Nat Gould

Thomas Anderson as Magistrate

The Reverend Thomas Anderson 1795-1872 was appointed a magistrate soon after he became Rector of Felsham in Suffolk, and served both the Petty Sessions at Bury St Edmunds and the Quarter Sessions dealing with the more serious cases. He achieved the rare distinction, for a clergyman, of becoming the Chairman of the Bench of Bury Quarter Sessions (1).

Combining Church duties with those of the Bench may seem incompatible nowadays, but was not uncommon in his day. Clerical magistrates were noted for their zeal in punishing wrongdoers (2). Thomas Anderson was no exception, as is shown by cases reported in the press.

26 August 1857

A woman was charged with stealing potatoes from Thomas Anderson. A policeman "deposed that on the previous evening, between five and six o'clock, he was on duty in a field adjoining a field belonging to the Rev. T. Anderson, in which a man, ... his son and daughter, and his son's wife were employed in digging and picking potatoes. He was looking through a thick fence .. and thought he saw" the woman put some potatoes into the defendant's apron "but as the fence was thick he was not certain." He took them both to Mr. Anderson, and he said he "had been robbed so much that he should not overlook it." The defendant was given "Seven days' hard labour in the House of Correction."
The woman who had been working in the field was then charged with stealing the potatoes. "The Bench remarked that the breach of trust on the part of a servant was a very serious offence, and sentenced her also to seven days' hard labour" (3).

The Reverend Thomas Anderson was Chairman of the Bench of Bury St Edmunds Petty Sessions on the following occasions:

30 July 1862

"A boy ... was charged with stealing a quantity of carrots, value 1d ... Complainant deposed that on the 18th of July he found a boy's footsteps near some carrots in his field, and having traced them 150 yards to the road, he found defendant standing just the other side of the hedge, with five carrots in his hand. No one else grew white carrots anywhere near, and the carrots the boy had were white ones, so that he could swear they were his own. They seem to have been freshly taken up, and the boy was eating one. He was keeping cows in the road ... Saw three boys in the road, but only saw defendant with the carrots.- Defendant's mother said that her boy never went into the field; the other boys gave him the carrots. Complainant knocked and kicked defendant about shamefully.- Complainant denied doing this.- Fined 6d., with 1d. damages, and 7s. costs; in default seven days' imprisonment. A fortnight allowed for payment.

At the same sitting of the magistrates "A boy ... was charged with stealing apples from the orchard of the Rev. Thomas Anderson of Felsham, but as the boy's parents consented to his undergoing a salutary whipping, the case was dismissed without a conviction" (4).

23 February 1859

The coachman of the Reverend Thomas Anderson was accused of taking a handful of oats to feed his pig. The corn merchant who sold the oats said "In consequence of suspicions which I entertained, I went to the Rev. T. Anderson's on the 14th of December, and shewed him some oats, which I thought that the prisoner had stolen" and from that time watched his movements for several days. "This morning I apprehended the prisoner upon warrant, and he said ... 'I took a little and gave the pig; I suppose that's what you mean'." "Prisoner, who asked no questions of the witnesses, and had nothing to say in his defence, was committed for trial at the next Quarter Sessions" (5).

2 October 1861

A parishioner of previously unblemished character was "charged with damaging a fence the property of the Reverend Rev. T. Anderson on the 25th. September. The policeman deposed that "I saw the prisoner go up to a hurdle fence adjoining the road, and pull a piece out of it. After she had broken the piece across her knee she returned to the fence a second time, when she saw me.- Defendant said the piece was already broken off, and lay upon the top of the fence. The constable said he had never heard anything against the defendant before. He laid the damage at 1d.- Ordered to pay 1d. damage, 1d. penalty, and 4s. expenses, in default seven days' hard labour. Allowed a fortnight for payment" (6).

On one occasion the zeal of the Reverend Thomas Anderson was called into question by higher authority. He was summoned to London to explain to a judge in chambers why he had refused bail over an alleged £7 offence to a farmer who needed to be working on his land, and had jailed him instead. Bail was granted (7).

Thomas Anderson completely dominated his court, and "used to take a brotherly interest in the notes taken by the Rev. S.H. Anderson (8), also a chairman, and the Rev. W.W. Hallward to skip about the bench as though the fate of the Empire depended upon the conviction of a turnip-stealer" (9).

He was accused in a letter published in the local newspaper of exceeding his legal powers. The issuing of a summons against a policeman accused of taking public money was unanimously agreed by the magistrates. The complainant wrote that he "was on the point of leaving the Court when the Rev. T. Anderson, of Felsham, entered it and arrogated to himself the prerogative of overruling the matured decision of the sitting Magistrates without consulting them, abruptly informed me that I should not have the summons ... This overbearing conduct was extended still further by the above rev. gentleman giving me into the custody of the police, the propriety and legality of which he shall have an ample opportunity of justifying" (10).

In 1834 Thomas Anderson charged his infirm and eccentric old neighbour the Reverend Dr John Morgan Bletsoe with a criminal offence involving a young man. The case evidently came to nothing, although John Morgan Bletsoe was committed to prison in Bury St Edmunds, presumably on remand (11). However in 1837 John Morgan Bletsoe was accused of a similar offence with another young man he had employed. The youth's father was ostensibly the complainant but was not paying for the prosecution, the name of the person financing the case not being disclosed. Although Thomas Anderson was not overtly involved in bringing the prosecution, it seems unlikely to have proceeded without his knowledge as the locally powerful and influential magistrate. The case was bolstered with testimony from rogues scenting money, including a flagrant adulterer. The jury deliberated for an hour before reaching their verdict of guilty. Sentencing was held up while one of the witnesses was prosecuted for theft. Then the Reverend Doctor was sentenced to imprisonment for two years and also to find security of £500 and two others each of £250 for future good behaviour. Unsurprisingly "The defendant seemed much affected, and protested his innocence" (12).

Thomas Anderson resigned from the magistracy in July 1872 (13), only shortly before he died.

The Bury St Edmunds courts had little to do before he arrived, and little after he died. Twenty years later journalists lamented that his passing had taken the interest out of attending the Quarter Sessions. "At that time there was something to do ... Today it is a difficult matter to find the Court a job. On Tuesday it went through the form of meeting, but there were no prisoners for trial, and somebody had to go to the expense of purchasing a pair of white gloves, which the Assistant Clerk ... had the pleasure of presenting to the Chairman (14)". That ritual was presumably customary when there had been no business at all to transact.

(1) Thomas Anderson: Rector of Felsham 1822-1872 Christopher Bornett (2013) page 33 (hereafter cited as C. Bornett op cit and is a major source of information about Thomas Anderson). The first mention of him as magistrate is there noted as being in 1826: Bury and Norwich Post 9 August 1826.
(2) C. Bornett op cit pages 11 and 12; Land and Society in England 1750-1980 G.E. Mingay (1994) page 79.
(3) Bury and Norwich Post 1 September 1857.
(4) Bury and Norwich Post 5 August 1862.
(5) Bury and Norwich Post 1 March 1859.
(6) Bury and Norwich Post 8 October 1861.
(7) Ipswich Journal 22 May 1869.
(8) The surname should probably have been Alderson.
(9) Bury and Norwich Post 19 January 1892.
(10) Bury and Norwich Post 6 December 1859.
(11) Bury and Norwich Post 22 and 29 October 1834.
(12) Bury and Norwich Post 1 November 1837.
(13) C. Bornett op cit page 33; Ipswich Journal 13 July 1872.
(14) Bury and Norwich Post 19 January 1892.