Margaret Harrington

Level 347

Maureen Withey on 17th April 2021

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 17 April 2021), January 1809, trial of MARGARET HARRINGTON, alias FALBY, alias PEGGY SULLIVAN (t18090111-2). MARGARET HARRINGTON, Royal Offences > coining offences, 11th January 1809. 90. MARGARET HARRINGTON, alias FALBY, alias PEGGY SULLIVAN , was indicted for that she at the general quarter sessions of the peace, holden for the county of Middlesex, on the 29th of November, in the 44th year of his Majesty's reign, was tried and convicted of being a common utterer of false and counterfeited money, and was sentenced by the court to be imprisoned in New Prison in Clerkenwell for the term of one year, and at the expiration of that term to find sureties for her good behaviour for two years more; that she on the 1st of December last, a piece of false and counterfeited money, made and counterfeited to the likeness of a shilling, as and for a good shilling unlawfully did utter to Joseph Ballard , she well knowing it to be false and counterfeited . The case was stated by Mr. Knapp. JOSIAH GILL SEWELL. - Mr. Arabin. You are clerk to the solicitor of the Mint - A. I am; I produce the copy of the record of the conviction of the prisoner; I took the copy from the clerk of the court; I have examined it with the original in the court; it is a true copy. (Read in court.) WILLIAM BEEBY . - Mr. Arabin. You are clerk to Mr. Newport, the keeper of New Prison, Clerkenwell - A. I am. Q. Was the prisoner at the bar the same person as described in November sessions, 1808 - A. Yes, she was. COURT. What was she tried for - A. For uttering counterfeit money; I was present when she was tried and convicted; she was sent to be imprisoned one year in New Prison, and to find sureties for her good behaviour for two years to come. Mr. Arabin. Did you take her into custody - A. I did; I am sure of her person; she remained one year in Mr. Newport's care. JOSEPH BALLARD . - Mr. Knapp. You are a fruiterer in Covent Garden market - A. I bring it there to sell. Q. Look round and tell me whether you remember seeing the prisoner at the bar on the 1st of December last - A. I do; I saw her at Covent Garden market; she came to purchase a basket of apples, of the price of four shillings and sixpence; she turned them out of my basket into her own and gave me four shillings and sixpence; I signified to her that the money was bad and that twice she had given me such money as that; I do not remember exactly the words that I spoke; she said give it me again and I will give you a seven shilling piece. Q. Did she shew you the seven shilling piece - A. She never shewed me a seven shilling piece. Q. Did you part with the money that she had shewed you - A. No; she signified that she had lost her pocket or left it at home, I do not know which, and run away immediately; I pursued her and caught her, and brought her back with great difficulty; I got a porter in the market to assist me; she was taken to the watchhouse. Q. Do you know Bergin - A. Yes; he came afterwards; there were several that had hold of her. Q. Did you go with her to the watchhouse - A. No, I saw her well secured; I could not leave the fruit. Q. Did you keep possession of the money - A. I did, I have kept it ever since; I produce the four shillings and sixpence. Prisoner. Mr. Ballard is telling a parcel of lies. COURT to Ballard. Had you known the woman before - A. I am not perfect in that. JOHN BERGIN . - Mr. Arabin. You are a salesman are not you, and where - A. Yes, at Covent Garden. Q. On the 1st of December do you recollect the first witness being there - A. Yes, and the prisoner also. COURT. Where was she - A. In Covent Garden market, a few yards from my stand; when I heard of the piece of work, then I went up; a porter had her in custody; then there was a great many people round her; they said she had more in her hand. Q. Did she hear the crowd say she had more in her hand - A. I think she must, they said it loud enough; I saw some papers in her hand, I caught hold of her hand, and after great difficulty I got her hand open, and with assistance I took from it seven bad shillings; they were in paper. Mr. Arabin. Before you took this from her hand, did you see any thing drop from her hand - A. Three shillings dropped from her hand on the ground; as I was getting the others I saw the three shillings drop from her hand; I had them given to me; the three shillings were never out of my sight. Q. Did you afterwards take the paper from her hand - A. I took the paper and the seven shillings altogether from her; the three shillings besides sell out from between her fingers. I have had these shillings in my possession ever since; they have been locked up in a box; these are the same, there is ten altogether. EDWARD RUSSEL . Q. What are you - A. I am a fruit salesman in Covent Garden. I saw the prisoner in custody; she was trying to get away from them, she ran up against me and laid hold of my arm; I thought she was going to put some of the money about the cuff of my coat; I pulled my arm away and she dropped a sixpence from her hand; I picked it up; that is the sixpence, I have had it ever since, and kept it separate from any other. MR. JOHN NICHOLL . Q. You are one of the moniers of his Majesty's mint - A. I am. Q. I now put into Mr. Nicholls' hand the four shillings and sixpence that was first tendered - A. They are all counterfeits, and very bad. COURT. They were never coined in the Mint - A. No. Q. I now put into Mr. Nicholls' hand the ten shillings that were produced by Bergin - A. These are all counterfeits, and the sixpence that Mr. Russel picked up is also a counterfeit. Prisoner's Defence. I got up in the morning, I went to market, I had a guinea in my pocket; I met three or four women that I knew, I had not seen them for upwards of a twelvemonth; I took them into a wine vaults to treat them with half a pint of gin; we had three half pints of gin there: I called for change of the guinea to pay for the gin; she offered me all halfpence, I told her they would not take them in the market; then I called for another half pint, that was four half pints; there was a man came in, she asked the man to change the guinea for me; he said he would if he could; so I reached the guinea to the man, and then I paid the woman for the four half pints of gin; she gave me a bit of paper to put the change in; I put the change in my hand till I came to the market; I went round the market; I asked a man what was the price of a bushel of apples, he said six shillings; I came over to this man, I asked him what he asked, he said some seven shillings and some five shillings; I said I could not make the money of them; he said have that bushel of apples at four shillings and sixpence; so then I reached him four shillings and sixpence out of my hand; this four shillings and sixpence he reached to another man; that man said it was good; he reached it to another; I said there is so much reaching of the money, reach it to me if you do not like it, I will give you a seven shilling piece; then I went to put my hand into my right hand pocket, I found I had not my pocket on, my child took it out of my hand in the morning when I got up; I told him to leave the apples in my basket till I went home and brought him the seven shilling piece; I told him I got change of the guinea in the morning, whether good or bad I did not know; with that he got hold of me and dragged me from one to another; I said do not use me ill, I am willing to go very easy if you get a constable; I thought he would have taken my life away from me; I was sick six weeks, he gave me such a beating; he dragged me to the watchhouse and got me down in the hole, he began to lather me; the women could not get him out. GUILTY - DEATH , aged 45. First Middlesex jury, before Mr. Baron Thompson. -------------------------------------------------- Colonial Secretary Index. HARRINGTON, Margaret. Per "Canada" 1818 May 30, Jun 1 Re permission to marry at Liverpool (Reel 6006; 4/3498 p.266)

Level 4

Frank G on 28th April 2020

Age 45 ( Old Bailey records) Convicted of being a common utterer of false and counterfeited money. Supposedly arrived onboard "Canada" with young daughter Bridget aged 7 (1803). Unfortunately,can't find evidence. Permission to marry John Hickey (1818). No record of actual marriage.