Sweet, Turner and Thompson
June 2026

The contents of this paper are largely “lifted” from the book ‘Andrew Thompson’ written by Annegret Hall.

On Saturday 7 August 1790 The Yetholm shop of Walter Turner, a cloth merchant, who was most likely attending the three day exhibition and trade fair, St James’ Fair in Kelso, was burgled. The bolts on Walter’s shop window shutter were removed, and the bar between two glass panes broken to make it large enough to admit a man. A large haul of linen and wool cloth, valued at £10, was stolen. A few days prior to this the home of 28 year old William Thompson, son of an established Yetholm weaver, John Thompson, was also broken into and burgled while at the Fair. In this case two flintlock pistols, a gunpowder flask, lead shot, some indigo dye and a pound of tea were stolen. 

Initially there were no suspects for the burglaries, however a weaver, John Aitken, was reported to have left the village in a hurry the following Monday and his rushed departure looked suspicious to Walter Turner who asked permission to search Aitken’s room. John Aitken worked for Walter Thompson and occupied a room in his house in Yetholm. Walter gave his consent to enter Aitken’s room and in it there was a large locked chest. After forcing the lock, the chest revealed items stolen from Walter Turner and William Thompson. Walter reported the thefts to the Yetholm constable, George Kerr. A search of neighbouring properties uncovered additional stolen items in the nearby village ‘stackyard’, and even more buried under cabbages recently planted by Andrew Thompson in his father’s vegetable plot.

John Aitken could not be found and was presumed to have fled over the nearby border into England and due to uncoordinated  communication between the local law authorities it could have been many months before he was apprehended. If captured he was liable to be hanged. Speculation led to a view that burglaries on this scale had to be the work of more than one person and so attention turned to Aitken’s acquaintances in Yetholm. Andrew, William’s youngest brother, had been a past associate of John Aitken; they had worked together and shared lodgings. There was a reluctance to ‘point the finger’ at Andrew because of his age (17 years old) and kinship to William. However constable Kerr could not ignore the fact that Andrew was an acquaintance of Aitken and that some of the stolen property was found in a vegetable plot recently planted by Andrew. Constable Kerr charged Andrew as an accomplice to the burglary and the two robberies. 

Walter Turner had little sympathy for the plight of the Thompsons. They were business competitors  and the demise of the Thompsons might have been to his advantage.

Constable George Kerr and his servant Abraham Hogg, with Walter Turner, took Andrew Thompson to the sheriff in Jedburgh on 24 August 1790. Andrew was formally charged and committed to Jedburgh Tolbooth gaol on 25 August 1790 with the charge to be heard before an Assize Court. In the 1750s heightened political concerns about social disruption brought in new laws to discourage theft. Burglary, highway robbery, housebreaking, picking pockets above one shilling, shoplifting above five shillings, stealing above 40 shillings, maiming or stealing a cow, horse or sheep, or breaking into a house or church now carried a recommended sentence of death by hanging.

On 31st August the King’s Advocate Norris wrote the prosecution indictment for Thompson and Aitken to appear before the Jedburgh Autumn Circuit Court. The nine page document inextricably linked Andrew Thompson and John Aitken in the prosecution of the  crimes. There was no consideration given to the fact that Andrew was only associated with Aitken with no proof that he took part in the burglaries and he was clearly on trial by association only. The total value of the items stolen from Walter Turner amounted to £10 and 6s (£1,520 in today’s currency).

Andrew was brought before the Assize Court on 21st September with John Aitken still at large. After the charges were read Andrew was obliged to plead ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’, he entered a plea of guilty in an attempt  to avoid the death sentence but because of this no witnesses were called who could have provided further information and character references. Due to his former good character and his age (he was 17 years old at the time but looked to be about 15 or 16) the Advocate Depute said he would restrict  the sentence ‘to an arbitrary punishment’. The jury retired to consider the charges and an appropriate punishment for a first offender. He was found guilty as charged. Lord Hailes, the judge, adjourned the court until next morning when he announced the sentence that Andrew was to be transported beyond seas for the space of fourteen years. In July 1791, Andrew was transported on the Pitt to Sydney.

Andrew became one of the richest and most successful men in colonial Australia. As a police Chief Constable he gained prominence through his honesty, leadership and industry, and was appointed to official posts by Governors Hunter, King, Bligh and Macquarrie. He built a vast business empire despite opposition from the all-powerful NSW Corps and John Macarthur. Thompson was the first ex-convict to be made a Chief Magistrate. He became a friend of Governor Macquarrie, to whom he bequeathed part of his estate. Loved by Hawkesbury settlers and honoured by Governors, Andrew Thompson gained more fame and fortune in New South Wales than he could ever have hoped for in his native land.

The association with the Sweets is interesting:

Walter Turner, merchant in Yetholm, was a son of Grizell Sweet (1720-1773) and Robert Turner (?-before 1767), who was a tailor in Yetholm. Walter was a merchant in cloth and clearly became quite successful, he married Margaret Amos and they had twelve children. One of the children was Dr Robert Turner a medical practitioner in Yetholm.  When Ann and Robert Sweet sold Sweet Holm to emigrate to Australia, it was Robert Turner who bought Sweet Holm as an investment (he was also a House Proprietor). At the time, Jean Sweet’s widower, Archibald Hogarth, was living in Sweet Holm and did so until his death in 1862.  It was Robert Turner who read George’s will to the family some time between 1818 and 1821.

A further twist to the tale is that Andrew Thompson’s brother, William and his brother Walter, were in partnership with two local friends, George Sweet and John Gillespie. The firm, known as Thompson, Gillespie and Sweet specialised in the merchandising of muslin textiles and exported primarily to France. However the French Revolution which erupted in 1789 caused many businesses to declare bankruptcy including Thompson, Gillespie and Sweet. George moved to Glasgow and purchased a burgess in 1796. George (1768-1828) was a nephew to Grizell Sweet (1720-1773) whose son Walter Turner (see above) was deeply involved in Andrew Thompson’s transportation. William Thompson, his wife , Jean and their two children also left Yetholm for Glasgow after the loss of the business.

So the Yetholm Sweets were quite closely linked to the fortunes of the Thompson family.

 

In memory of
EUPHEMIA TURNER
who died on the 27 June
1864 aged 26 years
Also
ROBERT TURNER
surgeon and father of
the above who died 2
April1876 aged 82 years.