170-71)

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/1/152-3, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 15 January 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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<152r>

To the Right Honourable the Lord High Treasurer of England

May it please your Lordship.

In obedience to your Lordships Order of reference of August 5^th and 10^th wherein Wee are directed to consider the qualification of Coll Parsons, M^r Croker M^r Ross and M^r Fowler to succeed M^r Harris in the place of Graver of the Mint, Wee humbly lay before your Lordship that the Master of the Mint considering what inconveniency the Mint lately suffered and may againe suffer by taking in Cutters of seales into the chief Graver's place, did upon his succeeding M^r. Neale put a Clause into the Indenture then made between the Crown and himself, whereby the Gravers sallary of 325^L per Annum upon the next voydance of the place should cease in order to a new establishment, For the Roetiers brought up no new Gravers under them, and M^r Harris who succeeded them being a Cutter of Seales and not skilled in that sort of Graving which is proper for the money, Imployed M^r. Croker to do all that work for an allowance of 175^li per Annum and retained to himselfe the Remaining 150^li per Annum and M^r. Croker was not bred up in the service of the Mint, but now by long practice he workes very well, and wee are humbly of Opinion that he is the fittest person to be made first Graver of the Mint.

It is humbly proposed therefore for the advantage and security of the Coyn against Counterfeiting that there should be a sett of Gravers Constantly brought up in the Mint who haveing once attained to perfection may keep their Art amongst themselves and propagate it to Probationers or Apprentices & be succeeded by them For which end Wee humbly propose that M^r. Croker be now made the first Graver of the Mint with a salary of 200^li per Annum for maintaining himselfe and a servant to fire and polish the Dyes and turn the press, and be allowed that part of the Gravers house in which he now lives and that M^r Samuell Bull who is now a Probationer and has a salary of 60^li per Annum be made second Graver of the Mint with a salary of 80^l per Annum if your Lordship shall approve thereof, and be <152v> allowed the other part of the Graver House, and that two Roomes over the great Press Room and over M^r Crokers shop be reserved for a third Graver or Apprentice to lodge & work in

Collonel Parsons & M^r Fowler doe not grave thimselves, but imploy others & for that reason are less fit for the service of the Mint. M^r le Clerc is a quick & skilfull Fraver, but we humbly desire more time to consider of filling the third Gravers place.

Besides the place of Graver of to the Mint M^r Harris was also Graver of seales to her Majesty which is no part of the constitution of the Mint & M^r Ross desires to succeed M^r Harris only in this place & by a seale which he has graved for the Dutchy of Lancaster he seems qualified for it.

I humbly beg leave to lay before your Lordship that the Gravers for their encouragement & for restraining the liberty of making Medals with the Effigies of the King or Queen have by a clause in their Patent been allowed & all other prohibited to make & sell such Medals:

And this Office of Medal-maker to the Crown has been sometimes encouraged by a large salary out of the Civil list, & sometimes granted to strangers & is as part of the Constitution of the Mint. For by the ancient constitution of the Mint the Master & Worker imploys not the Graver but the Moneyers to coyne whatever the government has occasion for whether money medals or healing pieces, the weight allay & form of the money & medals being first appointed by <153r> King of Queen by device of the Council & the Graver only making the stamps. Now if for saving her Majesty & the Council the trouble of giving Orders about such Medals as the government has no occasion for & for encouraging the Graver to improve themselves & to be content with less salaries it be thought fit to continue this Office or Privileg{e} to the Gravers: we are humbly of opinion that the Graver be obliged to set his name or the first letters thereof upon his own Medals to distinguish them from Medals made by the Queens Mint & that he may be restrained from dispersing them before a specimen of them has been shewed to your Lordship or be otherwise limited as her Majesty shall think fit. And if it should be thought fit upon any emergent occasion to restrain him, I am ready to coyn such Medals as her Majesty shall Order, as in the case of Coronation Medals & to deliver any number of them to your Lordships Order. But should the Gravers melting & coynage be made a part of the constitution of the Mint, the alteration in the constitution would be a fundamental one & might tend to confusion