John Pate

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Dianne Jones on 28th May 2021

1832: On arrival in VDL, he was 21 and a labourer (born in Cambria). He said he had been transported for defacing coin and that he was single (see https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-35$init=CON31-1-35p105). 1840, 14 February: Granted a Ticket of Leave. 1841, 24 May: His Conditional Pardon No.3031 was approved (see https://stors.tas.gov.au/CON31-1-35$init=CON31-1-35p105).

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Dianne Jones on 28th May 2021

1831, 21 November: John Pate;s death sentence was commuted to transportation for life (21 years) - see summary record below: "HO 17/54/123...Prisoner name: John Pate. Prisoner age: [20]. Court and date of trial: Old Bailey, October Sessions 1831. Crime: Coining. Initial sentence: Death commuted to transportation for life. Annotated: Considered at Report in Council 21 November 1831. Petitioner(s): John Pate, the convict, undersigned by 11 inhabitants of London. Grounds for clemency: No employment; no home; his friends too poor to assist him; falling into bad company. Additional Information: His father served 19 years in the Navy and was taken prisoner by the French while serving in the Olympia cutter in 1811. He was held in Cambria prison with his wife where the convict was born. Date: 1831 Oct." (see https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C12326025)

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Dianne Jones on 28th May 2021

1831, 20 October: John Pate and two others were tried at the Old Bailey: "Third Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice Park. #1964. JOHN PATE, ELIZABETH MARTIN and WILLIAM HAWKINS were indicted for that they, on the 7th of October, at St. Mary Matfellon, alias Whitechapel, 3 pieces of false and counterfeit money, each made to the likeness of the good and legal current silver coin of line realm, called shillings, feloniously and traitorously did forge, counterfeit, and coin, against their allegiance, and against the Statute. MESSRS. SCARLETT and GURNEY, JUN. conducted the prosecution. WILLIAM HALL. I am an officer of Hatton-garden. On the 7th of October, a little after one o'clock, I went to No. 105, Wentworth-street, Whitechapel, with Edwards, Lloyd, and Reynolds; the street door was open - I went to the second floor back room; I forced the room door open without trying it - I found afterwards that it had been fastened by a lock; the hasp was knocked off with the force I had used - I saw the prisoner Martin sitting by the side of the fire, at the side of a table; Pate stood by the side, not far from her, and Hawkins was standing behind Martin, by the foot of the bed - Martin cried out,"O Lord!" and threw something into the ashes which she had in her hand; I afterwards saw Edwards take it up - it was a pair of plaster of Paris moulds, and they were very hot; Pate fell back a little - we then secured them all three; when we first entered the room Pate's right hand went towards the bed - I saw Lloyd search the bed as soon as they were secured, which was in five minutes, and saw him take a file and a bad shilling off the bed; on the part of the table at which Martin sat, I took four counterfeit shillings, which I produce, and a piece of a get, which comes out of the channel in a mould where the metal is poured in, and I found four other shillings on that part of the table where Pate stood - I have them; they are finished, but the first four are not - I searched Pate; he took out of his trousers pocket a good crown-piece, a good half-crown, and five good shillings; I compared the good shillings with the counterfeit ones, and found one of them was exactly the same impression as the counterfeit ones; I looked into a cupboard in the room, and found a paper bag, with a small quantity of plaster of Paris in it, and a tin band - Pate said he did not care so much for himself as he did for Martin. WILLIAM BROWN EDWARDS. I am a Police-officer. I accompanied Hall to the prisoner's lodging - I secured Pate and Hawkins; I searched Hawkins, but found nothing on him - when I entered the room I observed Martin throw something from her hand into the ashes; I took it up, and it was a handkerchief, which contained a mould made of plaster of Paris - I did not open it till I got to the office; I then found it contained a shilling not in its proper state, there not, being sufficient metal; I have the moulds here - there was rather a fierce fire, but not a very large one; the moulds were close together, with the handkerchief tied round them, as I suppose, to keep the heat from the hand, and they were nearly red hot - I called Hall to feel them, and Martin's hand was very much burnt indeed, it appeared just burnt; I got a doctor to her - when I had recured them I sent down stairs for the other officers. WILLIAM REYNOLDS. I am a parish-constable. I accompanied the witnesses to Wentworth-street; I waited down stairs, in the yard, till a signal was given - I then went up, assisted in searching the room, and under the stove, in the ashes, I found this piece of pipe, with the bowl broken; there is a portion of white metal in the tube - on the floor, by the right-hand side of the fireplace, I found two small piece of white metal, and on the chimney-piece the bowl of a white metal spoon and a counterfeit sixpence; I took a cinder off the fire, with a portion of white metal on it - on the hob, on the left-hand side of the fire-place, I found a piece of iron plate, with some splashes of white metal on it. ANDREW LLOYD . I am a Police-officer. I accompanied the officers to Wentworth-street - I remained below with Reynolds, and afterwards went up; I was directed to search the room, and on a bed in the room I found a counterfeit shilling, a file, and the blade of a case knife. JAMES THORLEY. I rent the house in Wentworth-street, and let it out in lodgings furnished. The beginning of this month I let the two pair back room to the prisoner Pate - he lived there with the female prisoner; he paid the rent, and they lived there as man and wife - I have seen Hawkins before; he did not lodge in the house. EDWARD JOSEPH POWELL. I am one of the inspectors of the Mist, and have had considerable experience in the examination of materials for counterfeiting coin, and of counterfeit coin; this pair of moulds are made of plaster of Paris for the purpose of casting a shilling; on the impression, on the reverse side, a portion of the plaster is come away, and I find, on an imperfect shilling, which has been produced by Edwards, precisely the same defect; here is the obverse part of the mould; that has also a trifling defect which is perceivable on the shilling - here is the get, which fills the nitch in the mould; here are four counterfeit shillings, finished as perfect as the mould would make them, but they require to be filed where the get has joined them - they are imperfect, and could not be passed in the present state; they appear to have been cast in the mould now produced, for on the obverse side is a small defect in the beading round the edge, and on the reverse side is a very trifling defect in the mould, between the line of the shield containing the arms and the garter which surrounds it, and immediately above the figure 4, in the date 1824, is a small scratch - the mould and the shilling correspond with these marks; the date and the rest of the impression corresponds - one of the five good shillings I have no doubt at all has been the shilling the mould was made with, because it has on it the peculiarities I have before described; here are four perfect shillings - they have all been made in the same mould, and resemble the pattern shilling which I have produced, and correspond with the mould; the rough sprey is taken off the shilling by a file; this file would do it - the only part requiring to be filed is where the get is; this white metal on the iron plate has been fused - the tin band is used to form the mould, the plaster of Paris being in a liquid state at first; this spoon is Britannia metal, which the coin is made of - a tobacco pipe is used to pour the metal from some larger vessel into the mould, and there is white metal in it - I have known it used to fuse the metal; there is plaster of Paris in this bag. Hawkins' Defence. I was standing at the door with some songs when Moore came home with some fish; he asked me to come up stairs, and let him look at the songs; I had not been up stairs five minutes before the door was burst open. WILLIAM BROWN EDWARDS. I did not see Hawkins with any songs; I saw some fish on the table - I had not been about the house any time before we went up. ANDREW LLOYD. I saw no songs. WILLIAM HALL. I saw two songs on one piece of paper - I gave them to Pate, and told him to put them into his pocket, as he might want them to read; they laid near Martin - I did not see them in Hawkins' hands. MARY HANNAH MATTHEWS. My husband is a law stationer - he and Martin's father are distant relations. I have known her since she was eight years old - I saw her last about six months ago; her father and mother were respectable farmers, and had an estate of their own - since her father was reduced she went to be governess at a boarding-school, at Camberwell; that is four or five years ago - she continued there, I believe, about twelve months - she then went back to her parents to live, and remained with them till about six months ago; I have not seen her since - I believe she maintained a very respectable character up to that time. One witness gave Pate a good character. PATE - GUILTY - DEATH. Aged 20. MARTIN - GUILTY - DEATH. Aged 22. [Oct. 22.] HAWKINS - NOT GUILTY . The Jury strongly recommended Martin to mercy, supposing her to he acting under the influence of Pate." (see oldbaileyonline.org) --00--