Coin Act 1732
Encyclopedia
The Coin Act 1732 was an Act
of the Parliament of Great Britain
which made it high treason
to counterfeit
gold coins. Its title was "An Act to prevent the coining or counterfeiting any of the gold coins commonly called Broad Pieces."
Broad Pieces were gold coins in denominations of 23 or 25 shilling
s. A royal proclamation
in February 1732 had prohibited people from giving or receiving in payment Broad Pieces, or halves or quarters of them, and had required revenue collectors to collect them in order that they could be melted down and made into new gold coins. To encourage people to surrender their coins, the revenue collectors were authorised to purchase them at favourable rates, which unintentionally created an incentive for people to counterfeit them. Accordingly an Act of Parliament was passed which made it treason to counterfeit them, or to "utter or vend any of the said gold coins, knowing them to be so forged, coounterfeited or coined as aforesaid." There was a £40 reward for anyone whose information led to someone being convicted of treason under the Act, and any convicted traitor was to be automatically pardon
ed if he informed on somebody else and the person informed on was convicted.
The Act required prosecutions for this kind of treason to begin within six months of the offence. The penalty was death, but there was to be no corruption of blood. The rules of evidence and procedure were to be the same as in other cases of counterfeiting coins.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
which made it high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
to counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
gold coins. Its title was "An Act to prevent the coining or counterfeiting any of the gold coins commonly called Broad Pieces."
Broad Pieces were gold coins in denominations of 23 or 25 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s. A royal proclamation
Proclamation
A proclamation is an official declaration.-England and Wales:In English law, a proclamation is a formal announcement , made under the great seal, of some matter which the King in Council or Queen in Council desires to make known to his or her subjects: e.g., the declaration of war, or state of...
in February 1732 had prohibited people from giving or receiving in payment Broad Pieces, or halves or quarters of them, and had required revenue collectors to collect them in order that they could be melted down and made into new gold coins. To encourage people to surrender their coins, the revenue collectors were authorised to purchase them at favourable rates, which unintentionally created an incentive for people to counterfeit them. Accordingly an Act of Parliament was passed which made it treason to counterfeit them, or to "utter or vend any of the said gold coins, knowing them to be so forged, coounterfeited or coined as aforesaid." There was a £40 reward for anyone whose information led to someone being convicted of treason under the Act, and any convicted traitor was to be automatically pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
ed if he informed on somebody else and the person informed on was convicted.
The Act required prosecutions for this kind of treason to begin within six months of the offence. The penalty was death, but there was to be no corruption of blood. The rules of evidence and procedure were to be the same as in other cases of counterfeiting coins.
See also
- High treason in the United KingdomHigh treason in the United KingdomUnder the law of the United Kingdom, high treason is the crime of disloyalty to the Crown. Offences constituting high treason include plotting the murder of the sovereign; having sexual intercourse with the sovereign's consort, with his eldest unmarried daughter, or with the wife of the heir to the...
- Coin Acts 1572 and 1575Treason Act 1415The Treason Act 1415 was an Act of the Parliament of England which made clipping coins high treason, punishable by death. The Act was repealed by the Treason Act 1553, and then revived again in 1562...
- Coin Act 1696Coin Act 1696The Coin Act 1696 was an Act of the Parliament of England which made it high treason to make or possess equipment useful for counterfeiting coins. Its title was "An Act for the better preventing the counterfeiting the current Coin of this Kingdom." It was extended to cover Scotland by the Treason...
- Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741The Counterfeiting Coin Act 1741 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which made it high treason to counterfeit silver, copper or brass coins...
- Treason ActTreason ActTreason Act or Treasons Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on the subject of treason and related offences...