THE MONEY FORGER HONORED ON A BANKNOTE

 

I didn't realize I was carrying the face of a criminal in my wallet for many years. And so were most people in Australia. The face was that of Francis Greenway, a convict sent to Australia for financial forgery who became one of the most highly respected architects in Australian history—so respected that his face was chosen to appear on the $10 note. He is the only convicted forger in the world depicted on a banknote.

Greenway was born in the United Kingdom in 1777.

He came from a family of architects, builders, and stonemasons and followed in their footsteps, training under the well-respected British architect John Nash.

Greenway set up a thriving architecture business in the city of Bristol, where he designed several important buildings. This included the Clifton Club — the only one of his buildings in the United Kingdom that remains.

However, in 1809, one of Greenway's most significant projects collapsed, sending his business bankrupt. This forced him into taking desperate action — he decided to forge financial documents.

A death sentence or a clever ploy?
In 1812 Greenway faced court for his forgery — a crime punishable by death.

In order to reduce the sentence, Greenway pleaded guilty to the crime, and his sentence was commuted to transportation for 14 years to the colony of New South Wales in Australia. This was a typical sentence at the time as the British wished to populate their new territory on the other side of the world, and the best way for them to do this was with prisoners.

Greenway arrived in Sydney in February 1814 to commence his 14-year sentence. He brought with him letters of recommendation and his architectural portfolio so he could rebuild his career.

This leads to an interesting theory.

Australia was growing quickly during this period, and some historians believed that Greenway deliberately got caught.

It was a considerable risk — if it backfired, he would have been hung, but it paid off.

He took out an advertisement in the Sydney Gazette offering his architectural services and also sent his resume — so to speak — to the Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie.

The convict designing Sydney
Greenway's first project was the design and construction of the Macquarie Lighthouse. This was deemed a huge success and resulted in Governor Macquarie emancipating Greenway. Having the lighthouse named after him probably helped also.

Greenway was now a free man.

Dropping the word convict from his profile seemed to lift Greenway to greater heights, and his work across Sydney continued at a rapid pace. He was responsible for the Hyde Park Barracks, parts of Government House, the Supreme Court, and St.James Church.

These remain some of Sydney's most iconic buildings two hundred years later.

 
Government House- designed and built by Greenway. Source: WikiCommons

Greenway became known for his extravagance and his huge, overblown budgets. His designs were so grand that when he built the horse stables for Government House, it was mistaken for the actual Government House residence.

Forty-nine buildings in central Sydney are attributed to Greenway's designs, and St. James Church was chosen as one of Australia's only two man-made ‘treasures' by Dan Cruickshank in the BBC series Around the World in 80 Treasures.

But perhaps his finest honor was being represented on the 10 dollar note from 1966 until 1993.

To read the complete article, see:
The Money Forger That Was Honored By Becoming The Face On A Banknote (https://historyofyesterday.com/the-money-forger-that-was-honored-by-becoming-the-face-on-a-banknote-ec6cd30b4789)

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