Prisoners' Letters to the Bank of England, 1781-1827

Prisoners' Letters to the Bank of England, 1781-1827
ISBN-10
0900952423
ISBN-13
9780900952425
Category
Biography & Autobiography / General
Pages
307
Language
English
Published
2007
Publisher
London Record Society
Author
Deirdre Palk

Description

In British gaols and on hulks, awaiting transportation to New South Wales, prisoners convicted of forged paper currency offences wrote to their influential prosecutor, the Bank of England. This volume comprises several hundred of such letters held in the Bank's archives. Many, mainly those wirtten by or for women, came from the depths of abject misery and poverty, begging help to cope with prison conditions and with the journey to Australia. Others offered information to the Bank about forged note traffickers in the hope of gaining some benefit for themselves. The collection reveals an extraordinary story of a surprising relationship between convicted prisoners and a mighty financial institution.

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