(The court case was essentially to settle which of two parishes should bear the expense of supporting the blind man, Richard Watts, and his family)
Sarah Griffiths: I resided at Bucknell when 11 years of age; I knew James Watts and his wife, the father and mother of the pauper; I remember them coming to Bucknell before they had any children. I know the blind man the pauper. I saw him within two or three hours of his birth in the cottage where his mother was confined. I did not know his father and mother before they were married; I do not know where they came from; the woman lived at Brampton Bryan; they came to Bucknell in 1816; the child was born in July following; they came at Lady-day; I continually saw the pauper as he grew; the father has resided in Bucknell until the present time the mother is dead; the father lives there now I have seen the pauper from time to time as he grew up.
Richard Watts: I am blind; I was living at Bucknell when first attacked with blindness, which was seven years ago last August; my wife and children were relieved by Bucknell when I was first seized; I am now married and have children, and was so when first attacked with blindness; I have a wife and two children; I was sent to Shrewsbury for five months; I was afterwards sent to Birmingham Infirmary by Bucknell parish; they could do no good for me there, and I returned to Bucknell; I was in Birmingham five weeks; I remained in Bucknell after that one year at home and three years in a cottage near the Noyadd, and was in the receipt of relief from Bucknell parish; Mr. Lillo and I have talked together during that time; I left Bucknell for Knighton three years last May. My wife and children were relieved by Bucknell at that time; I had been at Knighton about year and a half before the parish of Bucknell refused relief; my wife received charity money from that parish during my residence in Knighton.
I had never been in service before going to Mr. Thomas; I had been at home to that time, but was in the habit of going to drive plough..... I was only in Mr. Thomas's service once; it was about the last Thursday in May I went to him; I went to Mr. Pugh's about two or three weeks after Christmas, the year after I left Mr. Thomas's; I left Pugh on Saturday, Knighton fair day, 17th May; I was not hired that day; I returned home, and someone told my father and mother that Mr. Lillo wanted a waggoner's boy. My father came after me on the Sunday and took me to Mr. Lillo's house; I am sure it was the Sunday after Knighton fair; I was hired the same day, and was to go that or the following day; I was hired by my father; I was about 15 years of age; I wanted my time to be up on 7th May; Mr. Lillo said "no, if you come to me, you come till Knighton fair day" and I was hired on these conditions; the first day of the fair the following year I left him.... I know Bucknell is a parish of a union; it was the relieving officer of the union gave the relief.
William Collins: I am relieving officer of one district of the Knighton union, and was appointed in December, 1850; the pauper Richard Watts was at that time relieved by me with 4s. weekly, which relief was charged to Bucknell; I continued to give him relief on account of that parish till December, 1852; I am now relieving him on account of Knighton parish with 4s. Weekly. I know the pauper well; he was residing at Bucknell when I was first appointed; when the lists of paupers are revised annually, inquiries are sometimes made as to chargeability and settlement, well as money paid; it is sometimes the case that mistakes are discovered and paupers found not to belong to the parishes to which they are charged, or granting relief; after that relief had been continued some time an application was made to transfer the pauper to Knighton; was in December 1852; the Board of Guardians did not alter the charge; he was ordered into the workhouse; the charge was afterwards, by his discharging himself from the workhouse, charged to Knighton; the pauper, after he discharged himself from the workhouse, applied for relief, and that relief was then charged to Knighton;
Elizabeth Watts: I am the wife of the pauper; I remember being relieved at Bucknell, and during that time worked for Mr Lillo I do not recollect how many years we lived at Bucknell; I remember, sometime before the 25th March seeing the guardian for Bucknell, and asking him for a house; he told me he had no house for me, and to go to my husband's father, and they would stop a shilling a week to pay for it; he told me if I did not like that I may go to any parish I liked, and they would continue their gift as usual. I tried to get a house in Bucknell but there was none there for me; I then went to Knighton, where I got one; I lived with a man named Jordan; he turned me out, and I then went to the guardian; I lived afterwards with a man named Miles seven weeks; there was no room for us there, and we left.
James Watts: I am the father of the pauper; I married the daughter of one Richard Price, of Mainstone, by banns; I do not recollect the year; I was in the service of Mr. Lewis two years before I was married; that was in Brampton Bryan parish; I went at Lady-day and stayed till May, and then hired again for another year; it was on the 6th May, Wigmore fair day; I remained there for that year; I left at the Lady-day following, and then I got a wife. I went to Mr. Lewis's as a day labourer after that; I left at Lady-day; I then went to Bucknell with my wife; do you think I'd go without her? The pauper was born in July after going to Bucknell; I have lived there ever since I remember hiring my son, the pauper, to Mr. Lillo, who lived in Bucknell parish; it was on Sunday, about a fortnight after the fair; I am sure it was a week or a fortnight after the fair it was on a Sunday morning; he was to have 30s.... I hired him till Knighton May fair following; he was to go the following morning, which I believe he did. He left home the day he was hired; I receive a peck of wheat and sixpence from Brampton Bryan every Christmas. My son had not been hired servant before he went to Mr. Lillo. He always lived with me till he went to Mr. Lillo; he was in the habit of driving ploughs and those things I cannot remember any who employed him that time now; he was sometimes tending cattle for Lord Oxford, in Brampton Bryan park.
Edward Lillo: I am a farmer, living at the Mynde, in the parish of Bucknell I have lived there many years; I know the pauper Richard Watts; he was once in my service; it was in the year '21 I hired him; it was some time after the 17th of May; I could not say how many days after that date it was; I hired him till 17th of May, 1822; 1 am sure it was after both days of Knighton fair; I hired him as waggoner's boy; I hire waggoners' boys frequently; I generally hire them at Knighton May fair, and sometimes after; I did so at that time. I gave my waggon boys invariably 30s. a year; I generally hire by the year; I keep no books; this matter was brought before my notice at a parish meeting; I do not recollect saying at a parish meeting that I could not tell when I hired the pauper because I had no book; I have been at parish meetings when the affair of this pauper was being talked over; I do not recollect, but I will not undertake to swear, that I said I could not tell when I hired the pauper, as I kept no book; If I had said so it would have been true; I am not the largest rate-payer in the parish; two of the Stedmans are the largest; I am next; I never went to the pauper's cottage to ask him the terms of his hiring to me as I had forgot; I do not recollect being at the pauper's cottage during last year; I may have been there and forgotten it; to the best of my knowledge I have not asked the pauper about the terms of his hiring; I might, but have forgotten it; I commonly trust to memory; I did know that the pauper when residing in Knighton was having relief from Bucknell; I have been overseer; I was so during the time the pauper was receiving relief; I attended parish meetings, when the pauper-list has been revised; on an occasion when the relief was reduced I will not swear whether I was there or not; 1 never told anyone I knew when I hired him; I do not know myself; I know he went to Shrewsbury; I will not swear I knew he went there at the expense of Bucknell.
The Hereford Times, Saturday 28 October 1854