QSR1845/4/5/27-28

Charles Webb and Joseph Lloyd (alias Greenwood) charged with uttering two pieces of counterfeit coin at Harlington on 24 September 1845

25 September 1845

From: 1845 To: 1845

Dinah Muckleston, wife of Thomas Muckleston of Harlington, shopkeeper – her husband is a butcher and shopkeeper. Yesterday Webb came into the shop a little before 8pm. She served him with an ounce of tea. He gave her a half crown, she gave him the change and he left. She suspected the coin was not a good one and put it in her pocket. Less than 10 minutes later the other prisoner came in and asked for ½ lb of soap. He also gave her half a crown. She thought it was a bad one but gave him the change as she was frightened – there was no one in the house and she dare not go out and ask anyone else. She asked the man if he had a stall there. He said he had not. She was turning the coin over and the man suddenly turned away and ran off. As he was going out her father came in at the door. She showed both the coins to a neighbour, Wildman’s wife. She never lost sight of the coins. She marked them both this morning and gave them to PC Hornal. The two pieces of soap produced are the ones she sold to Lloyd. The tea and paper are what she sold to Webb. Thomas Muckleston – last night his wife came to Wildman’s public house where he was and gave him the two coins. He saw they were bad. He gave them back to his wife. He looked after them overnight then returned them to her again that morning. He kept them separately and did not mix them up with any other money. He had no other half crowns in his possession. George Hobbs of Harlington, butcher – about 7.30pm last night he was in the street at Harlington and saw the two prisoners coming along the road. He is sure it was the same two men. They were strangers. They were close together and talking. He did not notice where they went to. He was in Wildman’s house when Muckleston’s wife came in with the two coins. He described the two men he met – one was dressed in a light blouse and the other in a dark coat, who was the tallest. She said the description agreed. He went with Muckleston in search of the two men. With PC Hornal he went to a lodging house in Toddington where he saw the two prisoners. He did not see any woman with them at Harlington. Samuel Hornal, police constable stationed at Toddington – he went to a lodging house in Toddington kept by Franklin Harbett in search of the two men. He found them with two other men in one room sitting before the fire. He asked Webb for his bundle and found in it two pieces of soap. He searched Webb and found on him the tea now produced. PC Kitchener continued to search Webb and he searched Lloyd. He found on Lloyd a comb, a knife and nothing particular – no money. The landlady gave Kitchener 9d which she said Webb had paid for lodgings for himself, Lloyd and a female with them. He produces the 2 counterfeit half crowns which appear to have been cast in the same mould. The date on them is 1817. John Kitchener, police constable – he searched Webb last night and found 3 shillings in good money. A gold ring fell on the floor when he took his hand out of his pocket. He did not find anything else in particular. The landlady gave him 9d which Webb had paid for lodgings. Hornal charged them but neither of them said anything. Charles Webb – he has nothing to say Joseph Lloyd – he knows nothing about the money

item

Webb, Charles,
Lloyd, Joseph,
Greenwood, Joseph,
Muckleston, Dinah,
Muckleston, Thomas,
Hobbs, George,
Hornal, Samuel,
Kitchener, John,
Harbett, Franklin,
Wildman

HARLINGTON, TODDINGTON, passing counterfeit coin, butcher, shopkeeper, tea, lodging houses