1675 - Felony by John Boone:
In 1675, John Boone, a maltster who lived in what is now Wilton House, 33 High Street, was convicted at the Quarter Sessions at Newbury Court of receiving stolen goods. He was "legally tried and found guilty of the said felony", and as a result, his punishment was to be "burned in the hand".

John Boone had bought the property in 1665 from William Curtis, the Parish Clerk for £86.

When John Boone was convicted of the felony in 1675, he claimed right of clergy, and  escaped imprisonment, but all his  properties were confiscated to the  borough. The feoffees (John Boone was one of them!) sold it for £200 to  Jehosophat Stevens and John Lewis, but it was later bought back by John Boone snr and John Boone jnr, (see 1722 deed) and he was able to remain in  his residence (other properties were not "returned").

In 1692 John Boone (unclear at present whether father or son) became Bailiff, and Porrtreeve in 1693. In 1696 John Boone was Constable (although the boards in the Town Hall give the years 1695 & 1706)

John Boone made a will in 1706, and died in 1714. His only daughter Sarah  inherited his property. She had married (in 1704) William Ryman (plumber).

Follow this link to see the transcription of the Indenture between the Feoffees of Hungerford and Jehosophat Stephens and John Lewis, granting them the lands and goods of John Boone, after his conviction for felony.

1762 - Murder of William and Ann Cheyney, 1762:
The Berkshire Directory of 1762 reports that "In the year 1762 a shocking murder was committed in this town, on the bodies of Mr. Cheyney and his wife, an  old couple, who for many years had  resided here: the murder was supposed to have been perpetrated about nine o'clock in the evening, but was not  discovered till the next morning. Many persons were suspected, but no  proofs appeared of their guilt.  Diligent search was made after the  author or authors, but without success, nor have they yet been  discovered."

A mural  monument was erected in the parish church against the wall of the north  aisle which commemorated the burial of the murdered couple in these  words:- "Near this place rest the  remains of William Cheyney, late of this town aged 83 and of Ann his wife, aged 71, who were barbarously  murdered in their own house on the evening of 11th of December, 1762."

See also:
- "The Murder of William and Ann Cheyney" in Norman  Hidden's "Aspects of the Early History of  Hungerford",
- A full report in The Gentleman's Magazine (1762 vol 11, pp 124-5),
- 114 High Street, Hungerford

1825 - John Giles and George Breadmore - Theft - Transported to Australia:
Jan Humphreys contacted the Virtual Museum about an ancestor John Giles,  who was employed as a servant for 8 years by James Jelfs. John Giles was tried  at the Berkshire assizes in 1825 and sentenced to death  - later commuted to life and  transported to Australia.

John Giles was a farmer, ploughman and sawyer. He called upon Mr Jelfs his late master (of the Free Grammar School in The Croft) for a character reference but Mr Jelfs declined giving him one. There is an article in the Berkshire Chronicle of 5 March 1825 detailing  the trial of John Giles and George Breadmore charged with having on  Saturday night the 18th of December feloniously and burglariously entered the  dwelling house of George Edwards at Hungerford and stolen thereout a number of  silver and plated articles also £40 in country bank notes. We do not yet know where George Edwards' house was. 

See also copies of the original  Assize records:
- Trial of John Giles and George Breadmore, 28th Feb 1825

1830 - Agricutural "Swing" Riots in Bridge Street and other places:
See - Agricultural "Swing" Riots, 22nd November 1830

1876 - Murder of two local Policemen near Folly Crossing:
See - Police Murders, 11th December 1876

1987 - Hungerford Shooting Tragedy:
At lunchtime on 19th August 1987 local resident Michael Ryan began a frenzy of shooting.  Over the next few hours Ryan was to murder 16 people, before he took his own life. This event shocked people around the world. Much further material is available both locally and on-line.

Wilton House, 33 High Street 2007 - owned by John Boone in 1675 when he was found guilty of receiving stolen goods.

114 High Street, Mar 2007 -
probable site of the murder of
William and Ann Cheyney, 1762

Tragedy Memorial in Bulpit Lane
June 1992