Wife jumped from upper window after raiders made threats to kill

Often in the 1840s rural burglary was rife and presented a challenge for the Lancashire County Constabulary formed in 1839.

- with Keith Johnson

In early 1845 there were a spate of such crimes often involving violence and such an incident took place on the second Tuesday of February 1845. In the early hours of the morning the house of Mr. Hugh Dawson a retired cotton spinner of Preston situated about four hundred yards from the Golden Hill railway station in Leyland was targeted.

At around three o'clock in the morning a noise was heard by Mr. Dawson who instantly got out of bed to investigate and reaching the top of the stairs could hear whispers down below he shouted out: "Whose there?"

An utterance that got a reply: "If you don't hold your noise we will kill." Fearful of violence from the intruders he quickly ran up to the attic and bawled out through the window to his near neighbour George Walton: "George, George, we have got thieves."