Nathaniel Peck: The Information of Nathaniel Peck of Pump Court in Black Fryars Turner 25 January 1698/9
The Information of Nathaniel Peck of Pump Court in Black Fryars Turner 25 day of January 169
He saith that in summer about 7 years ago William Chandler alias Chaloner afterwards the Brother in Law of Ioshua Grovener brought to him that Deponent two pieces of Iron both togeather in the Shape of a sugar loafe and joyning to one another at then flatt bottoms with three pins in the one to go into three holes of the other these Irons seemed like stamps to make money and the said Chandler told the Deponent that they were for stampts to make French Pistoles they were not yet graved but were brought to the Deponent by the said Chandler to be turned and the Deponent setting them togeather bottom to bottom with the 3 pins of one in the 3 holes of the other turned them togeather as if they had but been one piece of Iron and then returned them to the said William Chaloner and saw them no more The Deponent saith also that about a month before this was done the said Chaloner shewed this Deponent some French pistols telling him that he might have as many of them as he pleased if he could but mmend them and the Deponent first took one of them and after two and then more at 9s. a piece and sold them to Tho Holloway at 11s a piece afterwards when the said Chaloner brought to the Deponent the above mentioned Irons to be burned he told the Deponent that he had broke his former stamps for Pistoles and was going to make new ones And after this the Deponent had greater number of Pistoles of the said Chaloner and gave him 8s. a piece and the Deponent believes that he hath had of the said Chaloner at least 150 of the said Pistoles and that the said Chandler hath severall times owned to him that he made those pistoles himself and used to boast how well they were done and that they were better then ever were made and no man in England could do the like besides himself and the Deponent hath heard the said Chaloner say that Grosvener and Coffee guilt the pistoles for him. The Deponent saith further that to me time afterwards the Deponent thinks it might be about a year after but is not positive the said <55r> Chandler shewed the Deponent two Counterfeit Guineas and told the Deponent that they were the first he had made and offerd them to the Deponent to put off for him but at what rate the Deponent remembers not and the Deponent had of him those 2 Guineas and two more and put them off to Thomas Holloway above mentioned And then the said Chaloner becoming acquainted with the said Thomas Holloway imployed him imediatly to put off his Guineas and pistoles and was no further concerned with the Deponent and that whilst the Deponent was concerned with the said Chaloner he the said Chaloner was reckoned the Workman who made those Guineas and pistols and used to talk of himself as such and the Deponent heard of no other Workman for making them besides the said Chandler excepting that the said Chaloner used to employ Coffee & Grosvenor to guild them for him and that a litle before the said Chaloner shewed the said Two Guineas to the Deponent as is avove mentioned he told the Deponent that he was upon a Designe of making Guineas and shewed the Deponent a stamp which was begun to be graved but was not yet finisht and said that was for a Guinea stamp
Nathaniel Peck
Source
MINT 15/17/117, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK25 Jan 1698/9, c. 626 words.