19 MAY: A fascinating history talk about the infamous Yorkshire Cragg Vale Coiners, brought to life by Calderdale historian David Glover.
Tuesday 19th May
Holdsworth House Hotel, Halifax, HX2 9TG
Tickets: £15 per person
Gold coinage ‘minted’ high above in the Calder Valley? Surely not, that was the right of the Royal Mint alone? To counterfeit currency was treason, with a penalty of death. And yet, in the 1760s a group of enterprising Yorkshire people began such a scheme, with a ‘King’ at their head. Might this have gone on longer had two men not stooped to murder the man investigating them in Halifax? Cue: trials at York, and bodies hung in chains on Beacon Hill. A grisly, riveting tale of the events for which Cragg Vale became notorious.
In the 1760s, a network of Yorkshire weavers and tradesmen, led by the infamous “King” David Hartley, began clipping and forging gold coins, quietly feeding counterfeit currency back into circulation.
Operating from remote hillside farms in Cragg Vale, near Halifax, their scheme relied on skill, secrecy and local loyalty. But when the authorities closed in, the story took a darker turn. What followed was betrayal, murder and a dramatic manhunt. The killing of an officer in Halifax sent shockwaves through the region and ultimately led to arrests, trials in York and brutal public punishments designed to deter others.
6.30pm – Part One
7.05pm – Interval (30 minutes, bar open)
7.35pm – Part Two
8.30pm – Event close
Enjoy Dinner at Holdsworth House Before the Talk. Our history event dinner menus are proving very popular but spaces are limited. Book a table before the show and get two delicious course dinner for £25 per person. Tables are available from 4.00pm. Menu to be released soon.
