Royal warrant to Newton to buy and coin copper in quantities fixed by the Treasury

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/425, 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
  - 30 August 2016
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
  - 23 September 2016
    - Will Scott finished transcription
  - 14 May 2017
    - Minor corrections made by Will Scott
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<425r>

Our Will and Pleasure is and We do hereby Authorize and Command You Sir Isaac Newton Master and Worker of Our Mint in the Tower of London to receive into Our said Mint from time to time fine British Copper in Barrs or Fillets which when heated red hott will spread thin under the hammer without cracking and which shall be of a due Size or thickness to be prescribed by you and out of the same to Coyne half Pence and farthings of such a bigness that forty and size halfpence or ninety and two farthings may make a pound weight averdupoise excepting such small errors as may happen in and by the unequall Sizing of the Bars: Which errors you shall endeavour that they be not in excess or defect above the fortieth part of the whole weight and this not by designe but only by accident. and you shall pay the Importer for such copper imported after such rates as the Lords Commissioners of our Treasury now being or our High Treasurer or Commissioners of our Treasury for the time being shall allow not exceeding Eighteen pence by the pound weight the one halfe thereof in money upon receiving the said Copper and the other half in money and scissell together upon returning back the scissell, the said scissell being recconed at the same price by the pound weight with the Copper imported. and if the said Copper doth not bear the Assay in size and fineness you shall not receive the same but return it back to be manufactured anew. and you shall coyne such quantities of such moneys & at such times as the said Commissioners of Our Treasury or Lord High Treasurer shall allow. and you shall cause Our Effigies with the inscription GEORGIVS REX to be stamped on one side of each piece and the Effigies of a Britannia sitting upon a Globe with a Speare in her left hand and a Mirtle in her right and the inscription BRITANNIA stamped on the other side as in the late Copper Money, and under her the Date. and when any Quantity of such money shall be coyned the same shall be well mixed in a heap, and assayed by counting out twenty three pence from several parts of the heaps and weighing every parcell socounted out and you shall take a medium of all the weights for the weight of twenty three pence and thereby Estimate the value of the whole heap and of every part thereof according to its weight And you shall cause the same to be also assayed in fineness by taking some pieces of the money heating them red hott and battering them to see if they will spread thin under the hammer And then you shall receive the said new moneys from the Monyers by weight and deliver the same in smaller parcells to such of Our people as shall come for the same at the price settled and stated by the assay as above, abating one penny in every seven pounds weight in recompence for any small defect which may sometimes happen in the tale by the unequall sizing of the barrs of Copper. And the Monyers shall not vend pay or distribute any of the said new coyn'd monies before the same be duely assayed & delivered to the said Master & Worker as above.

And we doe further appoint & order that all receipts and deliveries of Copper in Barrs or scissell with the weight or price and all deliveries of new moneys from the Monyers to the Master and Worker with the assays in weight & the price stated and setled by the assays shall be entered in books by a Clerk who shall be appointed by us and be called the Kings Clerk, and that Our said Clerk shall see all the assays performed and the Copper & monies and scissell weighed, and one or more pieces taken out of every parcell of monies assayed to be kept in a box under his key and the key of the Master and Worker to be tryed Annually in weight and fineness before whome the Commissioners of Our Treasury now being or the Lord High Treasurer or Commissioners of Our Treasury for the time being shall appoint

And our said Clerk shall also yearley make a Roll upon Oath of the weight and price of every parcell of new moneys coined and delivered from time to time by the Moneyers to the Master and Worker, And the said Master and Worker of our Mint shall account annually before the Auditor of our Mint for all the said Copper moneys coyned, and be answerable to us for all the profits thereof above the charges, And Our said Auditor in auditing the said Accounts shall have all the same power as in auditing the accounts for the coynage of Gold & Silver

<425v>

and our said Clerk shall Examine and sign all Bills of charges for repairs of Buildings and for providing things requisite for setting up this Coinage. And the said Sir Isaac Newton shall be allowed in his accounts all summs of money paid by him for repaires of the buildings used in this Coynage and for repairing or providing coining Tools and all other things necessary for setting on foot this Coynage and all sums of money paid for Copper imported and the sume of three pence farthing by the pound weight for coining the said Copper Monies and for bearing and sustaining all manner of wasts provisions necessaries and charges coming arising and growing in and about the Coining Assaying weighing and delivering the said Copper and copper monies and the said Sir Isaac Newton shall pay unto Our Clerk twenty shillings sterling by the Tun of all the Monies Coyned for his attendance on this Service and be allowed the same in his accounts And our said Clerk shall Examine all bills of charges which the said Sir Isaac Newton shall want as Vouchers to his Accounts and testify his Examination there of under his handwriting

And Our further will and pleasure is and we do hereby command & charge all the Officers of the Tower aforesaid that all persons bringing Copper in barrs to the said Mint or coming thither for money or scissel of copper shall have free ingress egress & issue by the Gates and through the same Tower and Franchises thereof inward and outward at all times without any arresting, disturbance letting or gainsaying of the Chief Governor Constable or Lieutenant or the Porter or any other Officer or person whatsoever he be, for any manner of Debt matter or cause whatsoever it be, and without anything given to them or to any other to have such entry.

And we do further command and require the Graver, Moneyers, Smith and all others attending on this Service to do their duty with diligence and application and to observe the tasks and directions given them by our said Master and Worker for coyning Our said monies well and with dispatch. And for so doing this shall be your Warrant and the Warrant of all others concerned in this Coynage

To Our trusty and well beloved
Sir Isaac Newton Knight
Master and Worker of Our Mint