The sayd Richard Cossens & Boniface Bywater did this day come voluntarily before me & of their own accord did tender the following information upon oath And the sayd Richard Cossens upon his oath sayth that one Robert Thorpe late of Peakirk in this Liberty did about a month agoe send for this informant to yethe sighnsign of the Ange in Stamford and proposed to him to go shares with him in the coining Trade which at first did very much startle him & did unbraid him such proposall, but sending for him again did enter upon discourse with him about the same with intentions to find out the bottome of this matter and then the sdsaid Robert Thorpe & one Edward Bacon lately of Spaulding in yethe County of Lincol, but now residing in London did produce & Show to this informant two Stamps or dies to make false Shillings of the coyne of his prresent matie:majestie and the said Boniface Bywater upon his oath sayth that upon the day the said Coining instruments were shewn to yethe sdsaid Richard Cossens he yethe sayd Robert Thorpe did send for this informant Bywater complaind to him that Cossens deceived his expectations, & then told him in what, vizt: that Would not joyn with them to make money, & told this informant if they could get about 6£. stock they could do well enough, and then shewd this informant Bywater the aforesd.said stampes or dies, & complaind that the Collar of them was broken and would have hmade this informant made a new one but he refused to doe it, & then yethe sayd Robert Thorpe told this informant he must not let Bacon know he had sayd anything to him of this matter, that some time afterwards they yethe sayd Thorpe and bBacon, did send for this informant Bywater & did desire him to carry a letter to the sdsaid Cossens which he did, and then yethe said Cossens Communicated the same to Bywater & they agreed to take an oppertunity to take them which they thought to have done at that time, because they sent for 20s. the Said Thorpe Sayd in his Letter they had got their business done but he only sent him 10s. to serve them a while & did design to apprehend them but they mistrusted him because he sent for more, & took their horses, and went out of town but receiving a letter last post from them from London, & he directing him where they may be found they came and made the aforesdsaid information.

Richard Cossins Boneyface Bywater