Cylchgronau Cymru

appeared to be a chimney sweep, having a soot bag across his shoulder. The following day, hearing that copper pipes had been stolen from the church, he reported his sighting of the two tinkers and the sweep, later identified as Charles Jones of Abergavenny.32 That morning, Edward Watkin, the parish clerk, found a ladder leaning up against the roof of the church and sent for the rector and churchwarden.33 Churchwarden William Lewis said that the upper parts of the chimneys of two heating stoves, which were carried out through the windows, had been taken. Each pipe had an elbow fitted with a slider, having a brass knob, to remove soot, and a covered top, and was about six feet long.34 The three men were eventually arrested and charged with the theft of the pipes. Charles Jones later said that he was with Richard Williams, alias Dick the Sweep, who employed him, when they met Joseph Franklyn on the tramroad near Machen Church. Eventually they decided to take the copper pipes. Dick and he took a ladder from a hayrick in a nearby field, which Dick used to remove the pipes, throwing them down to Joe. This was about 10pm. They carried them off to Newport along the tramroad.35 On the way, about midnight, they stole an old brass boiler, which had been fixed in stonework, from the yard of farmer William Jones of Bassaleg, having noticed it the previous day.36 Dick climbed up on the wall and passed it over to Joe. Mary Thomas, servant to William Jones, later recalled that Charles Jones and Joseph Franklin had called to ask for water about 2pm on the day before the boiler disappeared. She gave them both water and they left. There was another person on the tramroad at a distance in light coloured dress, who she believed was Dick the Sweep. She knew Joe by sight, but thought he was dumb, and had met Dick at Castleton.37 Jones said they arrived in Newport early the next morning, about 5am, and went to Mary Walford's house in Friars' Fields. A little boy, possibly Mary's son John, came to the window and Dick told him they had some brass to sell. After about three-quarters of an hour, William opened the door and Joe and Dick went in, telling Charles to stay outside. They then went across the road to Mary's warehouse, but Charles was sent off down by the canal. A half-hour later, in Mary Walford's house, having checked the weights for herself, Mary said to her son 'I'll warrant 'tis stolen', to which they made no reply.38 William King of Friar's Field had seen Joe and Dick the Sweep walking backwards and forwards for two hours outside Mary Walford's house, before knocking on the door as soon as it was light. He saw them go into her warehouse with William Walford, and was then asked by Dick and Joe to reckon up the weight of brass and copper which they took out of a soot bag, a brass boiler and newly cut copper sheeting, on the scale. They beat up the boiler with a hammer to remove the iron hoop. The metal weighed 54 lb, which Dick said was more than he thought, worth 15s.4d., and that they had carried it a long way. Dick then suggested they went across to Mary's for a quart of beer."