Milkman who creamed off the profit

Drawing by David Sawyers, North Laine resident

From a press report in November 1884

William Glover, a milk carrier, was charged in November 1884 with embezzling 10s 7d from his employer, Mr Ashdown, the dairyman, of 6 Kensington Gardens. The prisoner received 5s 2d in settlement of an account from a lady in Middle Street, where Glover delivered milk every morning. A week later he collected a further 5s 5d from the same lady but he failed to give either sum to Mr Ashdown.

Glover's defence

Glover told the magistrates that he had received the money but said he had lost a sovereign when he received the first money and had used customers’ payments to make up the amount. He had intended to pay Mr Ashdown at the end of the week but was arrested.

The sentence

The magistrates told him that no jury would accept such a feeble excuse and sentenced him to a month’s hard labour.

[Previously published in the North Laine Runner, No 62, July/August 1986 and again in No 208, January/February 2011]