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Reproduced almost verbatim in the report of the Committee for Miscarriages of the Mint, 8 April 1697 (PRO, Mint 2/11), reprinted in Ruding, Annals of the Coinage, 2: 465 [See Challis, History, 358 for an account of this committee and its enthusiastic reception of Newton's report.] This version printed in NC, 4: 233-6. Another copy in Pierpont Morgan Library, Acc. No. MA317(6).
Sets out the titles and duties of the various Mint officers.
An Account of the Mint in the Tower of London.
The Mint or Change is by the Charter thereof a Corporation consisting
of the Warden, the Workers the Moneyers & the other Ministers.
from Taxes, arrests & servitude in forreign offices
is over-ruled by Act of Parliament.
The Warden or Keeper of e
appointed to do right & justice among the Workers, & m
Ministers in all their complaints & differences except in causes of
freehold & causes relating to e
it is that the Mints are free from arrests. Standing Orders are made
by him the Master & Controller (as a Court or Board) or by any two
of them whereof he to be one. Hence Letters from e
directed to them & sometimes to them by name & to ee
Officers in generall. In some things (as about e
Assaymaster may be also called to the consult. For e
the Charges of necessary repairs first avouched by the Master Con
troller & Assaymaster or any two of them whereof e
one. He supervises eee
thereof & eee
& such salaries & wages as are appointed to be paid by the Master
all che
by the Warden before e
the Master retains out of that duty what the Warden should
otherwise pay to him. With the consent of e
Mint of Scotland the Warden makes e
land & Scotland. He keeps an Indented trial piece to examin the assays
by as oft as he shall think convenient, & the Master
keeps another to make eimpowered to demand & receive the forfeited estates of abusers of y
The Workers are the Master & his Assaymaster & Melter
& Refiner th
Master upon new occasions of coynage contracts with the King
by Indenture & according to e
his aforesaid servants receives, melts, refines, assays, rates &
standards the gold & silver to be coyned, sets it out to e
runns it into standard barrs, & delivers those barrs by weight
to e
vers it to e
accounts thereof in Day-books, Leger-books, Melting books,
Pott-books & books of Debtor & Creditor.
The Moneyers draw, cut out, size, blanch, edge & coyne
back to e
moneys unassayd upon pain of forfeiting their franchises & bodies
to prison. They take apprentices & form themselves into a com
pany by electing one their number to be their Provost. They
live in the Country & are bound to attend & do their duty work
whenever summoned by the Warden Master or Controller upon
pain of loosing their Franchises & bodies to prison. They are to
work in such tasks & so many hours every day (sundays only ex
cepted) as shall be appointed by the Master & for wilfull neg
lect or refusall the Warden Master & Controller (that is the
Court) may expell or otherwise punish them (or any other
workmen) as shall seem meet for their Majesties service, & by
the same power (as in all other Corporations) may grant freedom
to new Moneyers.
The other Ministers are the Controller, Kings Assaymaster
Surveyor of the Meltings, Weigher & Teller, King's Clerk, Clerk
of eth
che
working & coyning the gold & silver: the Workers & Moneyers
(except the Master since e
ing Officers nor have salaries but as workmen receive wages
after a certain rate in e
silver they work & coyne.
The Controller is in behalf of the King a che
Master in his accounts & upon the Assaymasters in their assays.
He makes a Controllment Roll upon oath every year of all the
bullion molten with its allay & of all the moneys coyned month
ley & supervises the whole coynage, & with the Warden & Master
locks up the bullion & new coyned moneys & the Pix & Coynage
duty: in doing ch
Masters bullion &
guard upon the Coynage duty to be issued out by the Warden accord
ing to ancient custome
The Assaymaster is in behalf of the King a che
Master for his assays & keeps a book of all the gold & silver as to
quantity & fineness & of all the Pot-assays. He & the Warden &
Controller or any two of them chuse e
when the money is coyned he tries it both in weight & fineness
before the Warden the
porter & Master disagree about the price of bullion the Assay
master in the presence of the Warden Master & Controller
assays the same & the Master then receives it & stands
charged with it according to ee
a sworn officer. The assay may be made by the wi
ted triall piece.
The Surveyor of the meltings is in behalf of the King
a che
allay & nothing else be put into the Melting pott. Whenever
the Pot is opened he watches that nothing unfit be put into
it & when it is laded out he sees that the ingot for the
Pott-assay be duly taken & carried to e
a book of all the gold & silver molten & of the allay put into it.
The Weigher & Teller weighs all e
brought into the Office of Receipt either before or after coyn
age & when tis requisite he tells it there. He weighs e
moneys by Iourneys of 60 pound weight & e
15
The Kings Clerk registers the papers ch
Treasury & the Mint. Also he & the Warden & Controller (by
their Clerks) or two of them, in behalf of the King rate &
standard all the gold & silver brought into the Mint &
examin the Pots set out by the Master, & enter these accounts
in Day-books, Leger-books & Melting books.
The Clerk of the Irons is at present the same per
son with the Surveyor of the meltings. He keeps an account
of all the Dyes made & hardened by the Smith & when they
are worn out sees them defaced in the presence of the Warden
Master & Controller. He now keeps an account of all the Dyes made & hardened by the Smith that are sunck & for that end
has one of the keys to ee
There are also two Auditors who yearly examin & allow
the accounts of the Warden & Master & the Controllment Roll
a Clerk of the papers who may register Orders, Contracts, Patents
Deputations, Controllment Rolls, Accounts audited &c a Porter who
removes the Ingots of gold & silver from Office to Office; & an En
graver, two Engineers & a Smith who make & repair the Pun
cheons, Dyes, Engins & other iron work & are immediately under the
Master.
The Warden Master & Controller or any of them as often
as need shall require may take up at his ties
Smiths &
the irons and moneys & doing all manner of business & therein
all Mayors, Sheriffs Bayliffs & other Officers are commanded to
assist the said Officers of the Mint.