Document one

A suspected highwayman. A deposition on oath in the quarter sessions sworn the 18 February 1749

"The Information of Joseph Emery of the parish of Dartford in the said county of Kent, Victualler, and Thomas Pearcy of the same, Blacksmith, taken before me Samuel Malcher, esquire, one of his Majesty’s justices of the peace for the said county of Kent, the 18th day of February 1748-9.

The informant, Joseph Emery, upon his oath says, that on Thursday, 9 February about eleven o’clock in the evening, two persons came on horseback to this informant’s door (one of whom, now in custody) calls himself William Freeman, and the other this informant is informed is one Jospeh Kemp of Crayford in this county, labourer, and calling for a pint of beer, dismounted their horses and went into his house where they stayed about half an hour drinking very freely; this informant during that space of time observed a horse pistol fixed to a belt under Freeman’s coat and at their departure, as Kemp was remounting his horse he perceived also two pistols under a coat Kemp then wore, by means of the coat’s turning aside, and at going away Kemp said "I know not whither I am going or shall go or where to live or what to do".

And this informant further says that on Wednesday 15, about eight o’clock in the evening, Freeman and Kemp came again to this informant’s house and drank at the door, and Kemp, pulling his wig out of his pocket, which was very bloody, said "Damn, we had like to have had a great skirmish on the road on a dispute about the way," and then this informant observed the blood running down Kemp’s head upon his shoulders at the same time Freeman said "Damn my blood, I wish it had been a little darker for his sake," meaning (as this informant believes) the person with whom they had engaged with as aforesaid. The informant, Thomas Pearcy, likewise says upon his oath, that upon Thursday 9, about seven in the evening, William Freeman sent for this informant to the sign of the Duke of Cumberland in Dartford to look on a horse which Freeman was then about to purchase (Joseph Kemp being then in company with him) and hired a horse of this informant to go to London, as Freeman pretended, and this informant saw Freeman put a large pistol into a pocket under his coat, which he had then bought of George Eaton of Dartford, victualler, and further this informant says that the next morning, William Willicome, of Crayford, blacksmith, brought back this informant’s horse, telling him Freeman had made him no farther than Crayford, had left him with him, and was returned on a fresh hired horse towards Cliffe in this county as this informant had been acquainted by Joseph Emery about eleven-o’clock the same evening and lastly this informant says that Freeman told this informant he intended to buy a brace of pistols in the Minories when he got to London."