Genealogy Chat

Hello, I found this when googling Gloustershire archives for family Does anyone know what coining was and why she was burnt while he was hanged? John Gough of this parish was hanged at Gloucester for coining and his wife (at the same time) burned then and there for the same crime'; this was 1698 cheers Caroline

just a guess...something to do with forgery - making fake coins perhaps?

making counterfeit money Lin

Think I guessed right...just googled and found this: 1-3 June 1699 Yesterday three of the condemned criminals suffered at Tybourn, viz. a man and a woman for coining, and a man for murder. When they were come to the place of execution, they were all three placed on one cart under the gallows, whilst the Ordinary praied with them; after which the woman was removed from thence to the stake, and then the cart drew away. She semed very penitent, and declared, she had put off some quantities of false money: She lamented very much the condition of her four small children; and being made fast to the post, she was immediately choak’d, and faggets [sic] and brushes, being placed round her, she was burnt to ashes. The two men seemed also very penitent. (The Flying Post) From: http://www[.]infopt[.]demon[.]co[.]uk/grub/coining[.]htm remove brackets.

I'm not actually sure but I think it had something to do with forgory of money. Gypsyjoe

Thanks Athena and Lin, its horrible isn't it, not sure if they were related to me yet, regards Caroline

Thanks Joe, sorry not very fast at typing, i have a baby under one arm Caroline

You've probably noticed that pound coins are serrated around the edge. This goes back to the time when coins were actually made of gold. Coiners would shave a small amount from the circumference of coins and, given enough coins, could amass a fair amount of gold. The damage to the coins was not obvious. The Serrations were added to the design of the coins to prevent this. Coiners were also known as chisellers.

I was in our local museum at the weekend - in our little town - they had done some excavations for a new building not far from the market place. Amongst the really interesting bits and pieces was a half crown (about 1600 I believe)which was supposed to be silver I guess but was in fact made of lead. I wonder what happened to the owner - did he dump it when he saw an official approaching?

Thankyou Paul, thats what i thought it might be but i was not sure thanks also Heather It seems a harsh penalty but i guess thats how it was in those days, i don't know why the woman was burned and not hanged. Caroline

Well, youd have to be very stupid or foolhardy (or absolute desperate) when you knew what the consequences could be. But interestingly, where would poor peeps get hold of gold coinage in the first place? I wonder if it were really organised a bit like the drug and fraud criminals now - some guy at the top keeping clean and never caught whilst getting others to do the dirty work for him. Of course, it would have been looked upon as a form of treason, defacing the realms coinage and when you think about it, particularly back then, if they allowed everyone to do this the fragile economy they had then would have collapsed. Interesting about the woman being burned - as when you think about it, very few were hanged were they.

Dont know what coining is, but my son has just done a history project and back then if the same crime was committed they handed out a different punishment whether you were a man or a woman!!

I came accross another 'maybe' relative, she was hanged from the church tower for fire starting in 1500s Iwould have thought that being burned alive was a worse punishment than hanging does anyone else keep finding criminals while researching their trees or is it just me? Caroline

eww that was a horrible death, what happened to the children? workhouse perhaps?

Women were thought by the Church to be far more evil than men, and burning ensured that they had no body left to be resurrected at the 'Second Coming'. (This is one of the reasons that Cremation took so long to find favour with the Church) A far distant ancestor was burned as a Witch in 1637 - she was 25 and the daughter of a local worthy. Olde Crone

thanks Olde Crone, i guess that idea started with Eve giving Adam the apple Caroline

Strange had only just read on an internet site other day about coining - Paul is correct it was a method of shaving off and making new coins from the bits - the reason the woman were burned and not hanged is due to the fact that they were preserving their modesty, as it would be possible to view undergarments as they were left hanging! Also as they often were dragged (the drawn bit in hung drawn and quartered) and again the womans undergarments were likely to be viewed - personally I would have preferred the lack of modesty! I know the site was ancestry related will try to find it and post on here - bit gruesome but interesting I was looking to see if any of my lot had been deported the same site lists names of convicts sent to Aus - it was black something perhaps someone else can help - Gill

Olde Crone, Seeing as the church was comprised of men it is hardly suprising that the church considered women were more evil, when in actual fact they must have realised that women, were stronger, more intelligent and downright superior, not much has changed over the years then ladies! Seriously, that was very interesting, knew from sons homework that different punishments were handed out for the same crime depending on which sex you were, but it didn't explain why!

Found this on the net.. Coining offences This category includes a number of offences in which coin or paper money (the king's currency) was counterfeited or interfered with, or individuals either used or possessed such false or diminished currency. These include the specific offences of: coining (counterfeiting coins) possessing moulds for the manufacture of coins manufacturing counterfeit paper money, banknotes or bills of exchange filing, milling, colouring or 'diminishing' coins (in order to use the filings to create more coins or to sell the metal) possessing counterfeit money or putting it in into circulation ('uttering')

Gill Sorry to disagree with you, but the punishment of Hung, Drawn and Quartered consisted of Hanging (self explanatory) Drawing - which was disembowelling and 'drawing out' the intestines) Quartering - which was cutting the body into quarters. It had nothing to do with anyone's modesty! OC