Trigg, William | Day 7

Received £5 for himself from Mr Rose. Of the remainder £10 guineas was spent on treating and he testified to £11 being spent on 3 voters but two testified they were paid £5 and one testified to receiving £3.


Witness Type: Briber, Treater

Party: Liberal

Other Days The Witness Was Called On: Day 14


Witness Testimony:

  • 7275.

    (Mr. Jeune.) Where do you live ? — 18, Strand, Walmer.

  • 7276.

    What are you ? — A bootmaker.

  • 7277.

    What money have you had at this election ? — 21L. 10s. 

  • 7278.

    From Rose ? — Yes. 

  • 7279.

    What did you do with it ?  — I paid 11L. away for direct bribery and 10L. 1Os. I paid in other ways. I was employed as a special canvasser to go round to some Tory houses to see if we could get the colours down. 

  • 7280.

    You paid 10L. to yourself ? — 10 guineas I had for myself. 

  • 7281.

    What was that for — what were you doing for it ? — I was employed as special canvasser, and I tried to get some of the Tory colours down for one thing, and I was sent to several of the Tory houses to see if we could do anything with them, and of course I had to spend something in each place. 

  • 7282.

    To get the colours down, do you say ? —To see if we could get them to pull the Tory colours down and put ours up. 

  • 7283.

    Is that the duty of a special canvasser ? — This was a little duty I had to perform, and I had to go and look after some out-voters in the country, and was gone the whole day. 

  • 7284.

    Who agreed with you to give you 10L. for that ? — Nobody ; I had 21L. 1Os. to do the best I could with ; I had a lot of names of people supposed to be Tories, and I had to try and influence them. 

  • 7285.

    (Mr. Holl.) You had 21L. 10s., and 10 guineas of that you allocated to yourself ? — No, I spent it. 

  • 7286.

    Well you kept it to yourself ? — I spent it. 

  • 7287.

    And what did you do with the remainder ? — 11L. I gave away to voters. 

  • 7288.

    To whom ? — John Sharp for one. 

  • 7289.

    Have you a list there ?  — Yes (handing the same). 

  • 7290.

    I see there is, “Paid three voters, John Sharp of Walmer, James Murphy, Deal,” and what is the third name ? — Baker. I do not know his Christian name, but he is a baker by trade. 

  • 7291.

    And his name is Baker ? — Yes. 

  • 7292.

    Where does he live in Walmer ? — Close by me. 

  • 7293.

    Then “Remainder spent in treating and travelling, four dozen bows, flyman, &c.” Is that all the money you were paid ? — Yes, except 5L. for lost time for seven or eight days. 

  • 7294.

    Besides the 10 guineas ? — I never had that 10 guineas, I spent it, it was gone. 

  • 7295.

    5L. you got for yourself ; where did you get that from ? — The same party. 

  • 7296.

    From Mr. Rose ? — Yes. 

  • 7297.

    And that was for yourself only ?  — Yes. 

  • 7298.

    Anything more ? — Nothing else. 

  • 7299.

    From neither side ? No, from neither side. I would not have done it for a Tory if he gave me 50L. 

  • 7300.

    You are very particular that your money should be of the right colour ? — Yes.