CRIME IN OLD ROTHERHAM: The Rotherham Coining Case

The man would hold the mould with an iron clamp or pliers whilst the woman poured the hot metal into it. Another person would often act as look-out, whilst this was being done. Such a crime was discovered in Rotherham in February 1859. About 11am on the morning of Tuesday February 22, a man called Joseph Smith arrived at a lodging house in Westgate kept by Thomas O'Brien.

Smith said that he wanted accommodation for himself, his wife and his mother-in-law who was also called Julia O’Brien (no relation). The landlord told him that he had beds for the night and Smith went away and returned with the two women. They carried a carpet bag and three baskets between them, which they placed in the kitchen until it was time to go to bed. That evening and the following day the three people ran up bills amounting to 10s. When the landlord asked for settlement, Emily Smith pawned her husband’s watch and paid the bill. Shortly afterwards she asked for a glass of ale, and she paid the landlady with a shilling, which the woman put in her apron pocket.

About half an hour later whilst there were several other customers in the house, Emily attempted to pass another shilling in payment for some ale. This time the landlady had a closer look at the coin which she thought was counterfeit. She gave it to another man in the tap room, who broke it in half.

The landlady took the two pieces over to where Julia O'Brien was sitting, and said to her ‘see what roguery there is here’. The woman snatched the two pieces of the coin out of her hands and threw them into the fire saying ‘never mind it’. The landlady then remembered the previous shilling which Emily had given her, and found it too was counterfeit. One of the men in the tap room called Thomas Brannan went for a policemen. Police constable Wade attended and took Emily into custody. Shortly after the woman had been arrested, Brannan found a tin box in a passage which he saw was sealed with a piece of solder. Joseph Smith, seeing the man pick up the tin box, claimed was his, but Brannan refused to let him have it back. Breaking open the box, Brannan found nine or ten counterfeit half crowns and as many shillings, each wrapped up in separate pieces of paper.

The coins were handed over to Police constable Kershaw who found that all the half crowns bore the date of 1845 and all the shillings the date of 1842. Armed with such evidence, the constable also took possession of Mr and Mrs Smith's belongings. In the carpet bag and the bundle of clothes which had been brought into the lodging house, he found a quantity of copper wire and the inner part of a galvanic battery. In some more clothes he found outer parts of the same battery.

The man Smith and the woman O'Brien were both taken into custody by Police Constable Cockcroft. When they reached the police station and were searched Smith had in his possession a counterfeit florin, one of the bad half crown's and two of the shillings as well as a piece of metal. The coins both bore the same date as the other counterfeit coins. Emily’s basket was also searched and PC Cockcroft found inside objects which were commonly used in coining. These consisted of a small melting pan, with some metal sticking to it, another piece of metal which fitted into the pan, some white powder, eight short pieces of wood wrapped in flannel, four small files, a pair of pliers, a hammer and a piece of copper wire. There was also acids used in the counterfeiting process which included a bottle of liquid vitriol and a lump of blue vitriol.

On February 28 the three prisoners were brought before the magistrates. Julia O’Brien denied any relationship to the other prisoners and stated that she had no idea that the coins were not real. She claimed that she had only met the couple on the road and that they had promised to pay her lodgings for her. Despite her denouncements, the prisoners were all found guilty and sent to take their trial at the next assizes. The two Smiths and Julia O’Brien appeared in front of judge Mr Justice Byles at York on Thursday March 10 1859.

After listening to all the evidence, Joseph was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and his wife Emily was given six months. Julia O’Brien was acquitted and discharged.