Booth, then descried as a yeoman, was accused of murdering his brother John while revisiting Hall End on 19 February 1808, but was acquitted for lack of evidence.

[I][3][5] After the Napoleonic Wars caused the government of William Pitt the Younger to order the Bank of England to restrict gold supply – the so-called "Restriction Period" – and to issue new, low-denomination, and easily-reproducible, bank notes,[6] Booth converted the top floor of the farmhouse into a fortified workshop where he produced forgeries of those banknotes, as well as promissory notes, coins, tokens and other material of monetary value.

[7][10] Booth was arrested, and charged with five counts:[10] Each was tried consecutively, with the same jury throughout, before Simon Le Blanc,[10] at Stafford Assizes[11] over two days,[10] on 31 July and 1 August.

[10] Booth's public execution, outside Stafford jail,[12] on 15 August 1812 was bungled, and he fell through the scaffold's trap door to the floor.

[c][9] The inscription on his gravestone reads:[III][13] Sacred to the memory of William Booth who departed this life August 15th 1812 aged 33 years.

[18] Prior to the voyage, she wrote, from the ship, at Deptford, on 8 July 1813, to the Bank of England:[19] Honnerd Gentlemen I hope you will Pardon the Liberty I have takeing in Riteing to you But it is nesseaty that oblidges me to it for I am in Grate Distress and as you have Been so Good as to give the other Poor unfortunate Women a little as I was Conveceted at Stafford with Mr Booths and Mrs Booth as Baveid very Ill to me and I am very much in want of nessarys and I hope your Goodness will think of me and your humble Pertichner is in Duty Bound and will for Ever pray for you Elizabeth Chedlowand received £5 from them[17] as it was their charitable custom to support women sentenced to transportation for forgery.

[10] Booth's wife, who witnesses said was active in the process of making forgeries, was not charged, as wives were considered to be under the control of their husbands.

[21][22] As late as October 1956, 45 bank tokens forged by Booth, using metal alloy instead of silver, were found in a garden on Foden Road, formerly part of the farm.