Indignant denial of the charges levelled in MINT00813 (Mint 19/3/409-10)

<386r>

My Lords

I have by yo^r. Lopps: orders had a Copy of a scandalous and untrue paper delivrd to yo^r: Lopps: Containing the Complaint of y^e Warden, and Mast^r Worker of the Mint ag^t: me and my administracon of the Governm^t: of the Tower, w^ch: if true, I should have been ashamed to have made any Answer or Iustification of my selfe, But as every mtt^r: of fact Concerning me, herein is grosely untrue, and many of their Scandalous, and such as I believe, were never before, (to groundlessly) presumed to be Offer'd to yo^r. Lopps: ag^t: any man whatsoever so (besides the other reparacon w^ch: I am advized to seek for) I hope Yo^r: Lopps will as much, as in you Lyes, Iustifie and redresse me ag^t: those untrue Callumnies.

|1^th.| They pretend that they and theire Officers are exempted from all Arrests, as well Criminall as for debt, and that one Atherton (one of theire Labourers) was on the third of Iuly instant, taken upon a Warrant from a Iustice of the peace of the Tower back'd by my selfe. Whereas time out of mine, and by many antient Records and books, his Ma^ties: Court of Record of the Tower (wherein all accons whatsoever are try'd) hath Iurisdiction in the Tower and Liberties there of, and the Officers have alwayes Arrested in the Tower, by the process of that Court (as Appeares by Affid^ts: annexed) w^ch: can be deny'd to no <386v> {man} And Atherton was taken (for a Criminall matt^r) by the Iustices Warrant, by the direction of the provost of the Mint, who sent an Officer to see it executed, w^ch: was with out my knowledge, or backing the Warr^t, as is most untruly Suggest'd, and disprovd by the Affi^dt: annex'd

|2^ly:| They pretend that on the 3^d: day of Iuly inst^t: one Sturton (a Warder) who came into the Mint, to shewe it to two Strangers, seized the Gate, and took y^e port^rs: Sonn by the Throate, & occasion'd a fray w^ch: caus'd the mony to be unsafe and the Warder threatens revenge on the porters sonn, and I had caus'd the porter for be {Sue'd} for the same Whereas it appeares by sev^rll: Affi^dts: annx^d: that the Warder went w^th: 2 persons (as is usuall) to shew the Mint where they paid 6^d: at y^e press roome, and well afterwards refused to be Lett out at the Gate by the Porters Sonn, and Wife, tho they offer'd 2^d: a piece (when nothing was due), But was refused unless they would pay Silver, whereupon the Strangers were forced to goe another way out of the Mint, who being gonn, the Warder ask'd, if they would Stopp him, and he going to putt back the Lock, the Porters Sonn Struck, and pu{illeg}|sht| him, and declared that neither I nor the Warder, had any thing to do there, and the Warder Iust touching his Coate, to come out of the <387r> Tower (as they talk) the Porters Sonn, Struck the Warder on the face, and he, his father, mother, and sister, fell upon and beate the Warder who about 2 hours afterwards, told y^e porter, that if he had rec^d: such an abuse out of the Tower, he would have {illeg}|{K}|ic'k|t| his Sonn, w^ch was all the threatning words us'd But the Warder did not take y^e port^rs: Sonn by y^e throat, nor seize y^e Gate, nor make any fray, as appears by 3 Affi^dts, Nor have I order'd the port to be {su'd}, nor can hinder y^e Warder, Indicting the persons for y^e assault and battery.

|3^dly:| They pretend that y^e Centinell Lately appointed to guard the doore of y^e working Roome, had Orders to permitt my entrance, as well as y^e Warden Whereas no such ord^rs: were ever given, or executed, Nor did I knowe of any S|C|entinall being Appointed, untill sev^rll: hours after it was done, w^ch: was directed by y^e Deputy Govern^r. (in any absence) at y^e request of the Warden and Masts r. Worker whose Orders the S|C|entinall was expressly commanded to observe as appeares by affi^dt: Annx^d:

|4^thly| The p^rtend that I twice search'd in the Mint, and seized the Gates (without notice to any of the Officrs) and millitary searches are dangerous to them and that I demand a List of y^e names of all persons there, Whereas upon informacon that y^e Late K: Iames was seene in M^r: Roteer's house, w^ch: was <387v> about 7: a Clock in the Evening. I stay'd 2: hours in which time I sent thrice, To speake w^th: any of the Officers of the Mint, but Could fine none, nor the porter or any of his fammily, whereupon about 9: a Clock, my selfe, the Deputy Govern^r:, and a Iustice of the Peace, went in\to/ and search't Roteer's house, & 3: or 4: days after, by order of theire Excellencies y^e Lords Iustices, I went again to Roteers house, & took the examinacon of all his fammily, w^ch: is all the Millitary or other searches that were made. And it's usually & Incumbant, & highly necessary for all y^e Inhabitants in the Tower, to take the oaths to the Governm^t: and for service of the Tower, at the court see{illeg}|t|e, w^ch tho: often required by the Chiefe Steward, yett I have excused the Mint, they being fully employ'd. But think not fitt to doe the same any Longer, to y^e prejudice of y^e Antient Iurisdiction of the Tower, w^ch: I am sworne to {ob}\pre/ser{illeg}|v|e. Besides I have y^e Lords Iustices Command to demand an Acco^t: of y^e Inhabita{illeg}|n|ts.

|5^thly:| They p^rtend that about a fortnight since, Two of theire houses w{as}|ere| disturb'd at a midnight by a Drunker Officer of the Guard, who made a pass at one of theire Serv^ts: & endeavord to make y^e bystanders {illeg} believe that the Serv^t: was in y^e fault, and that I was (untruly) inform'd, that theire Serv^t: gott drunk and Affront the Centinell, & had order'd the Centinells to fire at y^e Minters, And that the Centinells are not sett as Vsuall and why should they Looke a good Officer, for pretence, of his being <388r> Drunk, w^ch: was never yett made Death nor Centinells Impower'd to shoot his Enemy, or any others who complai\ns/ of such bloody discipline, Or why should they be terrified in the Mint. Whereas I did not knowe nor ever heard of the drunken Officer, untill I was Lately inform'd by the Warden who {illeg} {illeg}|c|ould not tell me, nor Can I find out who it was, Nor have I any reason to believe the truth of the Complaint in that matter, most of y^e other allegations being Scandellous Groundless and untrue. And theire p^rsence that Centinells are not Sett (as usually) & that I gave Orders for y^e Centinells to fire at the Minters, or any others (save Gen^rll: Orders as have been alwayes) or allow of any bloody discipline or terrifie any Body, is most scandellous and Grosely false (as appea^rs: by Affid^ts:) and for w^ch, and all the other abusses I doubt not but yo^r. Lopps will direct such measures as I may have reparacon:.

|6^thly:| They p^rtend that upon Complaint to me Ag^t: the Drunken Offier {sic} I and the Deputy Gov^rn: did the next day giver Orders, not to suffer meat or Drunk to be Carried to workmen in the Mint, And to take away what should be sent to them & give it to the Soldiers, I p^rtending that theire workmen sell the meate and drink to others. Whereas upon Complaint made to me by y^e Suttlers, That drink was brought into the Tower in potts and pitchers, and sold to the Solldiers, who were very Considerably indebted to the Suttler in y^e time when theire Subsistance was not paid, and that the Soldiers now having Money, now Lay out and spend the same in drink w^ch: is p^rtended to be brought for the <388v> {workmen} In the Mint to p^rvent w^ch: I did Order that no person should be suffere'd to bring drink into the Tower in potts or pitchers, or to sell Virtually to the Solldiers (save the Suttlers Appointed) Besides there are Suttlers in the Mint, for supplying theire Workmen who were never hindred from brining what Meate and drink they thought fitt: And I have hear'd that the Workers in the Mint use greate disorders in drinking to excesse & selling to others, w^ch. ought not to be allow'd in the Tower. But I did never restraine y^e Carrying of Meate or drunk to the Suttlers in the Mint, nor order the same, or any Others to be taken away, or given to the Solldiers, as is most untruly suggested in the said paper.

|7^thly:| And such are the Insolencyes and disorders of some of the Offiers {sic} and workmen in the Mint (incouraged by their Porters and his Sonns going unpunishe'd that on Satturday y^e 24^th: day of Iuly: Inn^t: about 5: of the Clock in the afternoone, one of theire horse keepers (being almost drunk) came on a Gallop w^th: 2: horses in the Sentinells Posts, at the Deputy Governours doore, and ridd ag^t: and thrust him to a post, and call'd him many foule Names, without any manner of provocation or reason, And the Sentinells endeavouring to keepe his Post, the horse keeper was encouraged + directed, (by one Fowles a Clerk in the Mint) to dragg the Centinell by the Eares from his Post, and shoot him through the <389r> Head, and Others of the Horse Keepers in Like maner threatened the Centinell, and in all probability had not the Deputy Govern^rs. Lady hear'd the Noise, and call'd to send for a Guard, they had Murther'd the Centinell, (as appeares by 2: Affid^ts: annx^d:) But this happening whilst the Matter of the said Complaint Lyes before Yo^r: Lopps: I thought it not decent to doe any thing therein, untill Rep^rsented to Yo^r: Lopps. especially at to the Porter and his Sonn, and the Clerk and Horsekeepers,

And now (My Lords) haveing fully answer'd and disprov'd that Libell (w^ch. I think) had it not beene deliver'd to Yo^r Lopps; deserved no Answer in this manner. And I do submitte to Yo^r: Lopps whether I am obliged, upon such a Libell (so full of untruths and Scandalls) to sett forth any of the Records Roll's or Iurisdictions of the Tower, Which are as antient as any in the kingdome.

I am

^[1]

My Lords

Yo^r: Lopps: Most

humble Serv^t:

Lucas