unsafe. It was decided that there was enough information to film an episode. Over the course of four days, William’s great-great-niece Dawn and I filmed our episode. It aired on 24th July 2020. The episode is only forty-five minutes long and so there was a significant amount of information that could not be included. The outcome of the episode was that William’s conviction was a safe one. This is not a decision that I agree with but, given the constraints of filming, it was the outcome I expected. Whilst the series features both defence and prosecution lawyers as well as a judge (retired), the outcome would not actually overturn the original conviction. That would have to be done through proper criminal procedures and would be very costly.
All of the information provided can be found and verified online via The National Archives in Kew, ancestry based websites, newspaper archives and Google searches. The Dumbleton episode of Murder, Mystery and My Family is currently no longer available to view. I am hoping that it will appear again at some point. The research into the relationship between John Edmonds and James Sharp was conducted by Dawn Clarke, William’s great-great-niece.
I am happy to discuss this case and the Dumbleton family of Piddington. Should you wish to contact me then please send any comments or questions to the following email address: sandyllewis78@gmail.com
After the death of William Snr in 1858, Elizabeth went on to have several more children: Albert Edwin, Ann Selina and Ellen. It is not currently known if these three children all shared the same father. At the time of the murder, William, his mother and his siblings lived in a building somewhere on Lower End. The property was rented and had a shared privy. The land and buildings were accessible by everyone.
There were a number of comments about William’s mother and his upbringing in the newspaper articles about the murder. They did not paint her in a very good light. She was often described as a crass woman who smoked a pipe. The judge, Mr Justice Lindley, actually spoke of the possibility of leniency in the sentencing of William due to his ‘rough’ upbringing, but this never happened. The newspaper reports at the time were full of incorrect information; they were very prejudiced and reported the story in a manner that left no scope for William to be found anything other than guilty. Even in court, before the jury had heard any witness testimonies, Justice Nathaniel Lindley made an address that made it very clear that he was certain of William’s guilt. William had no legal representation at any point up until the morning of the trial. He was appointed a solicitor, Mr Kennedy, at the start of the trial. Kennedy had no time to prepare a defence case. William did not stand a chance of proving his innocence.
There were also a number of inconsistencies in the evidence given by witnesses in the trial. For example, Mr William Bond, a surgeon from Brill, carried out tests on the victim’s body and on the blood spots on William’s clothes. He initially stated that the arteries and veins in John Edmonds's neck were left intact but, in the trial, stated that the arteries and veins were completely severed. This inconsistency was never questioned. In respect to the blood on his clothing, William said that he had cut his hand earlier. There was indeed a cut on his hand but when it was examined it was believed to be an old cut. William then stated that he had rubbed ash into the cut to dry it out; this was a known remedy for stopping bleeding and could age the wound. William also said that he had killed a blackbird and that some of the blood on his clothes was from the bird. When William was searched, bird feathers were found in his pockets. Testing of the blood on his clothes did show a mix of mammalian and non-mammalian blood. None of this information was discussed in detail at the trial.
It is believed that the main motive for the murder was robbery. John Edmonds was a travelling watch repairman. According to reports from the time, Edmonds would travel around mending and cleaning pocket watches. On the night of the murder, Edmonds was in possession of two pocket watches; one was his own and the other belonged to Edward Faulkner. When his body was examined, only one pocket watch was discovered. It is thought that William tried to rob Edmonds of the watch. However, the witness depositions show that William knew that Edmonds had two pocket watches on him that night, as Edmonds was showing them off in the Seven Stars and was letting people hold them. If robbery was the motive then why didn’t William take both pocket watches? William
was poor, he would have looked out of place with a pocket watch. He would not have been able to sell it on because people would know about the murder.
He would have had to leave Piddington and travel quite far to be able to detach himself from the crime and be able to sell it on.
On the night of the murder, William was in the Seven Stars public house, drinking with Thomas Walker, John Edmonds, Thomas Gibbons and Edwin Gibbons. Thomas Gibbons was William’s half-brother-in-law, as he was married to William’s half-sister Elizabeth Dumbleton, thus making Edwin Gibbons his half-nephew. The landlord, James Munday, states that all of the men left the Seven Stars at the same time, at 10pm. Initially, Edwin Gibbons lied to the police about being in the Seven Stars, saying that he wasn’t there that night. It is not known why he said this, or if there was any follow-up questioning about why he lied. Also in the Seven Stars that night was James Sharp. Sharp seems to be the only person in the pub that night who was never questioned by the police about the murder.
So, who was James Sharp? William named James Sharp in all of his three ‘confessions’. In his first two confessions, William states that it was Sharp who committed the murder and that he (William) had given his pocket knife to Sharp not knowing what Sharp had intended to use it for. The first two ‘confessions’ made to PC Esau Thorne and PC Avery were remarkably alike in content and stated that Sharp killed Edmonds. The third and final ‘confession’ was made to the prison chaplain shortly before his execution. In this version, William states that Sharp asked for his knife and, rather than giving it to him, he slit Edmonds’s throat himself. Considering the fact that all confessions should have been recorded verbatim, it is unlikely that William would have spoken in the manner in which the final ‘confession’ was written. William was an illiterate agricultural labourer; he would not have been able to read what that final ‘confession’ stated. Full details of each confession can be found online via various newspaper archive websites.
During the course of doing research into the murder it was discovered that James Sharp was a step first cousin of the murder victim, John Edmonds. Sharp’s mother, Ann Sharp, married John Edmonds’s uncle, Richard Edmonds. The Edmonds family all lived along High Street, Ludgershall. They would have known each other. Despite the fact that Sharp was named a number of times by William and that he was in the pub that night (although he left sometime before 10pm,
it is not clear exactly what time he left), he was never questioned. Sharp also attended the murder trial at the Northampton Assizes. That’s a long way to go for someone who was not important enough to be questioned and apparently had no involvement in the crime. James Sharp spent almost his entire life living in Ludgershall before dying aged 68 in Aylesbury. He never married and lived with his mother and then his half-sister, Julia Edmonds, for a number of years.
In September 2019, I was contacted by Chalkboard TV, the production company that makes the BBC 1 series Murder, Mystery and My Family. They wanted to feature the murder in their next series and wanted more information. I gave them my file on the case and highlighted the reasons why I felt that the conviction was unsafe. It was decided that there was enough information to film an episode. Over the course of four days, William’s great-great-niece Dawn and I filmed our episode. It aired on 24th July 2020. The episode is only forty-five minutes long and so there was a significant amount of information that could not be included. The outcome of the episode was that William’s conviction was a safe one. This is not a decision that I agree with but, given the constraints of filming, it was the outcome I expected. Whilst the series features both defence and prosecution lawyers as well as a judge (retired), the outcome would not actually overturn the original conviction. That would have to be done through proper criminal procedures and would be very costly.
All of the information provided can be found and verified online via The National Archives in Kew, ancestry based websites, newspaper archives and Google searches. The Dumbleton episode of Murder, Mystery and My Family is currently no longer available to view. I am hoping that it will appear again at some point. The research into the relationship between John Edmonds and James Sharp was conducted by Dawn Clarke, William’s great-great-niece.
I am happy to discuss this case and the Dumbleton family of Piddington. Should you wish to contact me then please send any comments or questions to the following email address: sandyllewis78@gmail.com