James Townsend Saward
Encyclopedia
James Townsend Saward was a Victorian
English
barrister
and forger
also known by the nickname of Jim the Penman. In addition to his legal career he forged money order
s for almost 30 years.
Saward was accepted into the Bar
in 1840, became a barrister and had his chambers in the Inner Temple
.
At the time a normal forging method was to forge somebody's signature
and take the money order in to bank. The only hope to recover the money was if the clerk remembered the culprit's face. To bypass even this risk, Saward decided to cover his tracks with a string of accomplice
s.
Saward required blank cheque
s and told his accomplices to spread a rumor that they would pay well for stolen cheques; pickpockets usually threw them away as useless. If he got used cheques into his hands, he could try to imitate the signature. If the holder of the account had a special signature he used only in his cheques, Saward sent an accomplice to acquire a copy. One solicitor
was fooled by asking him to collect a debt; Saward got the signature when he paid the debt minus his commission by a cheque.
Saward cashed the cheques by handing them over to an accomplice called Anderson, who gave them to another accomplice called Atwell. Atwell disguised himself, hired a messenger and sent him to the bank to get the money. Anderson followed Atwell to make sure he really did hand over all the money and later gave him his cut. When the bank became suspicious, they had only the errand boy to question. This way Saward got a couple of hundred pounds at a time.
In addition, Saward and his associates fenced stolen goods; they helped with the disposal of the stolen gold from the Great Gold Robbery of 1855
.
Eventually banks grew suspicious in London
and Saward decided to try his luck elsewhere. In Great Yarmouth
, another accomplice called Hardwicke blundered when he opened an account with one name and commissioned solicitors to collect "debts" by another name. When he realized his mistake, he asked for instructions. By the time Saward's answer came, the bank had warned the police who were already questioning Hardwicke. They opened the letter and found out his identity.
The Great Yarmouth accomplices confessed and turned Queen's Evidence. Saward and Anderson were arrested and went to trial in March 1857. They were sentenced to transportation
for 14 years and sent to Australia
.
In his play, Jim the Penman (1886), British baronet, barrister and playwright Sir Charles Young, 7th Baronet expanded the scope of the fictional version of Saward, making him a leader of an international forgery ring who forged letters to marry into high society.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and forger
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
also known by the nickname of Jim the Penman. In addition to his legal career he forged money order
Money order
A money order is a payment order for a pre-specified amount of money. Because it is required that the funds be prepaid for the amount shown on it, it is a more trusted method of payment than a cheque.-History of money orders:...
s for almost 30 years.
Saward was accepted into the Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1840, became a barrister and had his chambers in the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
.
At the time a normal forging method was to forge somebody's signature
Signature
A signature is a handwritten depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Similar to a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying...
and take the money order in to bank. The only hope to recover the money was if the clerk remembered the culprit's face. To bypass even this risk, Saward decided to cover his tracks with a string of accomplice
Accomplice
At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
s.
Saward required blank cheque
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
s and told his accomplices to spread a rumor that they would pay well for stolen cheques; pickpockets usually threw them away as useless. If he got used cheques into his hands, he could try to imitate the signature. If the holder of the account had a special signature he used only in his cheques, Saward sent an accomplice to acquire a copy. One solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
was fooled by asking him to collect a debt; Saward got the signature when he paid the debt minus his commission by a cheque.
Saward cashed the cheques by handing them over to an accomplice called Anderson, who gave them to another accomplice called Atwell. Atwell disguised himself, hired a messenger and sent him to the bank to get the money. Anderson followed Atwell to make sure he really did hand over all the money and later gave him his cut. When the bank became suspicious, they had only the errand boy to question. This way Saward got a couple of hundred pounds at a time.
In addition, Saward and his associates fenced stolen goods; they helped with the disposal of the stolen gold from the Great Gold Robbery of 1855
Great Gold Robbery of 1855
The Great Gold Robbery took place on the night of 15 May 1855, when three London firms sent a box of gold bars and coins each from London Bridge station for Paris via the South Eastern Railway...
.
Eventually banks grew suspicious in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Saward decided to try his luck elsewhere. In Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
, another accomplice called Hardwicke blundered when he opened an account with one name and commissioned solicitors to collect "debts" by another name. When he realized his mistake, he asked for instructions. By the time Saward's answer came, the bank had warned the police who were already questioning Hardwicke. They opened the letter and found out his identity.
The Great Yarmouth accomplices confessed and turned Queen's Evidence. Saward and Anderson were arrested and went to trial in March 1857. They were sentenced to transportation
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
for 14 years and sent to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
In his play, Jim the Penman (1886), British baronet, barrister and playwright Sir Charles Young, 7th Baronet expanded the scope of the fictional version of Saward, making him a leader of an international forgery ring who forged letters to marry into high society.