DAVID DURRANT 1807-1894
DAVID was well known in
the Fareham area of Hampshire as a poacher.
In 1888 he had printed privately a book of his exploits,"
Life of DAVID DURRANT the celebrated poacher" copies of which were given
to Members of his family, it is not known how many copies were printed, but it
is believed that only two copies still exist.
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DAVID
DURRANT |
Convictions against
DAVID |
DAVID DURRANT, of Southwick, son of David Durrant,who died at the age of ninety-three years David ,the son was born in the year 1807,on the 8th of June, in the Parish of Lovedean,and christened at Catherington. When he was a boy he put his parents to great trouble by going into peoples' gardens and orchards, and stealing apples and other fruit; and when living at Ratscastle,his father's garden was close to a copse, and he would sit for hours and watch the squirrels jumping from one tree to the other, and then he would get up these little trees, swing backwards and forwards until he could catch hold of the other one, and his mother once saw him and was afraid to speak in case he might fall. After a time they left Ratscastle,and lived at Crookhorn,and he was delighted in tieing things to the neighbour's cat's tail and throwing it into the pond, and stealing from their gardens, and other thing that was wrong.
One day he heard his father tell his mother Lord Caith had a bear which came from Moscow, and this bear would climb a tree and come down the same way as he went up, and David thought that he could do more than the bear, he went into Crookhorn copse and found a tree that there were no boughs until a good height, he climbed up and went over the bough, and came down head first; he went home to his father and told that he could do more than the bear, and his father did not know what he meant, and the next Sunday morning he had David down to the copse to show him the tree which he went up, and when David showed it to him he would not believe it, and David said I will go up and show you, but his father would not let him.
When sent to Bedhampton to school he was so bad that they could not do anything with him, and he was turned away from there.While he was away from school he saw a beautiful black-bird often in their garden and he thought of a good many ways to catch it,-he caught it at last. He was sent to Stakes to school, but he made the other boys and girls so bad, and his mother had to take his school money, because they could not trust him, and they told her about him, and he had to leave.
They went to Southwark to live, he went to school and was just as bad, and Holdon,the schoolmaster, was very hard on him, and used to flog him, but could not make him cry One day while he was in a class ,the teacher was in front of him, warning him and David's toe was over the mark, and the teacher stamped on his toe. David hit him in the face for it, then Holdon came in and flogged him for it , and when the others were gone David had to stay in. When the master was doing something at his desk, David saw a window open, and he jumped out; the master ran after him, but David ran through the river,-he did not go to school after that.
After David left school he went to work for Mr.Churcher,at Beckford, as a plough boy; when he left Churcher's he went to work for Mr.Dance, at Cumperhouse, as a plough boy, when he left there he went to work for Mr.Lansuit at Wanstead, for 4s.a week; when he left Wanstead, went to work for Mr.Hatch as under carter for 1s.a week, and leaving one morning he went into a field and picked up a hare, he took it to the farm and hung it up in the cow pen, and he went in the field to plough; he had some wire set in a copse, he went in and looked at them, and there was a hare caught, and in the night went to Purbrook
At this time the coaches ran from London, and he asked the man who looked after the horses at Purbrook if he knew any one who wanted to buy two hares, and he said "yes, the driver of the coach, and he will be here soon."
When he came he gave David half-a-crown for them. While David was handing up his hares he saw a keeper named Adams hand up something and he saw a hare's leg; then David went into the "Leopard," and Adams went in too, they had some beer and then they went home, and Adams asked David what he went to Purbrook for, and David said for his master, and they were talking, and David said only I handed up one side, and you the other, and Adams said, what, did you see me? and David said yes, and the hare's leg too; and Adams said, don't say anything about it, for I will not say anything if I see you out of the road, and David thought he was all right, for Adams would not say anything to him. And when he left Newland's farm he went to Offwell farm for Mr.Cawte, and from there to Mr.Foster at Southwick, as a wheelwright; when he left there he went to Mount Folley as under carter, from there to Clewer, at Hambledon, as head carter.
He was tired of horses, and went cutting wood for 1s.per day with James Stag, to learn copseing; and after learning copseing, he got married.
While David was working at Wanstead, the farmer gave him a gun and some powder to keep the hares and rabbits from the corn, and David bought some shot of his own and killed them, and sold them at 6d.each.But a bold poacher named Pratt told him the proper price of them, and learnt him the way to make wires, he found an old sieve and made some wires out of it; he went to Portsmouth and bought a gun for 7s 6d.,and would fire when bringing the cows home, but the keepers did not know it was him, and would ask him if he heard a shot, and he said yes, and show them the very place where it had been fired. But at last he was caught night poaching in Place Wood, by W. Houghton, and summoned, and had three months for it.
When he came out of prison he worked for Mr. Thistlethwayte, at Boarhunt farm, burning weeds, but still doing poaching, and was caught at Mounty Moors, by Mr. Northeast, was summoned, and had two months' imprisonment.
When David came out he went poaching again, and was caught by H. Houghton, at Portsdown Hill and had two months.
When he came out, he and his mate John Newland, went up to Lady Featherstone's poaching, and was caught, and both of them had two months each at Petworth.
When they came out of prison they heard that three new keepers were at Southwick, and they started poaching at Southwick, and in the months of February and March they caught one hundred and nine pheasants, and sold them at Portsmouth for 6s.each
Once a man named Henry Crockford asked David and a young man named Money, who lodged at Lodge farm, to go and steal some fowls from the farm, but David said he would not have anything to do with it, but Money got the fowls and gave then to David, and told him to take them and put them in Crockford's cart, and tell him that they were there, which he did, and Crockford asked Newland if he would buy them, and he said no, but went and told the farmer that David had took the fowls, and David was tried by the Rev. Wright, and was committed for trial, and waited six weeks for trial, because David would not tell on Money, the Rev. Wright said that David told him he took the fowls, and David was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment, and this hurt Wright's feelings, that he wrote a letter, and got David out before six months. In this case David does not wish any one to think he was really innocent, but as bad as Money, but he did not steal the fowls.
Once when he was in Tripley copse he found he was surrounded by a dozen or so keepers, and a man who was passing through the copse told him what they said: "Now they had got David in there they wood keep him until daylight." But David said no fear of that, and he went up to the top corner of the copse, and cut a hole through the hedge with his knife and then crawled through, took his nine pheasants, and went home; at the time they were going in to have him, David was at home and in bed.
At ten o'clock another night while he was poaching in Lodge copse, he had three pheasants, and it came on to rain very hard, and he got under a straw rick and made a big hole, and about half-an-hour afterwards three keepers came there for shelter, and Crook sat down in the same hole that David was in, and David had to move his feet away from Crook an inch at a time, and as it was getting morning Crook said to Ware go out and see how the weather is, and when he came back David heard him say, "My eyes, Robert, it rains hard enough to knock a dog down," and then Crook took out his watch and said, "Now, then, what is the time?" and Ware looked and he said, "ten minutes to six;" and Crook said, "I suppose that he (David) is gone home, and we will go too." And they got up, and Crook made a remark of Barfoot having so much straw, and Ware said: "Yes, I be surprised Barfit hav'en so much straw here," and they bid one another good morning Crook went his way, H. Gray his, and G. Ware his, and then David came out and killed two more pheasants, and then started home; crossing a field he heard some partridges, he shot at once and killed five, and then went home.
Another night while he was in Stable Cross copse he found that he was surrounded by the keepers, he got up a big ditch, and looked through into the road he saw some of them lying on the bank, he turned round and saw a small drain, he put his gun in his pocket and crawled up, and they searched the copse all over but could not find him, and it began to freeze so he came out and went home.
Night after night he went into Placewood and killed a good lot of game, and the keepers laid wait all round the copse, they could not find which way he went out, but he made his way through the park, and one night there was some frost on the ground and the next morning Houghton saw the marks of his boots, and the next night they laid wait for him, when Houghton, Crook and Williamson caught him; he was summoned, and had three months' imprisonment, then before he could get out he had to have two bonds for ten pounds each, and himself twenty pounds, not to poach for twelve months; and he thought he would go up the country to poach, and he had some very narrow escapes of being caught.
When the twelve months were up he came back again, he went to Dirly Ground and set some wires, and the next morning went to look at them, he saw Crook go in the copse, then David went in and laid down, and saw Crook walking towards him, and he saw him pick up some turnips which laid in the path, and then go home. David then went into Stable Cross copse, shot two pheasants and then went home. A few days afterwards David meet Crook, and Crook asked him if he got his wires all right, and David said no, you took them for me; and Crook said how do you know I took them, did you see me? and David said yes, and saw you take the turnips as well.
One day David was walking from the hill into Boarhunt, saw two young gentlemen looking at three pheasants which were in the field, and one of them said, "David, this young gentleman will give you half-a-sovereign if you go and catch him that cock pheasant. "David said," Is that right?" and he said "yes, but how long shall you be at it?" And David said "twenty minutes;" and David ran across the field ,drove the pheasants into the hedge, put down five hair slips, and caught two out of three, and took them back; he had ten shillings for the cock and half-a-crown for the hen. The gentleman said he did it in seventeen minutes
One day a gentleman called him into his yard to have a look at some game fowls, and he told him he would give half-a-sovereign if he could get a cock Pheasant to go with them; so David got up on Sunday morning and went out and caught one, and he gave him the money.
Once David went to Offwell farm and took a piece of work cutting barley, and there were some hares in there, and David went in the night and put down some wires, and when he went to work in the morning he had seventeen caught.
One day David was walking through Fareham two gentlemen stopped him and told him if he could get twenty pheasants for them they would give him five shillings each for them, David caught them and had the money.
Another gentleman asked him to get twelve pheasants and he would give him five shillings each, and David caught them in three days
Another time while he was living at Southwick he went to Pensley copse ,he had put two or three wires down and he heard some keepers come of the hill and come into the copse, soon he found he was surrounded by them, and he began to run, and he saw two hares in the wires, he took them out andran into another copse, and heard them shoot two or three times and then come down the lane, and he saw Martin on his grey pony, they were out
shooting. David looked round and saw a drain covered with bushes and grass, he put the hares up and then got up himself, and patted the bushes and grassafter him, and the dogs came and smelt the drain and then went on; David heard the men pass, and a few minutes after he crawled out and that were at the otherend of the copse, he looked round and saw three pheasants and two hares hanging to a tree, and the pony tied up, and masters long coat on the pony; he went up, took the pheasants, coat and two hares, and went to a big ditch full of leaves, and raked out, put his game and coat in, covered it over, and left it there until night, then went and got it, and in the pocket of the coat was a silk handkerchief and a halfpenny. He got for the four hares half-a-crown each, the pheasants three shillings each the coat fifteen shillings, and the silk handkerchief half-a-crown.
David had two mates, one J. Carter,the other H. Gates, but one night David and Harry had a quarrel, and Harry told Martin that it was David who took his game and coat, but Martin forgave David, because he must have been very clever and quick.
One night he thought he would go into Placewood; he thought the keepers were on the watch for him, so he got into the copse and went close to the keepers' house and under a box tree listing, and he heard five or six in the house, and after a time one of them came out and went back again, and there were four foxes barking in different directions, and the keepers let their dogs go after them, and after they were gone they went back into the houseand another one came our; just then there were some shots fired at Pensley, and all of them went towards it, and David listened and heard them go through the gate in the park and the other on the bridge at the pond, and then he got up and started shooting; he shot eight pheasants, and then went to Fareham and sold themfor three shillings each.
Another night he went with his gun to Stroud copse and shot a brace of pheasants, and then went on Portsdown Hill and hid them in some furze;then went up further and on a piece of waste ground saw some footmarks in the frost, and followed up to some bushes, he heard some partridges calling in thefield and he was just going to shoot, when he saw three or four keepers in the bushes, and he said you can come out there because I am not going to have them partridges, and then they came out and David said to them, when I come this way I always look in the bushes, and do you think that I should do anything while I saw them foot marks?
The same day David was walking through Southwick, and passing the "Red Lion," someone knocked the window and he went in, it was three of thekeepers and the landlord, they gave him a drink, one of them said you soon left Pensley the other night; and David said I was not there, but they said he was, and one bet him five shillings he was, and David asked him how he knew; he said I know your little footmarks, and David bet them five shillings ,at once the landlord held the money, and David said “I will bring it to you. Now if I was at Pensley, how should I have seen you let your dogs go after them foxes in Placewood?" and they gave in,-David had the money.
One night David went into Stroud's and he got five pheasants, and he saw one keeper close behind him, and he began to run through the copse andCrook after him calling to the others at the top of the copse to look out; just then David fell over a large stone, he picked it up and threw it up the copse and then laid down; Crook went after the stone and passed David, he then got up and went back over Boarhunt common, and got home.
Another night David and a young man named Knight went from Porchester to Pensley, and shot three pheasants, and to Stroud to make up the four;when they had got it and were going out, four keepers caught them, took their gun and pheasants and a stick which Knight had; they were summoned, had three months in prison, and had to find two bonds for ten pounds, and themselves twenty pounds each not to poach for six months.
David had another mate, Punch Coaker, and they went to Sussex and began poaching. Early one morning they caught nineteen live pheasants,and they had just got into the road when a keeper came by, and his dog smelt the basket where the pheasants were, and David said," If you had thrown that stinking meat away when I told you, them dogs would not have smelt it," and he, Punch, said "no" They had a talk together and wished each other good morning and departed.
Another time when David was in Sussex he had all bad luck up to Saturday, and only caught one pheasant; on Saturday he went into a public house,and there was a man whom he knew, he told David where he could catch some pheasants; David went where he told him, he put down some slips and drovebut did not catch any, he looked over a field and it was covered with pheasants ,he ran down the middle of the field, and they all ran in, he drove it and made fifteen, and the other made sixteen. When he was packing them in his basket he heard another one in a slip, which made seventeen; he took them to Portsmouthand sold them for six shillings each.
By this time the six months were up, and David went into Plant copse, and there was a good lot of birds; he had some wires down, he took themand had four hares caught; he went to North Fareham and sold them for ten shillings, and bought barley off the same man as he sold the hares to. Then went into Plant copse, put the barley down and some slips, and when he worked them in the morning he had twenty-three caught, twelve were alive and eleven dead; he sold the twelve live ones for six shillings each and the dead ones for half-a-crown each
Another time he went into Damson-row and put down some slips, and going back into the road he saw the head keeper shooting in some turnips, butcould not see the others, and David's daughter and another woman were picking up some wood, and David told them to go in the row and pick some up, alsoto look about and see if there were any pheasants in the slips, also to look about and see if there was any one coming, and if so to take notice of the pheasants and say we will let them stop, and tell father and he will come to get them out; and they went, and the first thing they saw was the keeper covered over with smallboughs, and five pheasants, and she said the same as David told her; he told them to be quick and get home with them, and David sold them at Fareham for three shillings each.
Another day David took his gun and went on Mr.Leggate's ground and shot at some partridges, when he heard a horse galloping across the field; David ran down and got into the dale to watch the man ride towards Fareham, and he thought it was for a policeman, so David got on the railway line and walked into Wallinhton, and he knew a woman who lived there, he went in and told her he shot some partridges in a field and the spot to go and pick up some wood,and bring home the partridges; she went and picked up seven, and he gave her eighteen pence, and he said I will leave it all here and go up in town for I thinkthere will be some one waiting for me; he went, as soon as he got into Fareham, a policeman came up to him, and said "David, I want to see what you have got about you," he pulled some feathers out of his pocket, and asked him how he came with them; and he said," I always picks a feather up when I see it laying about;" then they left each other, David went back and got his gun and partridges, and sold them for three shillings a brace.
Another time David went to North Fareham and he saw a number of partridges under a rick; he shot at them and killed thirteen. The same week he killed sixty-three partridges, two hares and three pheasants; he sold the partridges for three shillings a brace, the pheasants six shillings a brace, and two hares three shillings each.
Another night David went to Gulley copse on Delme's estate, and found where the keeper fed his birds; he then went home, and the next night went again, and saw a hare's run, he put down a wire and then went close to the feed and sat down in some furze; as soon as it was daylight he began making slips, he saw the keeper feeding his birds, and David said to himself," that's it old man, feed well and I will catch them:" as soon as the keeper was gone, David put down sixteen slips, and caught eleven pheasants; after he had packed them in his basket he went to look at the hare wire, and it had a hare, he soldthe pheasants for three shillings each and the hare for three shillings.
Another night he went to Hill copse on the same estate, and shot six pheasants, when he heard the keeper's dogs barking, and he thought it was another keeper come to tell the other, and the dogs left off barking; then David started home, and as he worked up to another tree he saw a pheasant and shot it; he sold them at Fareham for three shillings each.
A night or two afterwards David went to Hill copse again, and shot one pheasant; he thought the keepers would stop there all night waiting for him,so he went to Hazel copse, and stopped there until morning; he put down slips, caught five pheasants, and sold them for three shillings each.
Another night David and Punch Coaker went on Portsdown Hill, and set two or three wires alongside the road, but did not get out of the road,but when they turned the corner to go to Southwick, two keepers came out of the furze and called to the others, they said David and Punch came out of the field; and when the other keepers came they began fighting with their sticks ,and hit David on the head and nose, and made it bleed, and one of them hit David's gun and it exploded, the shot went down close close to his ankle into the ground.
They took them to Fareham, and they went into a public house and had some refreshments, and then went up to the police station, and while theywere waiting for the policeman to open the gate, David let the barrel of his gun down in a hole, and a gentleman saw it after they were gone in, went and picked it up, took it home and kept it until David came out of prison.
While they were searching them one of the keepers said to the Superintendent, "Sir, David has the barrel of the gun in his pocket," and David said "no,"and they could not find it; they looked where they caught them and where they stopped, but could not find it, for the gentleman had taken it, and David did not know, and neither did the keepers. For this they had three months in prison. When they came out the gentleman gave David the part of his gun.
One day Thistlethwayte's party were shooting in Dansmoor,and David saw a keeper hang seven pheasants up to a tree, and soon as he was gone David took them, and sold two for three shillings each the other five for half-a-crown each.
When the farmers went shooting at Pensley they hung the rabbits up to a tree, and David took them and sold them for eight pence each.
Another time David went to John Baggs beat, and put some wires down in two different places, and when he went to look at them, Baggs had takenthe first lot up, David went to the next place and there were five pheasants; he then went home, and Baggs showed Crook where he took the wires and pheasants from.Crook went on to the other bunch of furze, and he saw where some more had been caught, and said to Baggs, "John, David and you have been shares."
Another time David went into Bushey-row and put down some slips, then broke up his dinner and threw it about, he then hid himself until daylight and then took them; he had a wood pigeon and three pheasants.
He then went along outside of the copse, and heard some one talking, he crawled up the bank, when it was Baggs and Goodridge; Baggs said to Goodridge," I want my breakfast;" and so do I," said Goodridge; then Baggs said, "if you hear any thing of him let me know, for it is a job for one to catch him." They then went home, and David had caught two more pheasants.
He then went to Rook's row, put down ten slips, and caught a hen pheasant; he hid it; he then went into Widley row and caught three hen pheasants,then went to get his basket, which his mate, Punch, helped to carry, when they met a keeper named Crook with a large fish, he laughed at David and went on;David and Punch went into a beer shop, and when they got inside, Tarrant, the policeman, put his hand on Punch's shoulder to see if he had a gun, and he said,"if he had any money he would give them some beer," and he wanted to play them at bagatelle, but David told him, if he played he did not have any money to pay, and that shut Tarrant up ;and David went out, but the landlord called him into a little room, and David took the four live pheasants out of his pocket and putthem in a bag which was there; then Tarrant came out to see where he was gone, and thinking he was against the pigstye, asked the landlord how his pigs weregetting on; he said," come and have a look at them;" they went out, David then went into the tap room, got his other pheasants, and put them into the room, then went back and sat with Punch, and when Tarrant came in he did not know where David had put his pheasants, and he asked the landlord, but he said he did not know.
Then Tarrant went and waited for David on the Hill, but a man told David, so he went another way and sold the dead pheasants at Porchester for half-a-crown each, and the live ones at Fareham for five shillings each.
Another night a man came to David and asked him to get him a pheasant because he was hard up; David took his gun, and both of them went to Millat's copse, and David told Cook to stop in under a tree whilst he went down to the copse; there he shot two pheasants, and then went back to Cook, they then wenthome, and on the Hill two policemen came and stopped them, when Cook ran away with the birds, but they took David's gun away, and he was summoned;Tarrant swore that the two shots were fired at Stroud, and David had two months for it.
After he came out of prison, he went to Dirty Ground, and was looking up a tree when he fell backwards into a deep ditch and got very wet, he then went into the copse, shot two pheasants, then went home, and sold them for six shillings.
Another time David went into Taperash and caught one hare; he left some wires there and went home, he sold the hare for three shillings; he told his mate about it, and he went with him to look at them, but David, thinking that Crook would be waiting for him, would not go in, and told his mate not to go in, but he would; he went in and soon began to run, with Grey after him, when he picked up two stones and told Grey not to come any further, but he was summoned, and had a month's imprisonment. Crook told David that it was a wise plan not to go in himself, but the could not hurt David as he was not out of the road.
While David was living at Landport, one day he was walking round Camphouse and saw a great many pheasants in a meadow, and he thought that they slept in Camphouse moor; he came up again in the night and hid himself. When Small was feeding his birds David was making slips, and as soon as he was gone David put some slips down the middle of the copse and drove them hard,he caught seven pheasants, he took them out, re-set the slips drove the other end, and caught eight, he took them home and sold them for twelve shillings a brace.
Another day he went to Camphouse and caught three birds and took the keepers ferret, and put a slip as high as his head for thekeepers to see, and then went into Wheathouse copse and caught four pheasants, and sold them for six shillings each, and the ferret for half-a-crown.
Another night he went to Southwick common, and stood under a tree, when Andrew Adams came by, and said to him," David, there is anice lot of pheasants down in the moor;" David said" all right" Adams went and told Crook, when Crook came dressed like a navvy to catch David, but David heard a pheasant fly up, and he thought some one was about, he crawled up a drain and saw Crook looking through the wood,he then passed by, and David got out of the drain and was going home when he met a man, who told him to look out, for Robert meant to have him.
One day David and Punch went to Driblit's copse and laid down some slips, and caught four pheasants, and put some slips close to the bank so as to catch some as they came in, and David gave Punch sixpence to go to Purbrook and stop there till he came; Punch met him and told David there was a raffle for a gun, and Wigmore was in it; David said we will raffle him out of two or three of his pheasants.
They went to Plant copse and shot five pheasants and when Wigmore was going home he heard the shots and began to whistle, and David said we will not go yet, for he is afraid to come to us: but he left of whistling and they thought he was gone to get some one else, so they went on to Widley lane and waited under a Rick, when a policeman went by, and David said to Punch, I will go and get my bag;"he went and got his bag, looked at the slips, and there were two more birds caught, he heard Baggs shut his door, and saw him go close by him; then David went back to Punch, and they had some wires in Widley row, they went in and there was a hare in a wire, but they did not touch it, and they went on two or three steps more, when Baggs and Wigmore jumped out and caught them; Punch knocked Wigmore down, and theytook them out in the lane, where they met the farmer, and Baggs said to him, "Mr.Keal, can you give these men a drink of beer, for they have beenout all night?" Then Baggs went and spoke to him quite, and he said "come in" they went in and had some beer and bread and cheese. As soon as David had eaten his he wanted to go home, because he thought some one was gone to Purbrook for a policeman, but the farmer said if we stop we might have some more beer, but David said I do not want any more, and got up to go home, and Baggs said "We can not go yet, for the door is locked;" but David, said"If it is not unlocked, will soon unlock it, or go through the window;" they then unlocked it, and Baggs andWigmore went one way, and David and Punch the other, but they watched the keepers, who went and took David's bag and pheasants, and they fired off the gun, and David, and Punch was summoned and had two months in prison.
Afterwards David went to Portsmouth and slept at his sisters, who persuaded him not to go poaching any more; he said he would not,and made up his mind not to, and burnt some wires. He worked there, and Saturday night went home to give his wife some money; but a shoemaker who lived next door told Brinsted, the policeman, that he was home, so he came to his house and asked his wife if he was home;she said" no," he said" that is a lie, he is upstairs, and I am going up to get him;" so he went upstairs, and as soon as he came within reach of David, David knocked him down the stairs, and he did not come to himself again until the Monday morning.
When David's wife got out of bed, she looked out of the window and saw Brinstead and another policeman outside the door, she told David, and he said " you get up and light he fire, and make the kettle boil, then put the poker into the fire and make it red hot."
When she had done it, she called David, and he got up, he then opened the door, asked the two policemen to come in and wait until he had his breakfast, and told them if they handled him they have to handle the red hot poker.
Then Brinstead,the sergeant, told the other to go in and fetch him out; but he said" no, you go," but they did not; and after he had hisbreakfast he went out to them, and they were about to put handcuffs on him, but he said "no, not the two of you will not;" and they took him up to the station, where he was locked up ten days.
He wrote to Mr. Thistlethwayte to ask him to forgive him, but he said no, for Coaker was in prison and he meant him to suffer too; andDavid had three months.
One day whilst David was in Fareham market, a man asked him if he could get him four live hares, he would give him five shillings each. So David went into Ashley copse, and put down some wires and caught two birds; he took them to the gentleman who gave him ten shillings. The head keeper was watching them putting them in the cart.
While he was in prison he thought of a place where he saw some partridges, and could not get to shoot them, when he thought of a plana Frenchman had of catching larks, so he thought he would try it; he bought thirty yards of twine and made some horse hair slips and some stumps; he then went in the night and put them down, and when he looked at them he had thirteen ,and he sold them for half-a-crown a brace.
After that David went to Finchdean and caught two pheasants; as he was going down the copse he saw a keeper rabbiting, he then went back and caught two more, then he hid them in a bush and went and caught nine more, when he saw a keeper standing at his door, then he went and got the four and went to Portsmouth and sold them for six shillings each.
Once more while he was working at Oftwell thrashing peas, he put some of the peas down and some slips round a patch of brambles;he did this for seven days, and caught four or five every day, but the keeper missed the birds, and asked David if he even heard a shot inDamber, and he said "no, why?" "because" said the keeper," I have missed some of my birds," and David said "perhaps Houghton has got them down in the park, for he is very cunning, but I will see for you;" so David put some barley down close to the park, and told the keeper he hadfound Houghton's feed; but the keeper went and could not find it, then David showed it to him, because he had put it there himself, and the keeper thought it was Houghton that had it, but it was David all the time; and he sold them for half-a-crown and three shillings each.
But David did not do much poaching for a long time; and when he started he went along under the Hill in one of Martin's fields and picked up a gold ring. He went on and shot five partridges and then went home; he sold them for half-a-crown, and showed him the ring, when he offered him a pound for it, but David would not sell it, then he offered him five and twenty shillings, but David said no, and went home.
Afterwards his son came in and David showed him the ring, and he asked where he had found it, but David would not tell him, and David's son said that Martin had lost one, and they had been looking in some old iron for it. The next morning David went up to Martin and told where he found it, when Martin gave him ten shillings, and told him the next time he saw him he would give him some more, and the next time David met him he gave David five shillings.
Another time he went to Hipley Hommock and put down four slips, he caught three pheasants and hung them up to a tree, and then went to the "Chairmakers' Arms" public house and called for a quart of beer, and had some bread and cheese, he then went to farmer Churcher's stable and had a sleep, he then went back to the Hammock again, when he saw R.Crook pass, and then David caught four more pheasants,he then went into Goldsmith's copse and caught another one, which made eight; he sold them alive for six shillings each.
Another time David went into Wheathern's copse and putdown some wires, and was easing himself when Houghton came up to himand said," Here you are then, David, I see you have put some down at the bottom of the copse;" but David said "no," and Houghton said "I am going to search you? and David said "all right," and was going into the road, when Houghton caught hold of him, and they had a good tussle together, and Houghton felt the wires, but did not see them, but David was the best man, and Houghton could not search him, but David was summond, and the lawyer asked Houghton if he saw the wires, and he said "no," only felt them" and the lawyer asked him if he would swear whether the wires were fit for work? and he said" no," so they dismissed the case, and they told David he was too wide awake for Houghton.
Another time David took his gun and went along the Hill and saw J. Brinstead and Mr.Baker on Brinstead's ground shooting, and Davidwent along the edge and looked at them; Brinstead looked up and saw David, and called him in, and gave him some tobacco, and told him notto say anything about it. As David was going out of the field and was passing some furze, a keeper called Stacey jumped out and caught him, when they had a good fight for a hour-and-a-half, and Stacey called to Brinstead to help him, but he said "no," he would go to the village and send a policeman up;" but he did not. As they were fighting David's gun fell out of his pocket, and Stacey caught hold of it, and as they weretussling for it, David hit Stacey in the head and knocked him down, then put his foot on his breast and took the part of the gun away from
him and let him get up, and as soon as he got up he ran for the stock of the gun and picked it up but David took it away from him and tired him out, and he would not have any more of it.
Then David went home, and heard that there was a summons out for him; he went to Portsmouth, and one day he saw Stacey, and Stacey asked him to go and have a glass of beer, but David said no, he was not going to be caught by a glass of beer; but Stacey's brother-in-law said "come in, David, that is all right;" then David went and had some beer, and he had three months' imprisonment for it.
Another time he went on the Hill and shot a hare, then hid the gun, and went to Porchester and sold the hare for three shillings, and akeeper saw him hid his gun; when he was gone he went and took it, and when David went to get the gun it was gone. He then put down some slips down when two keepers, Marshall who had taken the gun, and Windebank the head keeper, came up to him, and said "Well, David, you are herethen," and he said "yes I am;" then they said "we are come to see what sort of a job you have made up here," and they went and found the slips, but did not touch him, but went and took a warrant for him; but David went away and poached, and stayed at the farm house on the Hill.
One day while he was in Mill lane Mr, Pitts came up to him, and said "Well, David, I suppose you are here catching my hares," andDavid said "I am not catching yours altogether, but if you can tell me your mark on your hares, and where to find them, as fast as I catch I willbring them to you;" and Pitts said "I am going to see Baggs about you;" when David said "I do not care for Baggs any more than I car for you"
One night when he was in the "Leopard" at Purbrook, a policeman touched him and said" You are my prisoner;" and David said"what is that for?" he said "I have a warrant for to take you ;"and he took him to his house, took his gun away, and then took him to Fareham,and he had three months, When he came out the master of the prison wrote a note to Harry, at Fareham, for David to have his gun, and Harry wrote to the policeman because he had it; at last David had his gun, but the policeman would not give him the powder and shot flask, andDavid told him he would write to the master about it, and then he gave it to him.
When David lived at Southwick a chimney sweep called at his house, and told his wife that Mr. Long wanted a brace or two of hares; and David said he would go and see him, and so David told him to come to the “Golden Lion,” and look behind the door, and he would be there. So David the next morning got up, and it was raining very hard, but he went to Fryer’s copse and pitched it, and caught four hares; he then went home and changed his clothes, and went to the “Golden Lion,” and sat behind the door, and put his his net under the table, when the sweep came in and took the basket up and took it out, he then brought the basket back with the money in it, and put it under the table, and three of the keepers were in the room all the time this was going on; and when the sweep was gone, W.Houghton said to David “how many did you have for him?” and David said ”four,” and Houghton said “four what?” and David said “four hares,” and where did you catch them?” David said “up in Fryers;” then David opened the basket and took out the money and put it in his pocket. A few days after David met Houghton, when Houghton said, “you spoke the truth the other day, for when I went up, and I saw where you caught them.”
Another night David went into Fareham’s garden copse and shot seven birds, he saw the keepers pass, and then he went out, and into Sheepwash row and shot another, and sold them at Fareham for three shillings each. And a gentleman sent a note to him for a brace of pheasants, and he got up one night, and there was snow on the ground, so David took his toe tips off and put them on his heels, and the heel tips on the toes so that they should not know which way he went; he went to Pensley copse and shot four, and then went home; his wife took them to the gentleman, and he gave her three shillings each for them. A few days after David met W. Houghton, and William said to him, “Well, David, have shifted your tips back again?” David said “what do you mean?” and he said, “you can’t deceive me, for I saw on the Hill that your tips were moved,” and he gave David sixpence.
Another day David and his partner were going along the Hill, and they fired a few times at some partridges, when his mate looked round and saw Grey, the keeper, and they got in under some bushes out of the wet,and Grey came up to them and said to David “ I am going to take your gun,” and David said “ not all the time I have got a drop of blood in my body;” and he began tussling with David, when his mate went up, and Grey hit him, he then hit Grey and knocked him over into a field in some water, and was going to hit him again, when David stopped him. They were summoned, and Grey swore he saw them crawling along Carver’s field, and shoot at some partridges, when he went up to him Davis’s gun was in his pocket and pointing upwards; David said it was a lie, for he never carried his gun like it in case of its going off; and then David asked Grey if he saw the birds, and he said “ yes; “ and then he asked how many there were, when he said he did not know; and he asked him if he saw them fly away, and he said yes; David then asked him which way did they fly, and he said he did not know; David then said to the Magistrates, “If that evidence be true, any thing would convict him,” and they dismissed the case.
Another time David was going Hoolheath farm, he looked into the orchard and saw apples laying down, and he picked them up, and then went on to a large straw rick at the corner of Big Hunt’s copse, and he put down some slips and caught five pheasants; he put some more down, and was passing by Baggs’ house and saw him, he said “You have been in some where, your pockets are well filled;” “yes,” David said, the main part of it is apples, will you have one or two?” and Baggs said “yes,” and David gave him some. He then went on to Purbrook and met a young man who asked David what he had, David told him, and he bought them and gave David fourteen shillings for them.
He then went into Purbrook and had some refreshment, and went back the same way he came, when he saw Baggs standing against the slips, and he went along the path with David and had a talk, and David went into Sawyer’s wood, and he stopped there until it was dark, and then went into the rick yard and covered himself over with straw and had a sleep. The next morning he went to the slips and saw Baggs behind the rick, and when David got to him Baggs said “you are just come out of there,” and David said “Out of where?” he said “I will summons you,” but David did not come out of the copse; but he was summoned, and when Baggs told so many lies before the bench, a policeman had to hold David, because he was going to hit Baggs; but they sentenced David to one month’s imprisonment. David said that any day he would he would be on his oath that he did not go in the copse at all, so they only gave him a fortnight instead of a month.
One night David, Lambeth and H. Whiting went to Paulsgrove and had some beer, then on to Wheatherse’s copse, and killed one pheasant, sold it for half-a-crown, and then went to Place wood and shot two pheasants, when they saw someone, and Lambeth and Whiting ran away, but David lay in the bushes; the three keepers ran by David, but caught Whiting and Lambeth and took them to Houghton’s house, and then David went up closer to Houghton’s house, and saw him go down to the lower style and wait for him; he then got into the furzewood, went home, and sold the two pheasants for half-a-crown each. The other two were summoned, and had a month in prison.
Another time David went to Moral’s copse, which is now grubbed, and put down four wires, and then went home and told his wife to go there and get some wood; she went and there was one hare caught, and she sold it for half-a-crown.
Another time David went to Placewood, and shot one pheasant, and he saw a policeman pass, and he watched him up to W. Houghton’s house, when both of them came back and went by David down the copse, then David crawled along and shot another pheasant, when they came back again, and went down another path, and then David went down to Wheatheare’s copse, and saw a hen pheasant, and while he was loading his gun saw a cock pheasant; he knelt down and got both of them in a line and shot the two; he then went into Newbarn row, shot three more and then went home, and sold them for three shillings each.
Once David was very hard up, and went to Mr. Thistlethwayte,and he gave him some refreshments and five shillings, and he asked David how many pheasants he caught in Aslet’s, and David said five;” And did you catch the white one?” said the esquire; and David “ No, Sir, if I had I should have got a sovereign for it, but I never had such good luck;” and then he said “I suppose I must believe you, for R. Cook tells me that you always tell them where you have been, but never tell them when you are coming again.” No,” said David, “I am guilty of a great deal of foolishness, but I am too wide awake for that.”
One Saturday night David went and set some wires, and early the next morning went and attended to them, when he had four hares and two rabbits; and as he was going along the Hill he met a bricklayer he knew, and he was talking to him and he said he did not get any meat for his dinner; and David said “ why don’t you have a rabbit pie for dinner?” and he brought one hare and two rabbits, and he gave David five shillings and a quart of beer and when he went to have the beer, the landlord asked him what he had, and David told him, when he gave him five shillings each.
Another night he went to Belney copse, and shot five birds, and was creeping up to a tree where there were six or seven on, when he heard a stick break, and he looked up and saw Houghton; he then walked backwards until he got out of sight, he then went into the meadow and was running with his head down, and fell over a cow, which sent him sprawling, and that was the only time he was frightened. He went into Aslock’s copse and shot another, and thinking the keepers would be in Sawyer’s wood waiting for him, he went into Placewood and shot two more, and sold them for three shillings each.
A day or two afterwards he met Houghton, and he said, “David, you was very quiet going over the bridges at Sawyer’s wood;” and he said, “yes I was,” but he was not there at all.
Now there was a dog who became great friends with David, and went poaching with him, and while David was setting wires Murphy would watch him, and the next morning when he went to look at them, he would say to Murphy “go on and see if there is any one about,” and Murphy would go, and if there was anybody, he would come back to David with his tail between his legs and go towards home; but if there was not any one, he would go to David jumping and then go into the copse, when David would then go in and look at the wires, and if David heard any shooting, he would call Murphy, and go the other way.
One day David was told that there was a nice lot of pheasants in Newbarn’s rows, and he pitched the top end, and caught five; he took them to Portchester and sold them for half-a-crown each. He was told that Windebank, the keeper, said “that he had heard a good deal of talk about old David Durrant, but he could never come across him at his work;” and David said “All right,” and he went to the bottom row and caught eleven; he sold nine for half-a-crown, and the other two for three shillings, because they were small.
Another time David was putting down some slips, he saw Small, the keeper, talking to farmer Whale and his shepherd, and David went and caught nine, and sold them for three shillings each. Another time David and Bob Northeast went to Aslock’s copse, and David was shooting at a pheasant, when the nipple of the gun was blown out into Bob’s cheek and knocked him down, and David picked up the bird, and was loading his gun, when he found the nipple was gone, and he said to Bob, “it is the nipple in your cheek;” and they went home and walked very steady over Sawyer’s wood bridge, for they thought that the keepers were there; and Bob went to the Doctor and had it taken out.
And one day while David was working at Porchester, Bob’s father came to him and asked him to go to Bean farm way and get some birds, so they went and killed seven in the daylight .Another night David, Bob and Bobs father went to Beachy copse, and Bob’s father went home, but they did not miss him for a long time, they killed four pheasants and then went home, and sold the pheasants for three shillings.
And another time two men came to David and told him there was a lot of pheasants down at Mr. Hewett’s, and they went and caught seven pheasants, two fowls and three rabbits, but they let the fowls go, and sold the pheasants for three shillings each, and nine pence the three rabbits.
They went again the next day, and David said that he heard some one, but they said “no, that is nothing;” and two keepers and some labourers came and caught them and took him up to Mr. Hewett’s, when David asked him to forgive them, but he would not, then he asked him for some beer, and he took them into the kitchen and gave them some bread and cheese and beer, then David said “I am cold, ”and got to the fire; when he saw that no one was looking he put the slips on the fire; and one of the men saw him, and he went up and put his on, and they began to pop, when David said “these leaves pop a great deal,” and got away. And a policeman came and searched them, but they did not have any thing; and Hewett asked David “what they were there for;” and David said “ he thought it was a likely place to pick up some acorns;” but Hewett said he would summons them for trespassing; and they took them up to Fareham, and locked them up, but David would not go, when they took out a summons for him, and they took, and when they put him in he began to sing, and they told him to stop, but he said “that birds sung when they were in a cage, and he was going to;” and they had two months in prison.
Another day David went to Down end farm and put some slips down, and when he went to look at them, Mr. James and his son were shooting, and James told his son to go and watch the birds, when he passed David, but did not see him, and when he got to the end he said to his father “they are all in some slips,” but David had taken them out, and gone; and when they came to look at the partridges, he said “ there is not half so many as there was just now,” and Mr. James said “ he was sure that it was David.” David took them to Fareham and sold them for half-a-crown a brace.
Another day David went to Stable Cross and put down some slips, and the next he came to look at them, but he did not get out of the road, and he stopped and had a talk to a man who was putting up some fence, and then he went on, and he walked round and saw H. Gray running, but David did not run; Gray came up to him and took hold of him, and they had a bit of a tussel ,when Gray fell on David and parted his ribs ,then ran away, and David ran after him, but could not catch him, and David went home and went to bed.
The next morning he could not get up, and his wife went for Doctor Case, he came and bound the ribs, and gave him half-a-crown; Robert Crook and Harry Gray came to his house and asked his wife if they could see David, and she said “yes,” when she asked Gray “if he was the man that broke her husband’s ribs?” and he said “ yes,” but he did not do it wilfully ;” then she said “ if he had been twenty years younger he would have broke your neck.”
David and they had a talk, and Gray gave him a shilling and so did Crook, and David told Gray that he had no right to touch him in the road, but Gray said he was out of the road; Thomas Thistlethwayte gave him five shillings.
While he was ill a lawyer named Goble came to him and wanted him to go to law about it, but David said no he would not, for Mr. Thistlewayte was very good to his father ,and he did not want to make them bad friends, and he himself would not leave of poaching, and if they caught him they would be very hard on him, and he thought it best to leave it alone and get over it the best way he could; David had ten shillings a week from the parish for ten weeks.
David had a letter from a lady at Portsmouth to get some live pheasants, and she would give him seven shillings each, and he and Punch Coaker went up the country and caught twelve.
They went to Bedhampton, and was in a public house, when a carrier came in whose name was Bridger, and offered David five shillings each for them but he would not sell them, then he offered six shillings and he sold them ,and they asked the landlord if they could sleep there, but he said he had no room, but he told them where they could get a room, and they stopped there two nights and spent all the money, and then went to get the pheasants for Mrs. Terry; and they met a man called Ben Benford, and as they were out of money they asked him to lend them a shilling and he lent them two, and then David asked him if he wanted to buy a gun, and he said “let me have a look at it,” and when he was looking at it they heard some one coming down the road, and Ben said “here comes two young men who wants to buy a gun,” and David told them they could have it for ten shillings, but they said they were give him eight, and he let them have it, and they went into a public house and had some beer, and they were talking about the gun and said they would like to try it, and a young man said when he was coming up the road he saw to pheasants on a tree, and you could get them in five minutes, and they asked David to go, but he said no, when he went he only had one and sometimes not that, but Punch went and they were very soon back with the two pheasants, and then they had some more beer, and wanted David to go poaching, but he would not, and Punch went away with them, but David did not come back before daylight, and then David and Punch went off and caught two pheasants, and then they on further, when he saw a pheasants feather, and they put down some slips, and caught five; they went on further and pitched in another copse and caught nine, which made sixteen, and they took them to Mrs. Terry, and she gave them seven shillings each.
David had another letter from Mrs Terry to get four brace more live ones; so David went up to Compton, and was told where to go, and David went, and laid down and watched the keeper feeding his birds, and as soon as he was gone David walked down the path and put down some slips and then drove it, and caught nine, and then he took them to Mrs. Terry and she gave him the seven shillings each.
Another night he went to Southwick and into Astlett’s copse and shot one, and waited at the end of the copse to see when the keepers came, and just as they got opposite him they stopped, and the head keeper ,J. Suit, planned out where to go, and Thomas Pearce went to one stile and Suit and W. Houghton to the other, and when they were gone David shot one more, and went on to a foot bridge which led to the keepers, and he tapped it so as the keepers would be watching for him to go up the path and then he crawled in under it and went to the bottom of the copse and shot again, and then went into the meadow, and over the river and into Fryer’s copse, and shot three, he then went home and sold them at Fareham for three shillings each bird.
Another night David and a young man named Heath went into Aslet’s copse, and as soon as they got there, three keepers, J. Suit, W. Houghton and G. Warn caught them, G. Warn took Heath, and Houghton and Suit were going to take David, but David knocked Houghton down, but as they knew David he gave himself up, and they went to Houghton’s house, and as soon as it was daylight they let them go.
And one morning after David’s sons were gone to work, Maken, the policeman, went into his house with a warrant, when David called down stairs to know who was there, and the policeman said “ Maken, with a warrant to take you;” and David said, “yes, when I like to get up and come,” but the policeman said “ if you don’t come I will come and fetch you;” and David “don’t you venture your life to come up here;” but he began to go up, but David’s wife jumped out of bed and knocked him down the stairs again; and David said “ now, then, stop there until I come to you;” and when he went downstairs the policeman said “ I am going to take you with a warrant;” and David said “let me see it, for I am not going if you haven’t one;” and he showed it to him, and David had a breakfast, and the policeman a cup of tea, then they went to the station at Fareham; and the men who David worked with had a lawyer for him, and the case was put off; and the lawyer wrote a letter for David to copy, and then David sent his daughter to Thistlethwayte and the lawyer sent one too, and when David’s daughter was speaking to Mr.Thistlewayte she began to cry, and that hurt his feelings, and he gave her half-a-sovereign, and to tell her mother David was forgiven.
Another night David, Ned Jenner and Harry Samson went to Sawyers wood, and shot seven times, and David saw a keeper who was whistling, and Ned went up to him and said “Look here, old boy, if you don’t go I shall punch your head,” and then he went on; and David said “he is gone to get some one to help him, and we must go;” and they went into Miller’s copse and shot three more, and then went home; and the two kept the birds and gave David ten shillings, and then went to Portsmouth, but David went to Porchester.
Another night David went into Sawyer’s wood and sat down; after a time he saw Baggs and Godridge come into the copse and bid each other good morning and then go home; then David shot three pheasants, and then went into Miller’s and shot three more, he then went home, and sold them for three shillings each.
Another time he went to Claypits rows, and saw Marshall feed his birds, and as soon as he was gone David put down some slips, caught seven, and sold them for five shillings a brace.
Another night he went along the Hill and sat down, and soon he saw a hare coming down the Hill, and he shot it, and then he saw another one, and he shot that, then he hid them, and went over to Miller’s copse and shot two pheasants and was coming home, when a policeman showed his light on him, and said “Well, David, is it you?” and David said “ yes, Mr. Chidle, it is me;“ and they had a talk together, and the policeman said “ I would like to have a hare;” and David said “you go home and you shall have one, and if any one knocks at your door, come down, or send your wife’” and David went and got the two hares, and tied one to the policeman’s door and knocked, and then ran away; and when Childe’s wife came to the door, she was frightened, and David sold the other hare for half-a-crown, and the two pheasants half-a- crown each.
Just before Christmas the policeman asked David to get him a pheasant, and David did, and he thought to himself I have you under my thumb, and I am not afraid of you saying any thing.
Another time David went to Claypits row, and Windebank, the head keeper, had been watching him through a glass, and David saw him and he laid down, when he heard Windebank go by swearing about him, and he said that he should think no more of shooting that David than he should a sparrow; and after he had gone by David put down some slips and went home, and when he looked at them the next morning, he had caught nine pheasants, he sold them at Fareham for three shillings each.
Another night David went and put some wires down in Ashley copse, and went home; he went the next morning very early and laid down close to them, and he had not been there long before H. Gray and R. Crook came in, when David crawled out, and went into another copse and shot twice, and then went near Grays’s house and shot; he then went up to Mounty moors, and then went home, and sold them for half-a-crown each. David always thought it best to be first to his slips that he could see who was about.
Another time David went into Widley row and put down some slips, and as he was coming out a man came up to him and asked him what he wanted; when David said, “As it was a rough bit of place he though he might be able get hold of a crab stick;” and the man said “what sort of stick do you think you could get with your knife?” “Ah! Said David, this is what I am going to cut it with, and trim it up with my knife,” and David showed him a chisel, and then they parted, but he did not attend to his slips for a day or two, and when he went he had five pheasants and a squirrel, and his wife took them to Fareham and sold the pheasants for three shillings each to a gentleman, and gave him the squirrel.
And Davis and Punch Coaker put some wires down in Tree copse, and in Widley row, and when they to look at them they saw Baggs ferreting, and Punch said
“now we are all right;” but David said I don’t like to go in there, for I think there is someone in there; and as they were talking a keeper came out of the row whose name was John Carter, and David asked him for a pipe of tobacco, and he gave it to him and said “David, if you know when you are well off you will go home;” but David and Punch went to Tree copse, and they had four hares caught, and they sold them for half-a-crown each.
On night he went to Sparrow’s copse, on Squire Delme’s estate, and put down three wires and then went home; the next night he took his gun and shot three pheasants, when he heard some one at the keepers house, and then David thought it was time to be gone, and he went to look at the wires, when he had a hare in one, he took it out and then went on to East Gilberts, on Thistlewayte’s estate, and sat under a tree, about two hours, he then got up and went down the path and saw five pheasants, and shot them, he then went back and sat down again for about an hour, and then went into the meadow, when he heard some one fall over a stone, he looked round and saw two keepers running after him, but he could not run fast with the eight pheasants and the hare, so he crawled through the hedge and crept along the ditch, and crawled into the same field again and got in under the hedge, and saw them go up towards the Hill, then they came back again, but did not see him, then they went towards Fareham, and David thought that they were going to wait for him, so he went to Cosham, and thence along the red bank to Porchester, and thought he could catch James Fowler going to Portsmouth with the passage boat, but he heard them rowing, but did not call, for he did not know where the keepers were; and he saw Whiting’s shooting punt and he jumped in and rowed himself to Big Horsey Island, where Mr. Pittis lived, and when he got there, the cowman, whose name was Lacey, was milking the cows, and David asked him if Mr. Pittis was about, and he said “yes;” David went to him, and he gave David some bread and mutton, and he brought two brace of pheasants and the hare, then David asked him if he would let Stacey row him across to Tipnor, and he said yes; then David asked him was Lacey was going to Porchester, and if he was, would he let him take Whiting’s punt back? Which he did, and David went to Portsea and sold the other brace of pheasants for twelve shillings, and then went home.
Another time David went to a copse on Purbrook common and put down some slips, and caught three pheasants, he took them to Fareham and sold them for three shillings each,
Another night he went to Stakes and shot four pheasants, when he saw the keeper pass close by him, and then he got up and shot three more, when the keeper passed him again; then David went into another copse and shot two more, and he laid down in a ditch and saw the keeper pass again; then David went into another copse and shot two more, and then got into the road, and went towards Waterloo, and saw a wagon coming down the road, which was loaded with bunts, and David asked the man if he would let him ride to Portsmouth on the top, he said “yes,” and when they got to the “Green Post” they went in and had some beer, and David walked along with the man until they got to the “Mile End Tavern” where they had some more beer, and then wished each other good morning and departed.
David went to Portsea and sold them for three shillings each.
A gentleman asked him to get him four live hen pheasants; then David went to Stable Cross copse and sat down, when he saw R. Crook going down the copse, then David put down some slips and caught five pheasants, four hens and one cock, and he took them to the gentleman, who gave David One pound three shillings for the five.
Another time he went up to Compton, and was going through a copse, when a keeper stopped him and asked him where he was going, and he said up to Compton to see if Mr. Benford will give me a job of underwood cutting; and he made David give a good account of himself before he wood let him go.
And David went to a house to see a friend, and when he came out he went and had a look round, when he saw a lot of pheasants round a rick, and he put down some slops and caught eleven; when he took them out four were dead and seven were alive, and he took them to Portsmouth and sold them to Mrs. Terry for half-a-crown each the dead ones, and six shillings each the live ones.
And one or two days later afterwards David went up that way again, and pitched a row close to the keeper’s house, and caught five, and then went towards Fetsdean and slipped some more rows and caught five more, he then went to Mrs. Terry and sold them for six shillings each.
Another time David went to Camphouse moor and caught eight, and took them to Portsmouth, and sold them to Mrs. Terry for six shillings each. Another day he went to Mounty moors, and put down lots of slips and went home; the next day he went to look at them, Thislewayte’s party was shooting, and he laid in a ditch and watched them all go down into Stroud’s rows, and then he got over into the copse, and the place where he put the first lot of slips down, when they were all gone, then he went to the other lot, and he had five pheasants, he took them out, and sold them at Fareham for three shillings each.
One night a woman went to his house and asked him to get her a brace of pheasants by the next day, and he went to Parradge’s copse and shot two birds; he took them to her, and she gave him seven shillings for the two.
Another time David went into Crooked walks, and slipped three pheasants and two rabbits, and took them to Fareham and sold the rabbits for one shilling each and the pheasants for three shillings each.
Another day David went to Mounty moors, when a man told him that H. Grey had just gone out of the copse, and David went in and put some hare wires down, across the middle of the copse, and drove it, he caught seven hares; and when he went out the man told him he had been one hour and a quarter; and David sold them to James Fowls for half-a-crown each.
Another time David and W. Whiting went into Placewood, shot five pheasants, and were going out when they saw W. Houghton, then they went to Fryer’s copse, and shot two more, and then went home, and sold them to James Fowls for half-a-crown each.
One night David and Whiting went to Southwick, and it was the last day of pheasant shooting, when they met a young man whom they knew, and he told them all the keepers were in the “Golden Lion Inn,” and David gave him a penny to go in and hear what he could; and he went; and he came out and told David that W. Houghton had just began a song, and they had a good chance to go, and David gave him a quart of beer; they then went to Placement and shot ten birds, and sold four for three shillings each and six for half-a-crown each, and David shot one of their heads off, and when he got home he sewed it on again, and no one would notice it.
Another time David and Whiting went to Jay’s copse, and shot five, and then went into Placewood and shot five, and it was very rough, and rained hard, so that no one went to them, and then they went home to Porchester, and sold them to James Fowls for half-a-crown each.
Another time David went to Ivenage moor, and shot two pheasants, and sold them at Purbrook for half-a-crown; he then went back to Mallin’s copse, near Ivenage moor and shot two more, and then he went on to Little Belny, and got opposite Jay’s hovel, when he heard some one talking in it, then he heard some shooting, Southwick common way, and he saw three go out of the hovel and go towards the shooting, and he said to himself “you’re one wrong this time, it’s not me out there;” and when they were gone he shot two more birds, and then went home; and as he was going along the road he heard some one running, and he got over into a field and saw them pass. And he thought that they were after him, and he ran across the field on to the railway and into a meadow, then through his garden into his house, and he sold them for ten shillings; the next day he was told that the poachers which he heard, knocked R. Crook’s eye out.
Another time David went on Mr. Leggett’s ground and put down some rabbit wires and then went home; the next day he went to look at them and passed two or three, and he got to another one, when the foreman came out of the underwood and caught him, and David looked him up and down, and said to him “You are not half man enough to take me,” and then knocked him down, and when he got up he was going to hit David with a large stick, but David said “don’t you come within reach of me, or I shall knock every tooth out of your mouth;” and he said to David, “ come on to Crofton to Mr. Leggett’s “but David said “no, I am going home,” and walked across a field, and the foreman by his side, and they came to another row which belonged to another farmer, and there was a hole in the hedge, and David turned round in a moment and knocked him down and ran into the row, when the foreman was going to follow him, but David said “you have no right here, and don’t you come;” and the man went on to Crofton, and David ran back into the copse and got the rabbits, and took them home, and sold them for one shilling each.
In the beginning of the next week, the foreman and a policeman came to David’s house to identify him, he was summoned and had two months in prison.
Now when he was in prison he thought of a way that he could catch pheasants much easier than shooting them, and when he came out he went to Grub’s wood, and found a large oak tree, and he put some slips round it, and went home, and left them for two or three days, and when he worked them he had seven caught, he took them home and sold them at Fareham for three shillings each. David found that this way answered, and he very soon had some pheasants.
One day he went to Pigeon-house row and caught six, and as he was going home he passed a field of turnips, and Thistlewayte’s party was out shooting, and they all stopped and had a look at him, but could not make him out, and he went to Fareham, and sold the six pheasants for three shillings each.
One day David went down Mill lane and into the row at the bottom, and put down some hare wires, and Windebank, the head keeper, and Small were in the adjoining field shooting, and he caught three hares and put them in his basket and hid them; and the keepers heard a hare squeak, and they went into the row and took up some of David’s wires and while they were doing that David went down lower and took a hare out, and took up the wires and went up the lane, when Windebank went up to him, and said “I have a good mind to search you;” but David said “don’t be so foolish, for if you were to touch me I shall knock you out as straight as a yard of water;” but Windebank said “there are two of us;” and David said “ yes, you and Small; I would do the pair of you.”
Then he walked away and watched the keepers away, and went back and got his basket and the three hares and went home, and sold the four hares to a gentleman at Fareham for three shillings each.
Another time David and Whiting went to Stroud’s rows and shot two birds, and was going home, when W. Houghton and John Baggs came out, and Baggs ran after Whiting and Houghton after David, but Baggs could not catch Whiting, and Whiting had the birds, and David knocked Houghton down two or three times, when the two took his gun away, and David went to a lawyer about it, but he did not go to law with him, and David and Whiting did not hear any more about it; they sold the two pheasants for half-a-crown each, but lost the gun.
Another night David and Whiting went to Crooked Walks and shot four pheasants, and took them to Porchester, and sold them to James Fowls for half-a-crown each.
Another night David went to Wheathern’s copse and put down some hare wires and caught three hares, and he took them to Cosham and sold them to Minchen, the landlord of the “Falcon Inn.”
He went back to Ten Acres copse and put down some wires, and started driving it, when J. Suit looked over into the copse, and said “Well, David,” and David ran away, when Suit’s dogs ran after him, and followed him for about a mile, and then David turned round and drove them back, so David had to go back home without anything.
One rough night David went into Wheathern’s copse and only shot one bird; then he went into Miller’s copse and shot four, and David was so wet that the water ran out of the seat of his trousers, and he felt so miserable that he started off home, and he got up on the Hill and under a tree and counted his birds, and said only five, I ought to have another to make the six; then he pulled off his coat and put it under the tree, and went back into Miller’s copse and shot one more, and then went back to his coat, and put it into his pocket, and he could not get the coat on, so he put the gun in his pocket, and rolled the coat up as well as he could, and went home; he sold the six pheasants at Fareham for three shillings each.
Another night he went to Miller’s copse and shot one pheasant, and from there into Pensley and shot one more, and from there into Sawyer’s wood and shot one, from there to Aslock’s and shot one, from there into Little Belney and shot one more, from there into Jay’s and shot one, from there into Placewood and shot one, and from there into Fryer’s and shot another, which made eight birds, and then went home to Fareham, and sold the eight birds for three shillings each.
One day a man told David that Mrs. Terry wanted to see him, and he went down to her, and she asked him to get her four brace of pheasants, and as he was going by the “Mile End Tavern,” he was called in and showed into a room, when a gentleman was there, and he gave David a quart of ale, and asked David to get him three or four brace of live pheasants, and he said “yes,” he then asked David where he would leave them, and he said “here with the landlord if you like,” but David did not know the landlord, and the gentleman called him in, and told to give David seven shillings for each bird, as well as any refreshment that he wanted, and he said “yes,” and David went the same day into Compton and pitched some rows, and when he was setting the last slip, the keeper passed by, about a yard away from him, and his dog stopped as soon as he got opposite David, and the keeper said “Come on, what are you stopping about there for?” and then he went on, and as soon as they were out of sight David drove the rows, and caught nine pheasants all alive, and took them to the “Mile End Tavern,” and the landlord gave him the seven shillings each for the nine.
Then he went back up the same way again to get Mrs. Terry’s birds, and he pitched a row, when the keeper passed him, but did not see him, and when he was gone David drove the row and caught five, he then went and pitched another row and caught four, and then went to a house where he lodged when he was working that way to see if he could sleep there, when they said “yes,” and he got up early and took the pheasants down to Mrs. Terry, and when he was coming on the road he heard a pheasant call, when he thought to himself “I would like to have you,” and he hid his basket and went and put down some slips and caught two, and put them in his basket with the others, and took the eleven down to Mrs. Terry, and she gave him seven shillings each.
Another time David went up that way to get some for her, but had to come away with only seven as he was disturbed; he took them down to her, and she gave him six shillings each for them.
And David went up that way again, when he only caught five, and took them down to Mrs. Terry, and she gave him six shillings each for them.
Now there was a young man who lived at Fareham, whose name was John Harris, and he wanted David to learn him the way to go poaching, but David would not have any thing to do with him, but one day told his father about it, when he said “Let him go and take his own chance.”
And David took him up to Mounty moors, and set some hare wires, and when John saw a hare, or heard one, he would call out to David, but David soon learnt him better than that; and when David was putting them in his basket, John touched him on the back, and said “ We will show them the way to catch hares, won’t we?” and David said “If you don’t shut your mouth I will break your neck;” and David often to give him a hit before he would stop still; and they took the five hares to Portsmouth, and sold them to Fowls for half-a-crown each.
Another time David and W. Whiting went into Fryer’s copse, and put down some hare wires, and drove it and caught four hares; when they were going up the Hill they met two keepers, J Suit and Thomas Pearce, but they did not say anything to them, only laughed at David’s pockets. David sold the four hares to James Fowls for half-a-crown each.
Another time David went to Stable Cross and shot one pheasant, and from there to Alder row and shot once, from there to Mitchell Land, and from there to Fryers, from there to Mounty moors and shot one, and he saw something white in the path, and he thought it was a white handkerchief, and he went up to it, when it was a hare in a wire; he then went home with the five pheasants and the hare, and sold the pheasants and the hare for three shillings each.
Another time David and Joseph Coaker went to Mitchell land, when Joseph said that he saw some one in the ditch, and David said he did not, when Crook and H. Gray came up to them, but could not hurt them because they were in the foot path; then David and Joseph went back to Fareham, and Joseph went into his house, but David did not, but went back to Mounty moors and shot two pheasants, and took another hare out of a wire, and then went home, and sold the hare and pheasants for three shillings each.
One day David went on the Portsdown Hill and saw some covers of partridges, when he put down some slips, and the first time he looked at them he had six caught, and the next time he had five, and the third time he had two, and he sold them for half-a-crown a brace to James Fowls, at Porchester.
Another time David went to Pigeon-house copse and heard a hare squeak, and he went and took it out of a gin, he then shot three pheasants and sold them for three shillings each.
Another time David went to Grubb’s wood and put down some wires, and the next morning when he looked at them he had three hares and one rabbit, and he took them out and left the wires and went home, and as he was going by Boarhunt Church he met Gray talking to some men, and David thought to himself “now he will go back and find them wires.! And so he did, and the next morning David got up very early and went and laid down in the stuff, and he heard some one coming in, then he crawled out of there and thought if he went up to Mounty moors he would find another hare, and he went out and found a hare and shot a pheasant, and sold them for three shillings each.
Another time David went into Orchard copse, and climbed up some fir trees, and he saw three pheasants, and he shot all three, when he fancied he heard some one, and he saw a keeper pass, and he laid there about half-a-hour, and he saw him pass again, when he thought it was time to be going, so he went home with the three pheasants, and sold them at Fareham for three shillings each.
Another night David went into Bunchey copse and shot four pheasants, and he was going home through the copse, and looked round and saw Thomas Gough, the keeper close behind him, and he started to run, and as David had to get over a gate, when Gough took hold of his coat, and said “I have got you;” and just then David turned round and hit him in the face, and knocked him down, and he called out “Murder”
Then David looked across a meadow and saw Gough’s son and David’s nephew, but they were afraid of him, and David turned round and made his way to Fareham, but he thought that they would go to Fareham and get a policeman to search him, and he came to some straw up in a heap, and he put his pheasants in under it and went off to Fareham, when he met a policeman and Gough coming down the street, and George had no thought that it was David, and David said to him “Good Morning, Thomas,” and he said “ Good Morning, David;” and after they had passed, David said to himself, I gave you a good hit, Thomas, no wonder you called “Murder,” for the blood was coming out of his nose then; and David went back and got his coat and the pheasants, and sold them for three shillings each
Another time David went to a copse which belongs to Esquire Garnier and shot one pheasant, and then he shot another, and shot at another as he thought, but it was a wood pigeon, when he heard some one go by, and he waited for about half-a-hour, and saw the keeper go by again, then he went home, and sold the pheasants for half-a-crown and the wood pigeon foe eight pence, at Fareham.
Another time David and Bob Northcote went to Potwell row and shot two pheasants, and then went to East Gilberts and shot three more, then David sat down and Bob took his gun and went up and looked over a meadow and saw some ducks, and he thought they were wild ducks, when he shot at them and killed five; and they went to Portsmouth to Mrs Terry, and she gave them half-a-crown each for the pheasants, and three shillings a couple for the ducks.
One day David met a man in Fareham, and he told David there were a lot of wild ducks in the Mill river, and David the same night took his gun and went to the place, when he heard some making a noise in the water, and he knelt down and shot, and he went and picked them up and found they were tame ones, and he told James Downs to see if there were any left, and he went and found two, and David had seven, and he sold them for two shillings each.
Another time David and Whitton went into Placewood and shot four pheasants and a hawk, and they heard some one about, then they went home and sold the pheasants for half -a-crown each and the hawk for one shilling.
Another day David went to Miller’s copse and set some wires, when he saw G. Ware the keeper go by, when his dog stopped and smelt about, and Ware called him on, and then J. Baggs was in the copse showing a man the underwood, as it was a day before the copse sale, and David heard a hare squeak and thought that Baggs heard it, and would go and tell the other keeper, and they would lay await for him, and he thought it best to leave it alone and lose the hares than to be caught, and then he went home.
The next day he went to the copse sale, and all the keepers were there except H. Gray, and David thought to himself, yes, Gray is at Wheathern’s waiting for me, but I am not going; and Robert Crook gave him sixpence, and asked him how it was he was not looking out for his work? When David said to him, he was not to be caught with a little chaff, for it took all clean corn to catch him; and G. Ware gave him a few pence, and so did H.Wesley, and he stopped at the sale all that day and G. Ware told him that he would have been all right, for there was no one there, and there were six hares caught.
Another day David went to Stroud’s row and caught six hares, and took them home and sold them for three shillings each. Another time David went into Bushey row and caught two hares, and when he looked up he saw Marshall, the keeper coming, and David Jumped over into another field, and covered them over with leaves, and went and met Marshall, and he said to David “What has thee got at down here then?” and David said “I have been and took my boy down a dinner,” and that was the boy who was minding sheep, but David did not know him, and Marshall went down and asked the boy if David was hid father; and the boy said “no,” and while he was gone David went and got his hares, and sold them for three shillings each.
A day or two afterwards David saw Marshall when he said to him “Thee told I a lie Sunday morning,” and David said, “People should not ask questions, then they would not have lies told them.”
Another time David went along a field at Boarhunt Church, when he watched Marshall go home, then David went into yew tree row and put down some slips, and caught five pheasants; when he was going home a shepherd told him that a pheasants tail was hanging out of his pocket, and he went and told Marshall as well, and Marshall told David of it, and said “ he wished he had been there;” but David told him “ that he would not have cared if he had been;” and David sold the pheasants for three shillings each.
Another time David went to Grubwood, and caught three pheasants, and then hid them, and was going into Mill copse, and he saw some nuts in the road, and some on the boughs, and went and picked some, when Marshall saw him, and went and took a piece of wire off a mole catchers trap, and put it down in the copse and went and caught David, and said “he had a good mind to take him to Fareham and lock him up.”
He showed David the wire, and tried to make him believe that he had put it down, but David knew better, and began to talk to him, and then Marshall began fighting, and David got under his arm and would not let go, but at last David bit a piece out of his arm, then he let him go, and David got on a stone heap and pelted him with stones, and gave him a black eye, and cut his face, and would have killed him, but he ran away, and said “he would pull him up;” he took out a summons for him, and he was taken; the charge was read down to him for poaching, and they asked him if he was guilty, and David told them about it; but the Magistrates said that they could do nothing with the case, and David was dismissed; R. Crook was there at the time, and they asked him if he ever knew David put down such a wire; and he said “no, he did not;” and the Magistrates told Marshall for the future to confine himself to the truth, and then told Sergeant of Police to take David away, or he and Marshall would fight; but David got out and would not go until he came out, and then David soon let him know something, and the Magistrates looked out of the window and laughed at them.
Another time David went to Mitchell’s land copse and shot two pheasants, when he heard some one about, and got out of there and went into Fryer’s copse and shot two more, and then went into Little Perridge and shot another and from there up to Mounty moors and shot another, and then went home to Fareham, and sold the pheasants for three shillings each.
David went another time to Stable Cross and saw R. Crook in the copse, and then he went to Carman’s farm and put some slips down and caught three pheasants, he re-set the slips and then went home, and sold them for three shillings each; and the next day he came to look at the slips, when he saw a cock pheasant in one of them, he took it out, and he thought there was some one about, so he went home and sold it for three shillings.
Now David had been about every place and caught nearly all the pheasants, and he did not know where to go, so he thought he would go to Delme’s estate, and one night he went to Hill copse and shot five pheasants, when he saw the keeper pass, and David thought it was time to go home, and as he was getting over a bank he caught his elbow in a gin, and he took it off and ran along the field, and he saw a hare in a gin, he took it out and went on, and then he saw a rabbit in one, and he took it out and then went home, and sold the five pheasants and the hare for three shillings each, and the rabbit for eight pence.
One day Mrs. Terry told him to get her as many dead birds as he liked, but she did not want any live ones; and David said “I will get you some;” and he went home through Gosport, and he went into the “North Star Inn,” and had some beer, and a gentleman asked him if his name was David Durrant? And he said “yes,” and he asked David if he could get him three or four brace of live pheasants, and how much would he charge? David told him “seven shillings each;” and he said “very well; and you will bring them to this public-house,” and David said “yes.”
Then David started up Compton, and was putting down some slips, when the keepers passed close by him, and David thought to himself, I will not come this way any more, for I shall sure to be caught; and then he drove the copse and caught five pheasants, and then he started to go home, and as he was going along the road he saw a hen pheasant go in a row, and he put down some slips and drove it and caught two; then he went to the gentleman and he gave him seven shillings each for the seven pheasants.
Another day David met a man who lived at Bedhampton, and he told David there was a lot of pheasants in the little park; but David thought that the man might tell the keepers, and then David said to him “that is too far, I shall not be able to get there;” and then they left each other, but David got up there in the afternoon and heard all the pheasants go up to roost, about thirty or forty, and he went to the “White Hart Inn,” and asked the landlord if he could sleep there, and he said “yes, and if he wanted anything he would speak to a friend who wanted to get some pheasants.”
And David went to the place and found out where the keeper fed his birds, and he put down some slips and caught five, then he took them to Havant, and the landlord gave him half-a-crown each for them, and David kept on at the same place from Monday until Friday, and caught five or six every day, and in that week he caught thirty-three pheasants, two hares and one rabbit; he sold the pheasants and the two hares for half-a-crown each, and the rabbit for eight pence,
And David thought to himself I counted between thirty and forty, and have caught thirty-four, I must have caught them all. Then he went home to Fareham.
Another time David was walking out to see what was about, and as he was walking down Offwell lane he saw some covers of Partridges along the hedge, and he made a noise and they flew away; he put down fifteen or sixteen slips and then went home, and the next morning he went and there were thirteen caught, and he took them home and sold them for eight pence each.
Another day David went to Mount Meadow and saw a lot of partridges under a tree, and he got his gun level with their heads, and shot and killed seven; he took them home and sold them for eighteen pence each
The next day he went to Little Parridge copse and shot three pheasants, he took them home and sold them to James Fowls for half-a-crown each.
Early another morning David and Whiting went to Damber’s to get a hare or two, and David went up the lane and Whiting sat on some rails, when Houghton and another keeper came and caught him and took his gun away, and David thought it was no good for him to go and help or they would summons him as well, but David went into Forty Acres field, where he shot nine partridges, and sold them to James Fowls for half-a –crown a brace; and Whiting only lost his gun, and did not hear anything more about it.
Another time David went down to Spurting’s lane, and he shot at some partridges, but did not have time to finish them up, for Robert Warrell, the keeper was after him. And he went up to David, and was going to search him, but David knocked him away, and he did not try to do it again, but went back into the field to see if he could find the partridges, and David was watching him, and when he turned to come out of the field one of them moved its wings, and the keeper picked it up. And David was summoned, and the keeper gave true evidence, but David had two months in prison; and the Chaplain of the prison said to him “Well David you are come to see me again;” and David said “yes;” the Chaplain said “ I hope you will not come here again;” and David said “ I hope not.”
One day David was walking out, and he went down Spurting’s lane and cut a stick, and was going to Boarhunt, when he heard Thistlewayte’s party shooting, and he saw a young man poaching, when David said to him “young man the, the Esquire’s party is close on you, and if you don’t look out you will be caught;” then the young man ran away.
As David was walking up the road he fell in some bramble, and he laid there, when a keeper came by and spoke to him, the keeper’s name was Charles Durrant, but no relation to David, and the keeper found some slips which the young man had put down, and Durrant the keeper told them that he saw David in the road, and H. Wesley the head keeper, went and said to David, “David, the young Esquire wants to speak to you;” and David said “ yes, and I want to speak to him;” and as David was walking he picked up something in a piece of white paper and put it in his pocket, and he thought it was tobacco, and then Wesley said to him “ I am going to search you;” and David said “What is that for?” he said “pull out those pockets;” and David said “no, that I shan’t;” and Wesley called one of the keepers to help him, when David hit him with his stick.
And what David thought was some tobacco turned out to be some wires and slips which the young man had thrown away; and Wesley took them out of his pocket and then let him go, and David thought it was all right.
The next day David met the young man in Fareham, and he gave David some beer, and told him that he had lost his knife, and said if David could find it for him he would give him a shilling, and he told David where he thought he had lost it; and David went and found it, when he gave David the shilling.
But David was summoned, and before he went into court H.Wesley told him not to say anything for he would not have much; and H. Wesley said before the bench that he took the wires out of the seat of David’s trousers, but David said he did not; but the Magistrates told David he would have to pay fifteen shillings, or go to Winchester for seven days; and David said “I will go to Winchester.”
Then Wesley said “Mr. Thislethwayte did not want him to go to Winchester because of his old age;” and they allowed him a month to pay it in, but David would not pay it, then Wesley told him to get some one to write to Mr. Thistlethwayte and ask him to pay it; and the landlord of the “Bugle Hotel” wrote for him, and Mr. Thistlewayte paid the money.
Wesley has been very good to David ever since, and always when he see him gives him a bit of tobacco, some beer and a few pence.
This ends David Durrant’s poaching career.