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The effect of coining activities at this time forced the Government to consider the state of the countrys' coin. Between the 7th and 10th May 1774, the house of commons went into committee, chaired by Sir Charles Whitworth. Lord North, the Prime Minister expressed a desire that part of his Majesty's speech at the opening of the session might be read. It stated "that nothing can better deserve the attention of Parliament than the state of the Gold Coin".

After this, William Chamberlayne was called to give his account of his visit to Halifax and tell of those who, as a result of his efforts , had been convicted of coining. He was non too complimentary as he spoke of those involved and of 'King' David Hartley. It was declared that nearly three and a half million pounds worth of diminished coin had been paid into banks at the Mint price. The coin was found to be deficient on average by nine percent. Many new laws were passed as a result, principally to define and control coins by weight and introducing the entitlement of anyone paid with a light coin to compensation from the person tendering it.

As for the coiners, their activities reduced considerably, but the practice did continue. Robert Iredale of Southowram, Halifax was found guilty of possessing coining tools and executed at Tyburn on the 16th April 1776. Coiners turned their attention to copper coins and in March 1779, two men named Bolton were tried for counterfeiting copper coins. The last prosecution of note was of three men, John Cockroft, Thomas Greenwood and John Wood, who were charged with counterfeiting on the 13th July 1782 and sentenced to death. This was later reprieved and they were deported to a penal settlement on the coast of Africa.

Thomas Spencer, who had collected the money to pay for Deightons murder was arrested on 7th June 1783, not for coining but for leading a bread riot in Halifax where a starving mob raided corn warehouses for bread. He was executed  at mid-day on Saturday 16th August 1783 along with an accomplice, Mark Sattonstall at the Gallows on Beacon Hill Halifax. Spencer is buried in a grave in Heptonstall, near that of David Hartley.

Despite his involvement in the organization of William Deightons murder, Isaac Hartley managed to avoid arrest and eventually died at the age of 78 on the 5th March 1815 at his home, White Lee (pictured below) in Midgely William Hartley, the youngest of the three brothers is thought to have taken very little part in the coining activities of his brothers and died in 1789.

Grace Hartley, David's wife moved from Bell House in 1774 and bought Lodge Farm a short distance away. She died in 1802 and was buried in the same grave as her husband. Their children remained in the Calder Valley as did another 4 generations up to my own Grandfather who, until his recent death, still lived a short distance from Bell House and Lodge Farm. My father's was the first generation to leave the valley when ironically he joined the Police force. When he stands on David Hartleys' grave today, if you listen carefully, you can hear David turning down below!