Richard Backe: The Information of Richard Backe Leominster in the County of Hereford Dyer and Clothworker 12 November 1698

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The Informacon of Iane Iuxon Richard Backe of Leominster in y^e County of Hereford Dyer and Clothworker taken this 12^th. day of November Anno Dni 1698

Who saith y^t abo^t. a year and a half ago this Inform^t. was in company w^th. Thomas Yarnold of Leominster aforesaid Glassier and Katherine his wife at Leominst^r. aforesd. and there the said Katherine Yarnold did propose to this Inform^t. y^t her husband would make false and counterfeit milld money and she would have this Inform^t. to put it off or pay it away an equall share in the proffit thereof but this Inform^t. being very unwilling to be anyway to p{illeg}ed in such a bad p^ractise as making of bad money and enqing {sic} of the illegallity thereof the said Thomas Yarnold and Kath. his wife said y^t. what money they intended to make should be as good as any y^t was coyned in the Kings mint so y^t. no body would be cheated or {rummaged} by taking of it whereupon this Inform^t. did agree to be concerning in putting of bad money as aforesaid, and the said Yarnold did declare that he believed he could make money and that his father and another had done it, and that about a month after this Informant saw the said Yarnold in his own house in Leominster aforesaid mould a pair of Flasks with burnt Alaboster and a Milld shilling and took this shilling out of the Flask and run melted metall into the mould and cast 3 or 4 milld shillings one after another but at different tymes but the edges of the said shillings were not well cast so y^t this Inform^t. and the said Yarnold did conclude not to be any further concern^d. in making of false money at y^t. tyme, but y^t. abo^t. a quarter of a year after the s^d. Thomas Yarnold told this Inform^t. y^t. he had been with one Willm Mawne who then lived in the ꝑish of Midleton in County of Hereford Yeoman and that the said Mawne had told him that he <26v> make {sic} counterfeit money and the said Yarnold said y^t. he believed he could make false money for y^t. he supposed the said Mawne had been concerned with Yarnold's father in assisting him to make counterfeit money in imitacon of the Curr^t. Coyn of this Kingdom and the said Mawne and one Francis Eno of the s^d. Leominster Blacksmith were one tyme drinking togeather at the said Yarnold's house and the said Yarnold went into the room where they had been drinking imediatly after the {sic} went away imediatly and found a paper with Clippings in it fa{illeg}|l|len upon the floor and that he left y^e same where he found them and the said Mawne retain^d. in a litle time and said he had left something in the room where he had been drinking, and went into it and carry^d. away the Clippings with him as Yarnold told this Inform^t. and y^e said Yarnold did importune this Inform^t. to go with him to Mawne to talk with him abo^t. making of counterfeit money and abo^t. a fortnight after this Inform^t. did go to mawns house and did then appoint a time togeather when Mawne should make and experim^t of casting counterfeit money and the said Yarnold did buy arsnick and salt petre morder there to and shew^d. them to this Inform^t. and this Inform^t. went to the said Mawns house abo^t. a week after in company with the said Yarnold and {illeg}|t|he said Inform^t. did then and there see the said Mawne cast one half Crown in sixpence and abo^t. 3 or 4^s. all counterfeit money and the edges of the said money were not fairly cast and Mawn tryed to edge one shilling by a Tool like an Iron Chissell but could not edge it well And this Inform^t. further sayth y^t. abo^t. March last past the said Mawne and one who went by the name of Edward Iones of Burrisson near Tenbury in the Borders of Worcestershire and Shropsh a Smith and George Hampton of Dudley in Worcestersh in Staffordshire Smith came also togeather to this Inform^t. to Leominster and shewed him a pair of Shilling Dyes or Stamps and a Mill for edging of Shillings and offered to sell y^m. for 3^ll. to this Inform^t. but he did refuse t{l}|o| buy them and y^t. abo^t. aprill last he saw the said Iones and Hampton counterfeit the Curr^t. Coyn of this Kingdom at Iones's house at Burrison aforesaid by stamping of shillings. Hampton blancht y^e Copper of which the false money was made and beat y^e metall into plates and cut it round Iones filed it round and he and Hampton stamped it togeather and Hampton edged and they told this Depon^t y^t the stamps and Edger were Hamptons and y^t. they were made by Hamptons brother who liveth in Birmingham and y^t. Hampton told the Depon^t. y^t. one m^r.     Perks an Iron monger of Ludlow in Shropshire had a considerable quantity of their money at the rate of <27r> twenty 5^s. for 20^s. and y^t. the said Iones told this Inform^t. y^t. his father Iones who lives near Burrisson aforesaid was privy to his making of false mon'y and y^t. Iones Senior used frequently to buy sheep and horses and let his son Edw^d. Iones have the payment of the money by means thereof he used to pay away counterfeit money amongst good and that the said Mawne told this Inform^t. that the said Iones senior and himsel{illeg}|f|e used frequently to make false and counterfeit money of the old Coyn and y^t. in aprill and may last past he this Inform^t had severall times counterfeit money of the said Edward Iones and George Hampton to the value of abo^t. 5^ll. and bought some of it at the rate of 28^s. of bad for 20^s. goo{illeg}|d| money and after the rate of 30^s for 2{0}^s and that afterwards this Inform^t. sold part of the said counterfeit money to the sd Thomas Yarnold and his wife at the rate of 24^s. of bad for 20^s good and that this Inform^t. sold 12^s. of the said counterfeit money to the said Francis Eno and {Erie} gave him 9^s. of good money for it and told him y^t. he the said Eno had bought counterfeit money of the said Mawne which he believed to be made by the same persons which made the said false money which this Inform^t. sold him as aforesaid and y^t. he gave Mawne after the rate of 20^s. of good money for 26^s. of bad money.— And this Inform^t. further saith y^t. abo^t. the beginning of Iune last past the said George Hampton and his wife came to this Inform^t. to Leominster and did tell him y^t. a Gent. who lived near Dudley aforesaid or some where in y^t. countrey had sent Hampton's wife to her husband to get her husband to go to him for y^t he would employ him to make false money for him and the said Gentleman would put it off by buying of Cattle and Hampton would have had this Inform^t. to have gone with him to have been concerned with him but he refused but Hampton said y^t. his mother kept an alehouse in y^t sd Dudley and y^t. if this Inform^t. had at any time a mind to see him he should enquire of him\er/ and she would tell him where Hampton's wife was and y^t. she would tell him where her husband was and y^t. the said Hampton told this Inform^t. y^t. Iones and he had a pair of stamps to make false $\frac{1}{2}$ Gineas {sic} with from Hampton's said brother but y^t. upon tryall they found they found {sic} them not good so they had sent y^m back to his bro^r. to mend them

And this Inform^t. further saith y^t. after the said Thomas Yarnold understood y^t. this Inform^t. had an Edging Mill and stamps offered to be sold to him as aforesaid he was very importunate with this Inform^t. to buy them for him or to let him know where they were y^t he might buy them himselfe but this Inform^t. refusing so to do the said Yarnold was very angery with him and y^t. after some time the said Yarnold told this Inform^t. y^t. though he would not tell him where the stamps were yet he had learned by Mawne and was to have a pair of stamps and would have have {sic} had this Inform^t. to have been {sharer} with him in paying for them and that Katherine the wife of Thomas Yarnold told this Inform^t. y^t she had shewed some of the Counterfeit money which her husband and she bought of this <27v> Informant as aforesaid to her sister Mary Perks who liveth near the said Leominster and told her how she came by it and this Inform^t. doth believe y^t. mrs mawne widdow and her daughter are privy to and do know of some of the evill practises y^t. are above menconed ag^t. the said Tho: Yarnold

Rich Backe

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