Cragg Coiners
Encyclopedia
The Cragg Vale Coiners (sometimes the Yorkshire Coiners or Crag Vale Coiners) were a band of counterfeiters in England
, based in Cragg Vale
, near Halifax, West Yorkshire
. They produced fake gold
coin
s in the late 18th century to supplement small incomes from weaving
.
s and other sources. They removed the coins' genuine edges and milled them again. The coins were only slightly smaller.
The Coiners collected the shavings from the real coins and melted them down to produce counterfeits. Designs were punched into the blank "coins" with a hammer
. The Coiners then had their accomplices place the fakes into circulation
. Most of the counterfeit coins had French
, Spanish
, or Portuguese
designs.
The Cragg Coiners were so successful because the region of England
they operated in was very rural
.
The arrest made the Coiners vengeful. Isaac Hartley, "King" David's brother, engineered a plan to have Dighton killed. On November 10, two Coiners, Matthew Normanton (or Normington) and Robert Thomas, ambushed Dighton near Halifax, West Yorkshire
, and shot him.
Charles Watson-Wentworth
, the Marquess of Rockingham
, was recruited to hunt down the killers. He had 30 Coiners arrested by Christmas Day. David Hartley was hanged at Tyburn near York
on April 28, 1770 and buried in the village of Heptonstall
, W Yorks. His brother, Isaac, escaped the authorities and lived until 1815. As for Dighton's murderers, Normanton was hanged on April 15, 1775 and Thomas was hanged on August 6, 1774.
, Puffin Books, 1968, ISBN 978-0-14-030531-9. The story is seen through the eyes of a fictitious twelve-year-old boy who lives nearby and who befriends the son of David Hartley. All the places and the main characters such as David Hartley and William Dighton are given their real names.
Gold Pieces was reprinted 2007 by Royd Press at The Book Case in Hebden Bridge near Mytholmroyd, ISBN 978-0-9556204-1-6
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, based in Cragg Vale
Cragg Vale
Cragg Vale is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England, located south of Mytholmroyd on the B6138 road which joins the A58 and the A646.-Early Days:There is evidence of human activity on the Yorkshire moors around Cragg from c. 10,000 BC...
, near Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
. They produced fake gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
s in the late 18th century to supplement small incomes from weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
.
Activities
Led by "King" David Hartley, the Coiners obtained real coins from publicanPublican
In antiquity, publicans were public contractors, in which role they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw public building projects...
s and other sources. They removed the coins' genuine edges and milled them again. The coins were only slightly smaller.
The Coiners collected the shavings from the real coins and melted them down to produce counterfeits. Designs were punched into the blank "coins" with a hammer
Hammer
A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
. The Coiners then had their accomplices place the fakes into circulation
Circulation (currency)
The social system in which we live has usually developed to the stage for money to be used as the medium for the exchange of goods and services. Hence the money is an important aspect of the general social or macroeconomics system...
. Most of the counterfeit coins had French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, or Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
designs.
The Cragg Coiners were so successful because the region of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
they operated in was very rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
.
Downfall
In 1769, William Dighton (or Deighton), a public official, investigated the possibilities of a counterfeiting gang in Cragg Vale. A Coiner by the name of James Broadbent betrayed the gang revealing its existence and operations to authorities. Dighton had Hartley arrested.The arrest made the Coiners vengeful. Isaac Hartley, "King" David's brother, engineered a plan to have Dighton killed. On November 10, two Coiners, Matthew Normanton (or Normington) and Robert Thomas, ambushed Dighton near Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, and shot him.
Charles Watson-Wentworth
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG, PC , styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Earl Malton in 1750, was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Prime...
, the Marquess of Rockingham
Marquess of Rockingham
Marquess of Rockingham was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton. The Watson family descended from Lewis Watson, Member of Parliament for Lincoln. He was created a Baronet, of Rockingham Castle in the County of Northampton,...
, was recruited to hunt down the killers. He had 30 Coiners arrested by Christmas Day. David Hartley was hanged at Tyburn near York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
on April 28, 1770 and buried in the village of Heptonstall
Heptonstall
Heptonstall is a small village and civil parish within the Calderdale borough of West Yorkshire, England. The population of Heptonstall, including the hamlets of Colden and Slack, is 1,448. The town of Hebden Bridge lies directly to the southeast...
, W Yorks. His brother, Isaac, escaped the authorities and lived until 1815. As for Dighton's murderers, Normanton was hanged on April 15, 1775 and Thomas was hanged on August 6, 1774.
Known members
- David Hartley, who lived at a farm called Bell HouseBell House-Places:Britain and Ireland* Bell House Gallery * Bell House , part of Cambridge House Grammar School's house system named after musician Derek Bell* Bell House Common...
, was the leader of the gang. - Thomas Sunderland, Joseph Shaw, and a Mr. Lightoulers were engraversEngravingEngraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
for the Coiners. - Other Coiners include John WilcockJohn WilcockJohn Wilcock is a British journalist known for his work in the underground press, as well as his travel guide books....
, Thomas Clayton, Matthew Normanton, Thomas Spencer, and James OldfieldJames OldfieldJames Oldfield is an English bass-baritone. In 2008 he was awarded a Sybil Tutton Award from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, and in 2010 he was given the Leonard Ingrams Award from Garsington Opera.- Biography :...
. - James Broadbent, the confessor.
Novel
The Cragg Coiners were the subject of a children's novel Gold Pieces by Phyllis BentleyPhyllis Bentley
Phyllis Eleanor Bentley, OBE , was an English novelist.The youngest child of a mill owner, she grew up in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and was educated at Halifax High School for Girls and Cheltenham Ladies' College. During World War I she worked in the munitions industry...
, Puffin Books, 1968, ISBN 978-0-14-030531-9. The story is seen through the eyes of a fictitious twelve-year-old boy who lives nearby and who befriends the son of David Hartley. All the places and the main characters such as David Hartley and William Dighton are given their real names.
Gold Pieces was reprinted 2007 by Royd Press at The Book Case in Hebden Bridge near Mytholmroyd, ISBN 978-0-9556204-1-6