Also known as: de falso monetae · false money · counterfeiting
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A historical English statute from the reign of Edward I imposing forfeiture of goods and life on persons importing certain debased foreign coins known as pollards and crokards.
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Destiny Davis imported pollards and crokards into England to use in local trade. Customs officials discovered the debased coins in her cargo. Under the statute, her goods and life were forfeited for the violation.
Diego Duarte brought foreign coins into the realm knowing they were pollards. The statute treated the importation as a capital offense. His entire shipment and his life were forfeited upon conviction.
Demetrius Douglas landed with a cargo containing crokards. The statute triggered automatic forfeiture of goods and capital punishment. Officials seized the shipment and prepared to enforce the life penalty.
Devon Drake attempted to circulate pollards obtained abroad. The statute classified the act as a serious offense against the coinage. His property was seized and he faced execution for the importation.
Daniel Diaz sold crokards to English merchants in violation of the statute. The law imposed total forfeiture of goods together with the death penalty. Authorities confiscated his inventory and sentenced him accordingly.
Dylan Duffy imported pollards despite the statutory prohibition. The statute required both property forfeiture and capital punishment. The crown enforced the full penalty against him and his cargo.
The statute prohibited the importation of pollards and crokards, which were debased foreign coins. Anyone found importing them forfeited both goods and life.
The statute imposed forfeiture of all goods together with the death penalty. These sanctions applied directly upon proof of importing the prohibited coins.
The term identifies an early English statute addressing false coin that parallels later constitutional grants of power to punish counterfeiting of United States coin and securities.
…three centuries ago: "[Determination of a person's incapacity] is a matter of great difficulty, partly from the easiness of counterfeiting this disability . . . and partly from the variety of the degrees of this infirmity, whereof some are sufficient, and some are insufficient to excuse persons in capital offenses. . . .…