Overview

In late eighteenth-century Yorkshire a powerful gang of counterfeiters held the local community in its spell. In a remote valley near Halifax called Cragg Vale, gold coins of the realm were clipped and filed, then returned to circulation, while the extra metal collected was melted down to produce new counterfeit currency. The crime was punishable by death, and violence and vengeance, even murder, was meted out against those who got in their way. The Cragg Vale Coiners were highly organised, enlisting the help of many in the local community, and local authorities were powerless to stop them. The threat posed by the gang was debated in Parliament and the government had to do something to prevent the Exchequer being defrauded of millions of pounds and the nation’s currency being debased, so it was forced to despatch high-ranking officials of the Royal Mint in an attempt to bring the gang to justice and the ringleaders to the gibbet. The ensuing hunt for the gang members was bitter and the story of the outcome has become the stuff of legends. Steve Hartley has been researching the true story of the Cragg Vale Coiners for many years. His interest in the story was sparked by the knowledge that he is a direct descendant of the gang leader ‘King David’ Hartley. In this book he presents the facts of the sensational reign of the Cragg Vale gang in a corner of Yorkshire that has fascinated people through the centuries since, inspiring folk songs, novels, plays and poetry as well as plans for a TV series and documentary, some of which Steve has assisted with his unparalleled knowledge of the true story of the Yorkshire Coiners.

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9781398113879

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Reviews

'The book goes into very great detail about the coiners, and there is an incredible amount of research and information about the investigations. A gift if you have a rogue coiner in your tree!' -- WDYTYA Magazine, Summer 2023 'I liked the fact that the author has set this high-pro le criminal case against a background of the local area’s history, geography and economy, allowing us to understand why the counterfeiters felt the risk worth taking – and how they were able to escape justice for so long.' -- Family Tree Magazine, July 2023 'Thoroughly researched, without romanticising or sensationalising the coiners, Steve Hartley’s book is a comprehensive, compelling account of their story.' -- Bradford Telegraph & Argus

Author Information

Steve Hartley has long been researching local history and genealogy but his interest in the Yorkshire Coiners gang was sparked by the knowledge that he is the direct descendant of the gang leader, ‘King David’ Hartley. He has been investigating the true story of the gang in the national and local archives for many years and runs the Yorkshirecoiners.com website which is an online resource for those wishing to learn about the coiners and their activities.

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