Unsuccessful Conisborough Claim – Doncaster Wine Merchants Sued

July 1905

Mexborough and Swinton Times, July 1, 1905

Unsuccessful Conisborough Claim
Doncaster Wine Merchants Sued

Mr. William. Wilson, timber merchant, of Conisborough, sued Messrs. Bentley and sons, wine merchants, Doncaster, for 18/– for goods supplied. Mr. F. D. Hall represented the plaintiff, and the defendants were represented by Mr. W. Baddiley.

William Barlow, warehouse man, in the plaintiff’s employ, said on August 9th, 1994, Mr. Harold Bentley ordered 18 gross of shrines for barrels. He at first ordered four gross of six sizes, rising from an inch and a quarter to two and a quarter inches, but subsequently reduced the order to three gross each. He wrote the order down in his presence, and subsequently handed it to Mr. Wilson. The shrives were to be 1s. a gross. They were manufactured and sent to the defending who refused to accept them.

Cross-examined by Mr. Baddiley, witness admitted 18 gross of shies was an unusually large number for a wine merchant to order, but he denied that the order was for six gross only.

Frank Baxendale, foreman, gave corroborative evidence. Mr. Bentley first gave the order to him, and he took him to the warehouseman.

Mr. William Wilson said the original order had been lost, but the entry in the order book had been copied from the note written by Barlow. –

Mr. Harold Bentley, called for the defence, said he ordered the shrives, but his order was only for six gross all told.

Mr. Baddiley: you wouldn’t dream of ordering 18 gross? – Oh dear, no!

His honour: A person might give a silly order: it happens sometimes.

Mr. Baddiley: Not a person who knows his business.

Cross-examined by Mr. Hall, witness said he could not say what he meant by friting to the plaintiffs that his order was for free or for gross mixed. His order, as a matter of fact was for six gross.

His honour gave judgement for the defendants. It was, he said for the plaintiff to prove the order, and although the order had been reduced to writing, it was not produced in court.