The constables were growing rather worried. Someone had been passing forged £1 notes in the area around Drury Lane. A number of such notes had been found and, from speaking to the shopkeepers, officers discovered that they had all been passed by a woman. True, she was usually in the company of a man, or occasionally another woman, but it was always the same woman who handed the notes over. Usually she would make a small purchase and get change in the form of silver and copper coins.
A description of the woman was circulated and all constables were told to be on the look-out for her. It was this description, which caused Constable Charles Jeffries to follow a woman, on Saturday 25 October 1817.
The woman was with a young man and Jeffries saw them walking, arm in arm, down Bunhill Row, just after 7.00 pm. Jeffries followed the couple, from a discrete distance, taking great care not to be seen. He followed them down Chiswell Street and saw them enter a wine vault close to St Andrew’s church. Looking through the window, Constable Jeffries saw them enjoy a drink together, but did not see any money change hands. In due course, the couple came out of the bar and, after a brief conversation, they parted and walked off in different directions. Since reports said that it was always a female who passed the forged notes, Jeffries decided to follow the woman.
She then walked down Oxford Street and on into Wardour Street. Continuing her journey, she turned into Silver Street and Jeffries saw her go into number 37. Some minutes later, the man who had been with her earlier, also entered 37 Silver Street and Jeffries continued to keep watch from outside.
After some time, the man and woman left the house together and walked on to the Buck’s Head public house in Carnaby Street. Although he watched the couple from outside, Jeffries saw no money change hands but, after they left the pub, Jeffries went inside and spoke to the landlord, William Soul. He confirmed that the woman had purchased drinks with a £1 note. Jeffries asked to see the note and told Soul that he would need to confiscate it, as he believed it to be a forgery. Unfortunately, by the time he left the Buck’s Head, there was no sign of the woman, who had handed over the banknote.
A few days later, on Wednesday 29 October, Constable Samuel Plank saw a man and woman who fitted the description given by Constable Jeffries, also in Bunhill Row. He too decided to follow them and much the same story unfolded. The couple went into a public house before walking on to Whitecross Street. From there, they entered another drinking establishment on Holborn Hill, followed by two more in St Giles. No banknotes were handed over in either establishment, and it was not until Plank followed them to the Vine Vaults in Long Acre, that he finally saw a £1 note being handed over to the landlord, William Winkfield. As the pair left the bar, Constable Plank identified himself to Mr Winkfield and asked to see the note the woman had tendered. This too appeared to be a forgery and Plank left the bar immediately in order to follow his quarry. He managed to keep them in sight as far as Smithfield but lost them in the crowds there.
Both constables had followed a woman who had been in the company of a man and who had then handed forged £1 notes to publicans. It did not go unnoticed either, that on both occasions, the woman had been seen initially in the Bunhill Row area. It seemed reasonable to assume, therefore, that her base was in that area, so a special watch was kept there.
On Saturday 1 November, both Constable Plank and Constable Jeffries were on duty in Bunhill Row when they saw the same man and woman. The couple were followed down Whitecross Street, onto Holborn Hill and finally to Denmark Street. It was there that the woman went into a shop shoe on the corner, whilst the man stayed outside as if on watch. This time, the constables were determined that their suspects would not escape. Constable Jeffries immediately took the man into custody whilst Constable Plank entered the shop.
The woman was sitting on a low stool and asking to see a pair of ladies boots. As the proprietor’s wife, Sarah Bartlett, attended to her customer, Constable Plank took the owner, John Bartlett, to one side and said he was a police officer investigating the passing of forged banknotes. Even as he spoke, Mrs Bartlett came to the counter with a £1 note, which the woman customer had handed her. Without delay, Constable Plank took possession of the note and arrested the woman on a charge of forgery.
At the police station, the two prisoners readily gave their identities as Charlotte Newman and George Mansfield, though neither was prepared to tell the officers where they lived. However, when they were searched, two identical latch keys were found, one on each of the suspects. Again returning to the belief that there was a connection with Bunhill Row, the keys were taken to that area and tested on the doors. In due course, it was discovered that the keys fitted the front door of number 52. That house was owned by Mrs Goodman, who confirmed that Charlotte Newman did have rooms there. Those rooms were then searched and a further twenty-eight £1 notes were discovered.
Charlotte Newman and George Mansfield faced their trial on 3 December 1817. The initial charges were of producing forged currency and of passing such a forged note to William
Winkfield, on 29 October.
The first witness was William Winkfield himself. He told the court that at approximately 8.00 pm, Charlotte Newman had come into his establishment, in the company of a man. She had asked for a quart of liquor, the price of which was 4d. She tendered a £1 note, numbered 27810 and dated 8 February 1817. Asked to sign the note on the back, Charlotte signed it in the name of Mrs Hughes, of 6 Grub Street. As soon as the couple had left the premises, Constable Plank had entered, identified himself as a police officer, and taken the note as evidence.
After Constable Plank had given his evidence, the prosecution called John Lees, a gentleman who worked for the Bank of England as an inspector of notes. He confirmed that the note Charlotte had handed to William Winkfield was a forgery.
The next two witnesses were John Bartlett and his wife Sarah, who gave evidence of Charlotte seeking to purchase a pair of boots and offering a £1 note in payment. On this occasion, Charlotte had signed the note in the name of Mrs Brown of Brownlow Street.
William Avis was another publican who ran a wine vault from 123 Drury Lane. On 13 October, Charlotte, in the company of another woman, had entered his premises and ordered two glasses of beer. Again, she paid with a £1 note which she endorsed on the back with the name ‘Mrs Brown’ and the address, King Street.
William Soul was the owner of the Buck’s Head in Carnaby Street. Charlotte had been in his establishment on 25 October and ordered a quart of gin and a pot of beer, which came to 6d. Another £1 note was offered, this time signed Mrs Brown of 5 Pulteney Street. This transaction was confirmed by William’s wife, Ann Soul.
After Constable Jeffries had detailed his sighting and subsequent tailing of Charlotte and George, and of the latter’s arrest on 1 November, another officer, Constable John Foy, was called to the stand. He had been with Constable Plank when Charlotte’s rooms at 52 Bunhill Row were searched and had witnessed the finding of the twenty-eight £1 notes.
George Clayton was another lodger at 52 Bunhill Row. He was able to confirm that Charlotte had lived there for some four or five months but that whilst George Mansfield was a regular visitor, he did not actually live there.
John Lees from the Bank of England was then recalled. He had examined all the banknotes in this case and was able to confirm that all were forgeries. All the banknotes bore different serial numbers and his examination showed that they were manufactured from two different plates.
Asked to speak in their own defence, Charlotte Newman said: ‘The other prisoner is perfectly innocent and knows nothing of this transaction.’ George Mansfield said that although he knew Charlotte well, he had no idea that she was passing forged currency and had only gone along with her because she had asked him to. The jury chose to believe this, returning a not guilty verdict on George, but finding Charlotte guilty as charged. She was then sentenced to death.
As soon as the proceedings had ended, the next case was yet another indictment on the same two prisoners. This, of course, had merely been a secondary charge in case the first case had collapsed. Now that Charlotte had received a death sentence, no evidence was offered in this second case and formal not guilty verdicts returned on both prisoners. George Mansfield was then told that he was a free man.
On 17 February 1818, Charlotte Newman was hanged outside Newgate. At the same time, two others: Mary Ann Jones and William Hatchman were also hanged for forgery; and John Attel was hanged for burglary.