'Draught of a Memoriall by the Officers of the Mint relateing to the Mint privileges'

<416r>

Draught of a Memoriall by the Officers

of the Mint relateing to the Mint privileges.

May it please

By y^e Wisdom & minificence of diverse of his present Maj^tys royall progenitors, there has been granted & confirm'd to y^e use and service of y^e Mint in y^e Tower; that parcell of ground situate on y^e left, at y^e entrance into y^e Tower: beginning about 30 Foott from y^e Warders Lodge & reaching to a gate sett up in y^e East part of y^e Tower at y^e end of y^e Irish Mint, near a building call'd Divell's Tower; conteining y^e ground lying & situate between y^e outward Well of y^e Tower, & y^e Wall of y^e Inner Tower: All which tract of ground was designd & intended for Work houses. Dwelling-houses, & other convenient Lodgings & Buildings for the OFficers, Clerks, Mony^rs. Artificers & Labourers belonging to y^e Mint.

But since y^e Restauration of K^g. Ch. y^e 2^d, a building has been erected, call'd Leg's-Mount, at y^e North-west corner of y^e Tower, faceing Tower-hill, within y^e Libertys of y^e Mint before describ'd, & barraques made therein for lodging souldiers.

And another building adjoyning thereunto, erected in or about the year 169  for a dwelling-house for one of y^e Clerks of y^e Ordnance, within y^e Limitts aforesaid.

And on y^e North-side of y^e Tower within y^e Limitts aforesaid, diverse shedds were erected at or about the time of y^e 2^d. Dutch\q/ War, in y^e Reign of King Ch. y^e 2^d. being ever since used by y^e Smiths of y^e Ordnance for making double-headed short iron-work for Carriages, & other materialls for his Maj^tys. office of Ordnance

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Memoriall

And on y^e East side of y^e Tower within y^e limitts aforesaid, houses have been built; 'tis y^e late great Coynage, were in the |q.|occupation of y^e officers\q/ of his Maj^tys works: And were claim'd by S^r. Christopher Wren & others y^e 10^th of Iune 1699, by virtue of a contract made, as is said, between y^e Master & Work^r. & them, made at y^e beginning of y^e grand coynage.

And a house lately standing on y^e Northside of y^e Tower within y^e limitts of y^e Mint aforesaid, & in y^e occupation of Thomas Sylvester Smith to y^e Mint, is now demolished, but order of y^e Officers of the Ordnance, as is said, to rebuild it for y^e use & service of y^e Ordnance

And the Mint-streett is now become, & made a great thorough-face, by y^e Soldiers in Garrison, by strangers living in it, And by people, whome y^e Warders being to see y^e Mint, & shew them y^e tower: which ill practice very much exposes y^e gold & silver monys, that must be carryed from one Workhouse to another, to perfect y^e Coynage

And besides all y^e aforesaid encroachments upon our bounds & invasion of y^e rights & limitts of y^e Mint: since K^g. Ch. y^e 2^d plac'd a garrison in y^e Tower (which was never practic'd, or remember'd to {illeg}|be| done before his reign) the Lieutenants or Chief Goverours of y^e Tower have caus'd diverse Centinells to be posted within y^e Mint at diverse places, who together with y^e Labourers, Smiths, & other Artificers belonging to y^e Ordnance, in great numbers, at some times, resort to y^e Mint, to y^e great & apparent hazard of divulging y^e mystery of y^e Coynage; by insinuating themselves into y^e acquaintance of our mony^rs. Labourers & Artificers; by taking patterns of y^e tools, utensills, & Engines used in y^e Coynage, by corrupting the persons employd in y^e workmanship of y^e Gold & silver coynes, & hereby exposing y^e reputation of them, which would be a matter of very dangerous consequence to y^e trade & credit of y^e Nation And this intrenchment upon Vs, has allready, as Wee have very good reason to suspect, given an Opportunity <417r> ^[1] To a Burglary & robbery committed, as is supposd, by a Centinell, who being posted on y^e line, on y^e back part of our assaymasters Office|q| did about 6 years since take-out thence an Ingott of silver of |q|value; and there being a quantity of Gold lying in y^e same room a day or two before, it might have provd a far greater Loss to y^e King. And Another robbery was attempted about two years since, but was prevented, as is thought, by an Alarme

And during y^e great coynage, Wee have good cause to belive {sic}, that great quantitys of silver wrought & unwrought into monys were imbezilld: some having been since found in y^e Tower ditch, and good numbers of blanks in y^e Thames at Low water; to y^e great detriment both of Melter & Monyers.

And Wee humbly presume further to represent, that the Mint is not only very unsafe by being expos'd to Soldiers & foreign Labourers: but y^e discouragements to both Officers & Clerks, Artificers & all other persons concernd in y^e Mint are become equally grievous, & in a manner insupportable. These Evills every day grow upon us, and y^e consequence will be, if not timely prevented, y^t no Officer or any other person concernd in y^e Mint, shall have any dwelling-house left him, tho' as expressly granted him in y^e King's Patents, & by diverse Antient Charges, as Words can make it.

|q|All the Clerks\q/ in y^e Mint had heretofore dwelling-houses assign'd them, y^t they might attend y^e service thereof: And by y^e Charters, or antient practice, no person was to be admitted as a Lodger must less and Inhabitant within y^e Mint without a Written License |q|signd by y^e Warden & Principall\q/ officer of y^e Mint: but as matters are like to be, if y^e aforementioned encroachments be not forthwith remedyed, y^e Officers & others belonging to y^e Mint will be obligd to become Tenants in their own houses, and to take out a License for dwelling in y^e Mint from y^e Chief Governour of y^e Tower, of officer of y^e Ordnance

Now y^e properest expedient to remedy these very great inconveniences, in all humility Wee presume to be as follows.

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|q.|That, by his Maj^tys direction, a new\q./ Charter be granted to y^e Mint, the bounds & Limitts between y^e Mint & y^e Ordnance be exactly adjusted, that All Labourers, Artificers & others that are foreigners, & are not in y^e service of y^e Mint, & all Lodgers and inhabitants, y^t are now in y^e Mint, but do not belong thereunto, be Oblig'd to withdraw forthwith; That strong gates be erected at each end of y^e Mint, & one upon y^e Wall near divells tower \& another by y^e Sallyport/, which may be shutt-up every night, & open'd by day, at such times as y^e Warden of the Mint shall direct. That y^e Officers, Clerks, Mony^rs. & Artif^rs. have such houses assign'd them, as their predecessors have enjoyd for many ages; or o|i|f now demolished, others in their stead. That those Clerks be oblig'd to live in those houses, for y^e better security of the Mint, & dispatch of business; And such Artificers also, whome it may be neither expedient nor safe to suffer to live abroad. That the Officers of the Ordnance & Chief Governour of y^e Tower for the time being, be strictly oblig'd by a clause in their patents nicely to observe such Regulations, & others that may be thought necessary, in all time to come. Which as Wee belive {sic} to be highly requisite to be made with all convenient expedition so Wee most Humbly submitt y^e matters here suggested to Your Lordsh^pps great wisdom & Experience

Tower Mint Office
  17. Iune 1699.

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