THE LIFE OF GEORGE GLOVER, " FORGER." 195
around Cambridge, and also as a platelayer in Yorkshire and
elsewhere. He came to East London as a young man of about
22 years, where an acquaintance, Phillip Thornhill of Canning
Town (an enthusiastic member of the small local "Chip-Chap
"Club") unwisely gave him an explanation of the technique of
flint-chipping, the meaning of the term "bulb of percussion,"
and so on. The pupil proved to be an apt one, and Glover
straightway began to practise making flint implements, obtaining
good quality flint in the Grays chalk pits and elsewhere, as from
Creeksmouth. He records that his first attempt was made in a
pit at Wanstead; but gravel pit flint was naturally not the best
for his purpose. At one time he worked in the "Cauliflower Pit"
at Seven Kings, Ilford, and there he saw Sir Antonio Brady, the
eminent palaeontologist.
In the way of business he cultivated the acquaintance of
Worthington G. Smith, of Dr. Frank Corner, of J. E. Greenhill,
J. W. Knight and other early collectors of prehistoric relics.
Greenhill's over-enthusiasm made him an easy victim. Glover
tentatively offered him some of his early attempts at forged
implements, which were eagerly bought, Greenhill urging the
seller to bring as many more as he could "find," promising to
purchase all submitted.
As Glover remarked to me, what could he do but try to
please so appreciative a client? He obtained 5s., 7s. 6d., as
much as 15s. for a good specimen. He assured William Cole,
speaking of Greenhill, "It's a pleasure to work for a gentleman
"like that—he knows so much!"
Those were Glover's palmy days: but such a state of things
could not last for ever. It was Thornhill, his first teacher,
who chanced to mention to Greenhill that Glover was actually
making the implements he sold to him: and this exposure led to
a scene. The disillusioned purchaser threatened to prosecute
Glover for trickery: but ultimately he found it expedient to
overlook the fraud, admitting that he himself was most to
blame for his over-credulity.
The writer's personal acquaintance with Glover began when
the latter brought into the Stratford Museum a large assortment
(some 150 specimens) of alleged palaeoliths—quite evident for-