Edward Smith: The Information of Edward Smith of the parish of Islington in the county of Middlesex Gardener 2 March 1698/9
The Informacon of Edward Smith of the ꝑish of Islington in the County of Middx Gardiner 2d March 169
Who saith that he hath been acquainted with mr. George Green of the ꝑish of St. Andrews Holborn Linnen Draper abot. 3 years last past and that he hath heard the said Green Declare that he was acquainted with one William Thornton and Henry Holder and that the said Holder + Thornton (as Green said) used to make counterfeit money at a house near the City of Norwich and that they being suspected by their Neighbors to make counterfeit money they removed from thence to one Mr. Sadler's at Stretham in the Isle of Ely where the said Holder and Thornton with the assistance of Sadler used to make Counterfeit money as Green told this Informt and the said George Green being told this Informt. that he this Informt had a parcell of Blanched Copper and Silver mixed togeather the said Green <77v> this Informt. to let him have it in order to send it to the said Thornton and Holder to make into counterfeit money shills as he declared to this Informt. and abot. the latter end of last Summer this Informt let the said Green have the said Mixt Metall and this Informt. sometime after he had deliverd the Metall to Green as aforesd askt of him some recompence of paymt. for the same who told him that he the said Green had given the Metall to the said Holder and that Holder was not come to town therefore Green could not give this Informt any satisfaction for the sd Mixt Metall but this Informt. being very urgt. to have some satisfacon for the sd Metall the sd Green pulld out of his pocket a ꝑcell of money in which there was some counterfeit shills and two Counterfeit Spanish pistolls and gave to this Informt out of the same 4 countrfeit shills and told him that they were made by the sd Holder + Thornton and this Informt being afterwards at the sd Sadlers house in the Isle of Ely the sd Sadler told him that himself Thornton + Holder used to make counterfeit money and shewed then to this Informt an an {sic} Edger for shillings and shewed the use of it by putting a shilling into it reconning it through the same and this Informt hath been told the sd Sadler is now a person in Ely Gaol for coyning false money
Source
MINT 15/17/156, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK2 Mar 1698/9, c. 427 words.