Builth and district
Crime and punishment
Watch out, Jane, they're after you !  
 

The official court records from 1855 show that Harriet Phillips had joined in the attack on Jane Lloyd in Builth on 28th June...

 
Quarter
Sessions
document

1855
Court document,1855Powys County Archives
Drawing by
Rob Davies
"Harriet Phillips is convicted before the undersigned, two of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said County, for that on the 28th day of June last at the parish of Builth in the County of Brecon one Mary Cooke of the parish of Builth aforesaid, did unlawfully and violently assault and beat one Jane Lloyd, the wife of John Lloyd, Labourer, of the parish of Builth aforesaid. And that the said Harriet Phillips did then and there incite and aid the said Mary Cooke to commit the said offence". Drawing of the assault
 

The first part of the charge against Harriet Phillips reads much the same as the document on the last page, which was the case against Mary Cooke. Both women were accused of assaulting Jane Lloyd, but Mary seems to have done most of the beating, and Harriet helped and encouraged her. To 'incite' means to egg on or to urge someone to do something.
As one woman behaved rather more violently than the other, they received different sentences, as shown on the next page...

What happened to Mary and Harriet...

 

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