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Introduction


Margaret Caroline Rudd (c.1745-c.1798) was a notorious female Forgery during 18th century Britain. She was accused of the offense in March 1775 along with the Perreau brothers, Daniel and Robert who claimed to be framed by her. She got away with the crime, and the Perreau’s were found guilty and executed.

Life
Margaret was born Margaret Caroline Youngson in 1745, in the small town of Largon near Belfast of Northern Ireland. Her Father, Patrick Youngson, was an Apothecary of genteel appearance and education, and her mother, Isabella Stewart had a secret claim to nobility. Margaret was infatuated with the idea of belonging to nobility. She claimed Scottish ancestry when she was young, and even acquired a certificate to prove that she was.. Margaret was an only child, and her parents had both passed while she was still small. He father died when she was a baby and her mother when she was eight. She was placed under the care of her uncle, John Stewart, who raised her to be an upstanding young woman. When she was old enough, he sent her to boarding school in Downpatrick. She created so much trouble, that she was expelled, and her uncle refused to have her back. She was sent to live with her grandmother, who couldn’t control her wild behavior. She yearned to leave her home town, and the chance presented itself when she met her husband, Valentine Rudd.

First Marriage
Margaret was quite scandalous when it came to relationships. She was already getting evolved with a number of young men at the age of fourteen, and her behavior made her an outcast. Her first serious relationship was with a man named Valentine Rudd, a lieutenant who she got engaged only ten days after he was stationed in her home town. After marring, the two moved to London together, where Caroline had began to spend and build debt in her husband’s name. Not too long afterwards, she ran off with another man, and continued to bill her purchases to Valentine Rudd. Her devious actions eventually drove him financially into ruin, and he was later put in debtors’ prison. When he was released, he fled the country.

Her Relationship with the Perreaus
Born July 1733, the Perreaus were identical twin brother, who differed in personality. Robert was an enterprising apothecary and businessman, and was happily married with children. Daniel was more of a gambler than a worker, and was also in great debt with little money. Daniel and Margaret met in April 1770. After becoming involved, Margaret had moved in with him, started calling herself Mrs. Perreau, and later had three children by him. Their relationship was serious, but they had never married; especially with her still being legally married to Valentine Rudd. During this time Divorce wasn’t a legal option, but an annulment could be granted by the court. Unfortunately it was a complicated process, and most couples chose to just separate and have affairs.

Crime committed
Margaret was suspected of having forged a bond, which she allegedly persuaded Robert Perreau to deliver. This resulted in both Robert and Margaret being arrested on Saturday March 11th, 1775, and detained at Newgate_Prison until the case was further studied. Britain at the time had no police, so crimes were most often handled by the people. If one occurred, the information would be reported to a Magistrate. The offense committed by Margaret was reported by Robert Perreau himself to local Magistrate William Addington. He claimed that he was victim of an elaborate scheme of forgery, and his story was supported by attorney Henry Dagge. He was asked by Mrs. Rudd to deliver a bond signed by wealthy army agent William Adair, and had later discovered it was a fraud. Margaret had admitted that she forged Adair’s signature, when first addressed about the issue three days before, but when she learned that Robert was attempting to get her arrested she changed her story. She denied that the scheme was her idea, and that Daniel and Robert had forced her to sign the bond. Daniel was later arrested on suspension of a different forgery that was similar, while visiting his brother in prison. The case presented by Margaret and the Perreaus was too complicated to be easily handled.

Court Trials
Court trials were held at the Old Bailey court house, and each individual involved in the offense were to tell their part. The room was packed; consisting of the Judge, a twelve man Jury, team of defendants, large group of witnesses, and crowd. The first trail held was Robert Perreau’s, on June 1st 1775. Banker Henry Drummond had received the forged bond from Robert. He was called to the stand to explain what he witnessed. According to him, Robert was a respectably man that the bank had dealings with for quite some time. On January 15th 1775, Robert came to him, requesting a loan of 1400 Euros, and had promised to repay it within ten days. Robert didn’t return until March 7th, and when he did he requested another loan for 5000 Euros; some of which he planned to use towards the first loan. That is also when he produced a bond for 7500 Euros, which he claimed to be signed by William Adair. Drummond had found the bond’s authenticity to be questionable, and Robert left and returned a few hours later with a letter he said to be written permission by Adair that he could receive the bond. The Banker asked for him to leave the bond overnight, and the next day proposed that they visit Adair to clear up the confusion. When they did, Adair said that he had never met Robert before nor did he remember signing the bond. Next to the stand was Daniel Perreau. He was convicted of a similar offense, forging a bond of 3100 Euros with the signature of William Adair. The trails of both brothers were lengthy in comparison to most. Daniels lasted for two hours while Roberts lasted for nine.

Margaret’s trail was held on Friday December 8th, and it attracted a large audience. She was tried as any other suspect and not as an accomplice because her stories didn’t add up. Either way, she had an advantage over the Perreaus; her skillful Lawyers and the fact that she was a woman. Her lawyers used the weaknesses of the prosecution witnesses to play in their favor, and Margaret aided in this. She briefed them in advance on everything she knew and passed notes to them throughout the day. Her genders made her vulnerable in the eyes of the court, and appear less capable of composing a scheme of trickery that fooled two men. Her story of being the victim had also deemed more plausible. The Perreaus didn’t gain much sympathy for their story, not even from the ones who supported them. The idea that a mere woman had outsmarted them only put them in a dim light.

The Execution of the Perreaus
It was decided by the court that Margaret would go free, and the Perreaus executed by          Hanging. Even though the decision had been made, Margaret had decided to take it upon herself to write Viscount Weymouth, the secretary of state responsible for constructing the final submission to the King proposing pardon. The letter she composed further incriminated the Perreaus; making them appear as money hunger gamblers with much debt on their hands. Weymouth considered his decision with all the evidence he had. Out of all the petitions he received, only Margaret’s argued for the execution to be made final. His final decision was to pass no recommendation of mercy, and the Perreaus were still to be executed.

On January 17th, many had gathered to view the death of the wealthy Perreau brothers, including a large number of influential people, but not could be admitted. They arrived to their execution in Newgate around 8am dressed finely in black suits; presenting themselves as prideful men. The brothers didn’t pledge their guilt once this decision, but continued to repeat the charged they had made during their trails. Robert pleaded his innocence by saying “his only mistake was believing everything Daniel and Margaret had told him”. Daniel had done the same, saying that “his love for Margret had led him to place his entire trust in her.” Before hanging, the two brothers kissed and joined hands; leaving the world at the same time just as they had arrived.

Margaret’s Life Afterwards
The famous forgery flooded the daily news paper for almost a year, before dying down. The Perreau family was able to retain their influential connections in the financial world. The death of the twins didn’t have as large of an effect on their status as it did their family. Margaret re-emerged as a failed essayist and novelist in the late 1780’s. She later had another affair with writer James Boswell in 1786, who thought of her to be a wonderful woman even after learning her story. Their relationship was passionate and short lived; having lasted for only several months. The first time they met was April 22nd 1776. Boswell visited Margaret in attempt to interview her about her Forgery case. After their first meeting, they met again nine years later and became involved, around the time she was forty years old.