<6r>

An Account of the Mint in the Tower of London.

The Mint or Change is by the Charter thereof a Corporation consisting of the Warden, the Workers the Moneyers & the other Ministers. {Th} \It may buy & sell, sue & be sued & is/ free from Taxes arrests \pressings/ & servitude in \Iuries &/ forreign offices unless where the Charter is over-ruled by Act of Parliament.

The Warden or Keeper of the Changes is by the Charter a Magistrate appointed to do right & justice among the Wor{illeg}|k|ers, Moneyers & other Magistrates Ministers in all their complaints & differences except in causes of freehold & causes relating to the crown, & may call a Court. And thereby it is that they {illeg} are free\free thence they are freed/ from \suits &/ arrests. Standing Orders are made by him the Master & Controller \(as a Court or Board)/ or |by| any two of them whereof he {illeg}|to| \be/ one. Hence Letters from the Treasury are directed {illeg} to them & sometimes to them by name & to the rest of the Officers in generall. In \some/ things |[|below stairs (such as relate to \as about/ ye buildings\assays of the money/ &c) the Assay master may be also called to ye consult. {But}|For| the Warden takes care of the buildings & pays the charges of \necessary/ repairs first allowed\avouched/ by the Master Controller & Assaymr or any two of them whereof the Master to be one. He supervises the \whole/ process of the coynage & pays ye charges thereof & the salaries of the Officers except the Masters Salary & coynage allowance & salaries & allowances as are appointed to be paid by the Master \all wch were \by the warden/ received of the King \by the warden/ & paid {illeg}|to| the M War\Officers & workmen by the Warden/ {illeg}|b|efore the enacting of the coinage duty, but {illeg} now \the Master/ retained|s| out of that duty by the Master {illeg}|wh|at the Warden should \otherwise/ pay to him/. {illeg} With the consent of the General of /the Mint of\ Scotland |t|he \Warden/ makes the standard weights of England & Scotland. |He keeps {illeg}\an/ Indented trial pieces to examin the assays by as oft as he shall think convenient, & the Master keeps another to make the moneys by.|

The Workers are the Master & his Assaymaster & Melter & Refiner wth their Assistants Clerks & Vnderworkmen. The Master upon new occasions of coynage contracts wth the King by Indenture & according to ye Indenture by the assistance of his aforesaid servants receives, melts, refines, assays rates & standards the gold & silver to be coyned, sets it out to ye Potts, runs it into standard barrs & {sic} delivers those barrs by weight to the Moneyers \& after coynage receives it from them & delivers it to ye Importer by weight{sic}/ & by his Clerks enters the accounts thereof in Day-books, Leger-books, Melting books, Pott-books & Books of Debtor & Creditor.

The Moneyers draw cut out size blanch edge & coyne those barrs into moneys & return the moneys, scissel & brokage back to the Master by weight. \They may not pay or distribute any moneys unassayd upon pain of forfeiting their franchises & bodies to prison./ They take apprentices & \without {illeg}/ form themselves into a government\Company/ by electing one their number to be their Provost. They live in the Country & are bou{illeg}|n|d to attend & do their work whenever summoned by the Warden Master &|o||r| Controller upon pain of losing their Franchises & bodies to Prison. They are to work in such tasks & so many hours every day (sundays only excepted) as shall be appointed by the Master <6v> & for wilfull neglect or refusall the Warden Master & Controller (that is the Court) may expell or otherwise punish them \(or other workmen)/ as shall seem meet for their Majesties service & by the same power (as in all other Corporations) may grant freedom to new Moneyers when {illeg}|it| shall be requisite. |They may not {illeg}|pa|y or distribute any unassayd & inpixed money| /upon pain of forfeiting their franchises & bodies to prison.\

The other Ministers are the Controller, Kings Clerk Assaymaster Surveyor of the Meltings, Weigher & Teller, King's Clerk, Clerk of the Irons {illeg}|&|c. These are standing Officers with set salaries the Moneyers to che the Moneyers & Workers & see that they do their duty in working & coyning the gold & silver: the {w}|W|orkers & Moneyers \(except th{illeg}|e| Master since the reign of Charles II)/ are no {sic} standing Officers nor have Salaries but as workmen receive wages after a certain rate in ye pound weight for all the gold & silver they work & coyne{sic} except that ye Master in the reign of K. Charles II became a standing Officer with a salary{sic}

The Controller is in behalf of the King a Che upon the Master in his accounts & upon the Assaymasters in their assays. He makes a Controllment Roll upon Oath every year of all the Bullion molten with its allay & of all the moneys coyned from month|ly| to month that year & supervises the whole coynage, & with the Warden & Master locks up the Bullion & new coyned moneys & the Pix & coynage duty: in doing wch the Warden & Controller are a guard upon the Master's \bullion/ moneys & Pix & the Master & Controller are a guard upon the coynage duty to be issued out by the Warden according to ancient custome.

The Assaymaster is in behalf of the King a che upon the Master for his Assays & keeps a book of all the gold & silver as to quantity & fineness & of all the Pott-assays.  \He & the Warden & Controller or any two of them chuse the ingot for the Pott assay. When ye money is coyned he tries it both in weight & fineness before ye Warden the Master & Controller, & if it prove without remedy the Master bears the loss. And the Warden at ye same time takes out money for the Pix./ When the Importer & Master disagree about the price of Bullion the Assaymaster in the presence of the Warden Master & Controller assays the same & the Master then receives it & stands charged with it{.} according to ye report of the Assaymaster who is a sworn officer. /In cases of {moment} the truth is tried by the \wardens/ indented trial piece. If upon trial of the Pix the money proves worse or better the|n| Master standard, the Master accordingly becomes debitor or creditor to ye King\

The Surveyor of the Meltings is in behalf of the King a che upon the Melter to see that the gold & silver & its allay & nothing else be put into the melting-pot|.| & that the Ingot for \Whenever |ye| Pot is opened he watches {illeg}|th|a{illeg}|t|{illeg} {illeg}|nothin||g| that un{illeg}|fit| Ingot for be put into it, &/ \when it is laded out he sees that/ the Pot assay be duly taken before the Warden Master & Controller or two of them & carried to the Assaymaster./& carried to the Assay-office.\ He keeps a book of all the gold & silver molte{illeg}|n| & of the allay put into it.

The {illeg}|W|eigher & Teller weighs all the gold & silver brought into the Office of Receipt either before or after coynage & when tis requisite he tells it there. He weighs {illeg}|the| \go|si|ld|v||er| moneys/ by journeys of 60 weight in a journey, & again by {illeg} but this second weighing is inconsistent wth ye Indenture.\the gold by journeys of 15 weight in the journey./

<7r>

The Kings Clerk registers the papers wch pass between the Treasury & the Mint. Also he & the Warden & Controller (by their Clerks) or two of them in behalf of the King rate & standard all the gold & silver brought into the Mint & examin the Pots set out by the Master & enter these accounts in Day books, Leger-books & Melting books.

The Clerk of the irons is at present the same person with {illeg}|th|e Surveyor of the meltings. He keeps an account of all the Dyes made & hardened by the Smith, & when they are worn out sees them defaced in the presence of the Warden Master & Controller. He now keeps an account of all the Dyes that are sunck & for that end has one of the keys to the great Press & to the box of Punc{illeg}|h|eons.

There are also two Auditors who yearly examin & allow ye accounts of the Warden & Master & the Controllment Roll, a Clerk of the papers who at prsent is \also/ ye same \person/ wth the Kings Clerk & has no proper business but but may register Controllment Rolls, Accounts A|a|udited, Orders, & transactions of Court,\Orders, Contracts,/ Patents, Deputtations, \Con{illeg}|trollm|ent Rolls, Accounts audited/ &{c} such other things as may be of service {t}|f|o|r| the \officers of the/ {illeg}|M|int to {illeg}|h|ave \ready/ recourse {illeg} un{illeg}|t|o,|.| \There is also/ a Porter who remove the Ingots of gold & silver from Office to Office, & an Engraver, two Engineers & a Smith who make & repair the Puncheons, Dyes, Engins & other iron work|;| & some extr {illeg} & are \{illeg}/ immediately under the Masters directions.

If upon trial of the Pix the money proves worse or better ye standard \in weight & fineness then it ought to be & yet within remedy/ the Master accordingly becomes debtor or creditor to ye King. If it be without remedy the Master is liable to fine, & ransome.

There ought to be 3. 2s. of silver & 44 10s of gold {in}|m|oneys in ye pound weight Troy wth an allowance \over or under/ of 2 penny weigh {sic} \or 4{8}gr/ in silver & ye 16 part of a carat \or 40gr/ in gold{sic} wch is called ye masters remedy. If upon triall {illeg}|of| the Pix the money {illeg}|p|roves worse or better in weight & fines|n|ess then it ought to be & yet wthin remedy, the Master accordingly becomes debtor or creditor to ye King. If it be wthout remedy the Master is liable to fine & ransom{illeg}|e|. In single pieces the remedy is not set. It may by 5gr in a crown 212 in a 12 crown 112 in a shilling & 34 in a sixpence.

© 2024 The Newton Project

Professor Rob Iliffe
Director, AHRC Newton Papers Project

Scott Mandelbrote,
Fellow & Perne librarian, Peterhouse, Cambridge

Faculty of History, George Street, Oxford, OX1 2RL - newtonproject@history.ox.ac.uk

Privacy Statement

  • University of Oxford
  • Arts and Humanities Research Council
  • JISC