SKINNING DOGS, EXETER, 1830

Young Mr. Lang, whose father had a shop in Fore Street, had a black setter dog.  He told the magistrates at Exeter Guildhall that, between seven and eight of a Tuesday morning, his dog had been alive and well but  between ten and eleven of the same morning he passed through the yard of his next door neighbour ,Mr. Pridham, and "he saw the skin of the same dog ....thrown over a cask in a reeking state as if recently  stripped from the animal."   He immediately fetched a constable and Mr. Pridham was brought before the magistrates. 

A boy who worked in Mr. Pridham's shop gave evidence that at about 10 o'clock on the day in question, the skin was offered to his master for sale by an unknown boy who was in the company of "one Edwin Soper whom he knew to be a blackguard rascal. The boy asked 18d. for the skin and his master gave him 8d. or 9d. for it.

The court seems not to have been concerned that the dog had been killed but that it was stolen.  Mr. Pridham was charged with receiving stolen property.  The magistrates convicted Mr. Pridham of receiving the skin knowing it to be stolen, and ordered the payment of the value of the dog 5l.  and a penalty of 5l. beyond that sum." 

Source: The Western Times, 8th May, 1830.

Ten days later another dog-stealing offence was heard:

"At the Guildhall on Saturday, Aeron England, a low fellow, too well known in this city, was convicted of stealing a black setter dog, the property of  -  Meluish.  It was proved that England had offered to exchange the dog for another, on the day it was lost, (10th April last), and it had not been heard of since the time when it was seen in his possession.   The Mayor in announcing the judgement of the Bench, took occasion to remark that a considerable traffic in dog's skins was known to exist in Exeter, that the offenders were also known, and should they be convicted of unlawfully obtaining the skin of any dog, the utmost penalty of the law would certainly be inflicted. England was then sentenced to pay 20s. the value of the dog as also a penalty of 20s, and in default was sent to the treadmill for two months."

Source: The Western Times, 15th May, 1830.