User:Hillbillyholiday/Articles/James Turnbull (robber)

A Private Soldier, executed before Newgate, 15th of May, 1799, for robbing the Mint.

Newgate Calendar: JAMES TURNBULL In the reign of King Charles II, Colonel Blood forcibly stole the crown from the Tower of London, and had proceeded almost out of detection before the valuable gem was recovered.

James Turnbull was a soldier who was recruited to work at the Mint. By 9am on the 20th December 1798, Turnbull and his fellow workers had struck several thousand guineas and were ready to go for breakfast. However, Turnbull and an accomplice lagged behind, attacked two of the supervisors and threatened them with a pistol to give up the key to the chest containing the freshly-minted coins.

James Turnbull, with equal desperate resolution, robbed the National Mint in the same fortress. At the Old Bailey, 25th of February, Turnbull was tried for robbing the Mint. It appeared in evidence that the prisoner (a private soldier in the 3rd Regiment of Guards), was employed, on the 20th of December previous, with orders for the military quartered at the Tower, to work the die in the coinage of guineas. At nine o'clock he pretended to go with the other men to his breakfast, but returned in a minute or two with a comrade named Dalton. The latter stood at the door while Turnbull went and clapped a pistol to the head of one Finch, an apprentice, who was left in care of the coining-room -- together with a Mr Chambers -- and demanded the key of the chest where the finished guineas were deposited. Mr Chambers came up to interfere, when the prisoner levelled the pistol at his forehead, and pushed him into a passage leading to another room, in which he locked both him and Finch.


 * He then opened the chest and took out four bags, containing two thousand, three hundred and eighty (2380) guineas,
 * and stealing from his majesty’s mint the sum of 2380 guineas.
 * The supervisors were locked inside a large cupboard whilst Turnbull stuffed four bags of guineas, containing 2,308 coins [typo?] and weighing about 19 kilograms, into his coat pockets.
 * In 1798 James Turnbull, a worker in the Mint, held up the rest of the employees and made off with 2,804 newly minted guineas.

and escaped with them before an alarm could be made. For a fortnight he eluded all search and pursuit, but was apprehended on the 5th of January, at Dover, endeavouring to hire a boat to carry him into France.

The foregoing circumstances being fully substantiated by evidence, he acknowledged himself to be guilty of the said robbery, when called on to make his defence, and the jury instantly found him guilty. His counsel urged a point of law in arrest of judgment, which the Court deemed not of the least force, and he accordingly received sentence of death. He instantly replied "I have now heard my sentence, and I thank God for it."

James Turnbull, a soldier, was charged with having stolen fron the mint in the Tower, two bags of 1000 guineas each. He was apprehended on 6th of January, 1799, at Dover, by the master of a trading vessel, to whom he applied for the purpose of hiring his boat to carry him to Calais, offering thirty guineas for his passage.

On searching him in a public house, 1010 guineas of the year 1798 were found on his person,

He was brought to London, and, on the 25th of February, he was tried upon the capital charge of putting Thomas Finch on fear, and stealing from his majesty’s mint the sum of 2380 guineas. By the evidence of F. Finch, it appeared that, on the 20th of December, Turnbull and Dalton, and two of the Tower-hamlets militia. were employed to work at a press used in the mint; at nine o’clock Finch told them to go to breakfast; they all went out, leaving him and a Mr. Chambers in the room.

In about a minute, Turnbull and Dalton returned, and the latter stopped at the door, while the former presented a pistol, forced the keys of a chest from Mr. Finch, and then locked him in an inner room; he afterwards stole 2380 guineas, and then escaped.

Turnbull, in his defence, went into all the particulars, which he said, though it would injure himself, was due to the innocent. He said, being all ordered to go out on the morning of the robbery, he went out last, and found Dalton waiting for him at the door, to whom, without giving the smallest intimation of his intention, he said, "You come in," Dalton asked "For what?" To which he replied, "Never mind, but come in." That when he presented the pistol to Mr. Finch, Dalton called out to him two or three times, "What are you about?" and then went from the door and gave the alarm, which he certainly would not have done had he been concerned.

He escaped from the Tower and was not heard of again until the 5th January when he attempted to buy passage to France from Dover on a fishing boat.


 * Unfortunately for Turnbull, he was recognised from a 'Wanted' poster, arrested, and sentenced to death. He was hanged on 15th May 1799.
 * The jury pronounced him guilty; but his counsel was allowed to make any legal objections to the indictment, for the opinion of the twelve judges. He was executed on the 15th May following.
 * He was tried and convicted on the 25th of February, but was not executed until the 15th of May.
 * He was caught after nine days and sentenced to death.
 * Execution date.