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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: sharpie on Saturday 26 November 22 15:29 GMT (UK)
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Hi
I would really appreciate help reading what my husbands ancestors crime was. I have done my best to make it more clear but still struggling.
Thanks
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Looks like “Having in possession of counterfeit coin.”
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Having in possession of counterfeit coin?
you beat me to it :)
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Thank you both, I can see that now!
I wonder what value the coin was?
Sharpie
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I wonder what value the coin was?
Not necessarily a single coin. Have you looked for a newspaper report?
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I don't think the fourth word is 'of', as there's no letter like the 'f' in counterfeit. Instead I wonder if it's 'etc' (written &c or +c), signifying that the formal definition of the offence continues with something such as 'or tendering' but there wasn't room to write it all.
And (as ShaunJ wrote while I was typing) rather than referring to a single piece of unspecified value, 'coin' could be a generic or collective term, as in 'coin of the realm'.
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The offence is ...
Having in possession &c [= etc.] Counterfeit Coin
The 'etc.' is often short for ‘Having in his possession moulds for making counterfeit coin’ (or similar wording). So he could have been involved in the process of counterfeiting coinage.
Coining offences were treasonable before 1832 (you haven’t given a date).