TO the moorland families of 18th Century West Yorkshire, England is a country divided between rich and poor.
With the textile industry largely confined to small cottages and farmsteads, the common people of the Calder Valley are scraping a living as weavers and land-workers. Whole families are working handlooms, spinning and combing wool - back-breaking work, for little money - and a slump in trade has left people starving.
David Hartley has been away from his family’s remote moor-top dwelling for seven years. While in Birmingham, learning the iron trade, he fell in with a crowd who used their metalworking skills for less than legitimate reasons.
But Hartley has to leave Birmingham pronto or face certain death, and we meet him heading over the moors to Cragg Vale, on his last legs, dragging a mysterious bag of tools. Exhausted and injured, he’s about to lay down and die, but is saved by a mythical encounter.
Determined to restore some pride to his community, Hartley makes it his mission is to assemble a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark on a criminal enterprise that would become one of the biggest frauds in British history. Hidden in the rugged wilderness of hills and dales, their business is ‘clipping’ - the forging of coins, an offence punishable by death.
The story of the Cragg Vale Coiners - a fascinating chapter of West Yorkshire history - is brought to life by writer and director Shane Meadows in new three-part BBC2 drama The Gallows Pole. Based on the novel by Benjamin Myers, it’s inspired by the remarkable true story of David Hartley, known as ‘King David’, who led a ruthless counterfeit gang so organised and powerful it threatened to ruin the nation’s economy.
Filmed in Calderdale, in locations ruled over by the Cragg Vale Coiners in the 1760s, the drama stars Michael Socha as David Hartley and Bradford actress and Downton Abbey star Sophie McShera as his wife, Grace.
The Gallows Pole is the first period drama from writer and director Shane Meadows, who was behind Bafta-winning 2006 film This is England. Says Shane: “I really wanted to delve into the circumstances that lead to an entire West Yorkshire community risking their lives to put food in their children’s bellies. It was during the workshopping process with the actors I realised there was also a story to tell leading up to Ben’s incredible book. A prequel that not only allowed us to understand why the Cragg Vale Coiners did what they did, but maybe fall in love with them a smidge while they did it.
“It may have turned into one of the biggest crimes in British history, but it was pulled off by a bunch of destitute farmers and weavers doing what they had to to survive, and I think people will resonate with that.”
Ben Myers delved into the story after his wife came across 1770 coiners trial notes in a museum. He decided not to write a historical account, as several already existed: “I wanted to write something that was a bit psychedelic and kind of reflected the intensity of this landscape. When you walk around these moors by yourself, you can feel a sense of history that’s there in the soil. It’s a magical feeling but it’s a bit malevolent as well. So I wanted to take a true story and crank it up into something that’s pushing the boundaries of what historical fiction is really.”
Luke Ayres, 16, from Idle plays a member of a young gang watching out for anyone heading across the moors to investigate the coiners. “We filmed around Halifax, in the hills where the coiners worked,” says Luke. “An old house was converted into a set, and we used old churches. I play one of a group of kids on look-out. Because they were in such remote communities, the coiners got on with it undisturbed - until the authorities started to take notice.”
Luke read the novel and was fascinated by the coiners’ story: “It’s a great subject for a TV drama. While we were filming I learned about how they worked, and what a big operation it was. There were so many people involved.”
Luke, a Music, Performance and Production student at Bradford College, has appeared in several television dramas, including ITV’s Maternal. He filmed The Gallows Pole in 2021. “Filming was disrupted a lot because of Covid. We’d get to set in costume then couldn’t film because one of the cast had tested positive. I’m a big Shane Meadows fan - I love This is England - and he was so much fun to work with. It can be daunting being on a TV set but he made it feel a safe environment. He likes to work with undiscovered actors.
“I can’t wait to see the series. I’ll be watching it with my family.”
* The Gallows Pole starts on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, May 31.
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