Mary Townsend: The Information of Mary Townsend of the parish of St Andrews Holborn in the county of Middlesex widow 31 August 1698

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The Information of Mary Townsend of the parish of St Andrews Holborn in the County of Middlesex widdow taken this 31 day of Augt. 1698

Who saith that about 5 or 6 yeares ago she was in company with one Mr. John Gibbons in Lickabone street in the said parish of St Andrews and this Informant did then and there see the said John Gibbons receive severall summes of counterfeit money of one Edward Ivy who is now a Prisoner in Newgate and the said Gibbons hath severall times owned that he put off & payed away the said counterfeit money as good and at the same time and place the said Gibbons used to bring severall summs of broad money and sold it after the rate of 3s or 3s. 6d in the pound proffitt for the same to one John Hickes who is now Keeper of the Gatehouse Westminster and the said Gibbons used frequently to stand by the said Hickes while he clipped the said money and then received back the money after it was clipped and the said Hickes used to give to one Thomas Jones about 20s per week to assist him in clipping of broad money and one Mary Hewett daughter in law of the said Hickes used likewise to assist her father in clipping of broad money. And that about 6 years ago one Robt. Jacob who lives near Grayes Inn and is a Goldsmith used to clipp broad money for the said hickes and hickes used to give him 6d per pound for clipping it for him and Hickes used to weigh the money that he let the said Mr Jacobs have and received it back <115r> after it was clipped by weight and Iacob used to keep the Clippings and gave Hickes after the rate of 5s per ounce for the same And that about 6 yeares ago the said John Gibbons used severall times to give notice to the said Edward Ivy that his house would be searcht upon the account of clipping and advised him to get his Tooles out of the way and the said Edward Ivy used to give to the said Gibbons severall summs of money for giving him private notice as aforesaid and the said Gibbons used to give Hickes notice that his house would be searcht upon the account of clipping and Hickes frequently gave Gibbons money for so doing and this Informant hath heard Gibbons declare that he was going to send work to the said Hickes that he intended to search his house with the assistance of a Constable and that if he found any unlawfull thing in it he could not conceal it by the reason of the Constable being in company with him and that this Informant being in company with the said Gibbons at his own house at Charing Cross the said Gibbons said that her father Edward Ivy aforesaid had told the Secretary of State that he had given to the said Gibbons the sum of fifty poundes to keep his councell and said God Damne him if Ivy did not give him 50li he would hangue him or words to that effect         And that about 6 yeares ago she saw one Samll. Price who keeps a Watchmakers shop in Spring Garden by Whitehall file and diminish severall Guineas at Lickabone street aforesaid and took off each Guinea about 1s and then new edged them againe And that about 3 years and 1 ago this Informant saw one Thomas Harefinch who lives near Criplegate and is a silver smith clipp about 18ll of the Current Coyn of this Realme at his Lodging in Aldermanbury London

Mary Townsend

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