I meant to post this information earlier, but forgot. I assume this is your man, and apologies if you already have some or all of this.
14 March 1822: Exeter Flying Post
DEVON LENT ASSIZES
[very long list of Prisoners for Trial]
...
Emanuel Littlejohns, for stealing about sixty pounds of leather
21 March 1822: Exeter Flying Post
The business of the Devon Assize commenced at our Castle yesterday.
...
The following are already tried and found guilty:—
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Emanuel Littlejohns
7 August 1830: Western Times
Devon Lammas Assizes
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Emanuel Littlejohn was indicted for stealing an ewe the property of Hugh Brent, Esq. in the parish Shebbear. The prisoner was convicted of a felony in the third year of the reign of our late Majesty and suffered punishment. The ewe in question was on Penworthy Moor, and the hind one John Brent Reed, nephew of the prosecutor found the sheep wanting, when he visited the moor, and on searching for It, round a place apparently where a sheep had been dragged through, he remarked some impressions of shoes, and went and searched a garden near the prisoner's dwelling, in whose possession the garden was, and in it found a sheep's head, and in another corner the entrails of a sheep, with foot marks, which appeared to him similar to the impressions on Penworthy Moor, and he procured one of the prisoner's shoes, and compared the impression with it, and found them to correspond as did the marks on Penworthy Moor, he cut up the earth where the impression was, and carried it to the magistrate, who likewise compared it. The shoe was of a peculiar form, having a row of nails each side, and two rows in the middle, and at the fore extremity was a piece of iron, not in the form of a horse shoe, but a piece of iron direct across the toe of the shoe. Another witness proved that he had counted 39 sheep on the day previous to the loss of the sheep, but found on the day it was missed only 38, he substantiated the evidence of the last witness, with respect to searching the prisoner's house, and fitting the shoe to the marks on Penworthy Moor, and in the field adjoining prisoner's garden. The foreman of the Jury stated that they could come to no unanimous agreement, and did not wish to interrupt the business of the court, they were therefore locked up. Shortly after the jury returned a verdict of guilty.—death recorded.
Note that the reference to "a felony in the third year of the reign of our late Majesty" is probably referring to 1822 since George IV reigned from 1820-1830.
