Of the five Country Mints

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Of
The five Country Mints

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Of the five Country Mints

Thô in former Ages, as is before mention'd, our Kings had their Mints at York, Canterbury, Bristole, Southward, & other places within y^e.Kingdom, & at Calais in France, when y^t. Town belonged to y^e. Crown of England; & mony was coynd at these places by publick Authority so lately as in y^e. reign of Edward 6^th., yet since that time I doe not finde his success.^rs have thought fitt to appoint any other Mint for y^e. coynage of y^e. Gold & Silver, besides that in the Tower of London: excepting the Mints at Oxford, & Shrewsbury, which in y^e. heat of the late Civill War, King Charles the 1.^st appointed to coin the Plate given him by y^e. well affected Nobility, and Gentry to supply his urgent occasions; and these Mints continued but for a short time. The Mint in y^e. Tower only, having been found sufficient to dispatch y^e. coynage of all y^e. Gold, & Silver Bullion imported at all times, but in y^e. late Reform in 1696, when for y^e. greater dispatch in recoyning all the silver clipt and hammerd monys, monys which amounted to between eight and nine millions in Tale the Government not knowing at first what sum̄s could be new coind at the Tower, & foreseeing to what Perplexitys the Nation would <95r> be reduc'd for want of the silver Cash in trade, thought it highly necessary to appoint other Mints, and the Parliament concurring in that opinion, A clause was inserted in the first Act for remedying the ill state of the Coin, That for the ease of his Majesties subjects, the New Mints to be erected by him should not be less than four. But the charge in setting up and continuing such Mints being througly {sic} considered after y^e. rising of the Parliament in the spring in 1696. by the Lords of the Treasury then in Commission, and the Government having little or no Cash to dispose of for that use, the publick mony being all appropriated to the service of the Army and Navy they would willingly have sav'd the Government that extraordinary expence; but for the express terms of the late Ac{t}; and y^e. great clamours and generall uneasinesse of the people in all parts of the Nation, which began to appear in Aprill and May 1696.

The Ennemys of the Government at that time had industriously spread a report, That the King and his Ministers intended to drain the Nation of their mony bring it all to the Tow' {sic}r|e|r, and when 'twas new coynd, carry it all over to his Armys and freinds {sic} abroad.

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Now thô the People were generally well affected to the Government, yet they took notice of the summs that publick Receivers were dayly sending out of the Country to the Exchequer and that the greatest part of the silver monys was not passable by the Kings proclamation of 19 December 1695 after such a Term but in payments or Loans to the King only: w.^ch mande some perhaps not very \un-/willing to beleive {sic} the insinuation.

To quiet therefore the minds of y^e people and in complyance with the forementioned clause, the Lords of the Treasury on the 16 May 1696 orderd proper officers Clerks and others to be instructed at the Tower and to be sent to Exeter and York, & on the 22 the{illeg}|y|{illeg} s{illeg}l|se|nt the like order for the 3 other Mints at Bristow, Chester and Norwich.

The Officers of the Mint in the Tower appointed one to instruct those persons who were to be concerned in the accompting part of the Mint. which he did accordingly and appointedrew up written Instructions for 'em containing the order and method of all their businesse and those Instructions were sent to every Mint. But 'tis observable that the same error was committed in the disposall of some of these little stations, <96r> as is in many other \publick/ Imployments. Characters are too easily given by great Men and their Letters recommendatory carry an Authority with 'em to inferiour officers: hence it is that many places fall into the hands of very unqualifyed persons {illeg}|w|.^ch is a great discouragement to the able and diligent officer and after some time not a little detrimental to the Publ^k. Some of M^r. Neals Deputys were incapable of Instruction, two of 'em had but an indifferent character for their Integrity, and he being known to be the easy and complaisant Gentlemn had one T—r recommended to him for a Clerk (but was not employd) who scarce knew his own right hand and could hardly read or write his Christian name. Others to conceal their ignorance declined Instruction, and 2 or 3 persons fairly offered themselves to be instructed but upon a tryall of their abilitys as fairly confessed their ignorance & withdrew. Well had it been for the King if some who hapned to be employed had used the like Ingenuity. Then we had not been pesterd with Intricat and confused Accounts; and the Redheads and the Bartons had been Potters and Pewterers to this day.

Two or three Persons were in the begining of Iune sent <96v> to fitt up convenient offices for Accompting and for melting and making the mony, and a little after midsummer the severall offices and Clerks &c went to their appointed stations where they were received with extraordinary joy by the Inhabitants, particularly the People of Chester wellcomed the officers of their Mint with ringing of Bells, Bonefires and firing the Canon from the Castle. They good people dreamed of golden dreams. A mint they concluded, would be an inexhaustible fund which could infallibly supply all their occasions. And it was not amiss on the publick Acco{unt}|mpt| that they were thus mistaken. It contented the Country for the present to see the Government took care that they should not long be in the want of mony. And whilst they were under that amusement a further provision was made for their real ease and satisfaction: for the Lords of y^e. Treasury gave publick notice y^e. 2^d. Iuly 1969 that pursuant to the Kings Letters of privy seal in that behalf, any quantity of clypt or diminish'd pieces of silver lately current monys should be received at the Exchequer by way of Loan at 5^s. 8^d. p^r. oz and tallys and orders given for the same with 6^ll. p^r. Cent Interest and an Account kept of the deficiency.

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Mony was taken in at the Exchequer on these conditions 'till the 20 of August following; And the Lords Iustices having directed the Lords of the Treasury not only to exped{illeg}|ite| the setting up the Country Mints, but to consider what way they might be made most usefull for the ease of the subject: they accordingly imprested to M^r. Hall a certain quantity of silver to be sent by him to each \of y^e. 5/ Country-Mints, ( {sic}which being the first silver there coyn'd was to be a fund for paying the recompense of 6^d. p^r. oz for clipt mony and Plate imported. And M^r. Hall was further directed to appoint a Deputy at each Mint to be a generall Receiver of the clipt mony and Plate aforesaid. These Receivers took an Account of the N^o of ounces gross in clipt mony, and of the standard ounces in plate, brought to 'em by the respective owners, and paid back in new monys 5^s. 8^d. p^r. oz to every Importer, which was a mighty satisfaction to the people to see the new monys coming abroad every day. The clyp|ip|t mony and Plate continued to be receivd at the Country Mints in this manner 'til y^e. 4^th. of November 1696 and in a short time after the new Monys proceeding there from and transmitted by M^r. Hall to amounted to 53689^L: 18^s.. 5^d. at Bristol; and 22940^L: 12^s.. 05^d <97v> at Chester; 63734^L: 05^s.: 09^d. at Exeter; 51523^L: 16^s.. 9^d. at Norwich; 70520^L. 8^s. 4^d. at York. All which amounting to 262409^L. 1^s. 8^d. was so reasonably a supply to the neighbouring Countrys that it putt a little life into business, and the Country marketts, and prevented very great disorders that without this provision might probably have hapened and would have prov'd of very dangerous consequence to the Government

These 5 Mints were from time to time provided with Mills, presses, dyes, and other Instruments used in Coyning, from the Tower.

Such of the Tools and Engines as were bought at the Kings charge and were fitt for further use at the dissolution of the 5 Mints, were brought to the Tower, the rest were sold upon y^e. spott and the mony brought to the Kings accompt. But the Dyes of all sorts were sent back to the Tower, and M^r. Newton <98r> caus'd em to be defac'd and Registred accordingly|to| the usuall practice of the Mint

The Day-Books or Mint-Registers were most of 'em not very regularly kept, those of Bristoll Mint were the most methodicall. The Monys coyn'd at each of the Mints had the first Letter of the Place impress'd on the Headside, for distinction.

I have before mentiond the whole Receiv'd and coyned at these Mints and transmitted to 'em in 1696, I reci|t|te the Particulars.

Accompt
of Clipt-Mony Plate and Bullion imported at the 5 Country Mints before y^e. 4.^th November 1696, of the summs transmitted thither to pay the 6^d. per oz. Recompence for every oz gross of the clipt mony, and for every oz standard of the Plate imported.

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N.B. The Proportionals of 5^s. ^d. p^r. oz on y^e. d.^wts and grains, that were less than a farthing, being slighted in the particulars that made up the forementioned summs of 262,409^L.. 1^s.. 8^d. is the reason that it falls short about 6.^d in the whole totall of 926149^oz.. 14^dwt. 19^grs.    N.B.–

The General account follows