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In the 1760s 'King' David Hartley and his
associates clipped gold coins and moulded the gold into counterfeit
coins, often French, Spanish or Portuguese which were accepted
currency. When an Excise officer, William Deighton, was too pressing
in his investigations the gang took fright and shot him on 9
November 1769. A successful Halifax solicitor, Robert Parker,
then investigated the case and the criminals were arrested. Robert
Thomas and Matthew Normington were executed for the murder, and
David Hartley and James Oldfield received the death penalty for
clipping and diminishing the gold coins of the realm.
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