The Yorkshire Coiners: The True Story of the Cragg Vale Gang

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Most of the local population were involved in the weaving trade and the region produced high quality, hardwearing Worsted cloth. After a boom during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) the woollen industry in the West Riding of Yorkshire fell into decline during the post war recession, due to a reduced demand for the Worsted which had been used largely for military uniforms. The rugged location, primitive transport links, sparse law enforcement, and the state of the genuine coinage all created the right climate for the Coiners to flourish. The local farmhouses were surrounded by open fields or moorland, making the chances of anyone arriving unexpectedly slim and giving the Coiners ample opportunity to tidy away the evidence of their unlawful activities should anybody come to visit.

The success of the Cragg Coiners was in part due to the remoteness of the isolated region of Yorkshire where they operated.When I first read the beginning of the scriptments, I felt very blessed and very grateful, to go from doing nothing like this before to this, it’s a big step. And the story is so important to now. Everyone has gone through really difficult times in their life and not had much at one point, especially with Covid as well, which is out of everybody’s control, and the financial impact that has happened through that, this story is important to now and what people will do to survive. If you have to feed your kids, you’ll do anything to keep them alive, more than yourself, and that desperation bit of the story, how desperate the community are, it’s very relevant to now. I think audiences will find familiarities in the story and some comfort in that. It shows the teamwork, the bond and the love that everybody has for each other really pushes them to do what they need to do. It’s not out of a bad place, it’s not like they want to do it just to be greedy, they need to do it to survive, so I think there’s definitely some common ground for every person to relate to that. Clipping was a treasonous offence punishable by death and by 1769, rumours began circulating in parliament about a group committing fraud in Yorkshire. A public official, William Dighton, was put on to the gang of coiners, which now numbered about 80 people. Other factors also allowed this gang to thrive. In the 18th century, with no national police force, local constables had a minor role in law enforcement. Halifax had just two constables and the nearest magistrate was in Bradford. Also in the coiners’ favour was that much of the country’s money had been in circulation for many years and coins were so worn down it was difficult to spot fakes. Steve's family history was controversial growing up, and he remembers how his great-grandad rarely spoke of Hartley's escapades. "The older generations were ashamed of it," he said.

When I finally made it, however, the skies were clear blue and the hills glistened in burnt yellows and rich greens. This is an imposing landscape largely untouched by time, where a handful of wind turbines dotted along the horizon are the only obvious markers of modern life. Similar to what Stevie says about connecting to the story, it’s the community having to really pull together and do something to get themselves out of a situation. It’s just a great story, and the bending the law bit, I’ve always been a bit on the edge of the rule book, so for me, I like the slightly rogue side of it as well. Anthony Welsh As with all Meadows stuff, the cinematography is magnificent, particularly that of the eye-misting scene in which William Sr is buried on the hillside. The modern and trad folk score is haunting, particularly Barb's a capella laments at William Sr's wake.

Charlotte Ockelton

The three-part series of The Gallows Pole began to air on BBC Two on 31st May 2023 and all episodes are available on and i player . At times The Gallows Pole is more modern social commentary than period drama. Watching 18th-century weavers struggling with their own cost of living crisis strikes a chord in the economically unstable 2020s. For any viewer struggling in today's cost of living crisis, it will feel like history repeating itself. Their exploits were punishable by death. But the scale of the forgery was so vast, the Cragg Vale Coiners nearly brought down the British economy. By late 1769 a list of nearly 80 counterfeiters had been drawn up; 30 from Cragg Vale, 20 from Sowerby, 15 from Halifax, 7 from Wadsworth and 6 from Warley and Midgley. By Christmas over 20 Coiners had been arrested, imprisoned and were awaiting trial.

Despite their efforts to maintain secrecy, the Coiners’ operation eventually came to light. In 1769, David Hartley was captured, and several members of the group were arrested and brought to trial. Hartley was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death. On April 28, 1770, he was executed, hanged on a gibbet at York Tyburn. For their cut, associates of the gang would smuggle the fake coins and clipped coins into circulation. The criminal enterprise was highly successful; the weavers of Calder Valley no longer starved and families like the Hartleys once again became wealthy. Nevertheless, the Hartley tale is soon set to spread far and wide. A TV adaptation of the Benjamin Myers novel The Gallows Pole, a part-fictionalised telling of the Coiners story, is currently in production. Tourism to the Calder Valley will likely follow. "It will be like Peaky Blinders. Everyone will want to know about the real Yorkshire Coiners," Steve said, referencing the Birmingham tourism boom sparked by the crime drama series. The legacy of the Cragg Vale Coiners lives on in the Calder Valley. Museums and heritage centers in the region preserve their story, showcasing artifacts and providing insights into their activities. Books, poems, and even a folk song have been dedicated to their memory, ensuring that their story remains a vital part of local history. During this time, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and the textile industry dominated the Calder Valley. However, the workers faced abysmal working conditions and low wages, struggling to make a decent living. In response to their dire circumstances, a group of individuals, including David Hartley, devised a plan to take matters into their own hands.The Cragg Coiners were the subject of a children's novel Gold Pieces by Phyllis Bentley. The story is seen through the eyes of a fictitious 12-year-old boy who lives nearby and who befriends the son of David Hartley. All the places and the main characters such as David Hartley and William Dighton are given their real names. Gold Pieces was reprinted in 2007. Coins scattered on the grave of 'King' David Hartley, leader of the Cragg Vale Coiners (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror) Working with Shane is like swimming in the ocean, in the sense that it’s limitless. It’s so open and terrifying, because you’re given so much room to explore, to take a risk. That’s very rare and also Shane puts a lot of trust in you, he invites you to decide what your personal investment is and to decide what matters to your character and where do you want to go and that very generous invitation, it gives you a lot as a performer, and not just as a performer, but also as a person, so you ask yourself what matters to me and what am I wanting to explore here and what am I bringing to this and what is this other person bringing and what are we making together. I think that’s just a gift really. Adam Fogerty