Further draft of MINT00063 (Mint 19/1/170-71)

<152r>

To the R^t Hon^ble: the Lord High Treasurer of England

May it please yo^r: Lordship.

In obedience to your Lordships Order of reference of August 5^th and 10^th wherein Wee are directed to consider y^e 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 y^e 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 y^e Crown and himself, whereby the Gravers sallary of 325^L ꝑ Ann upon the next voydance of y^e 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 w^ch is proper for the money, Imployed M^r. Croker to do all that work for an allowance of 175^li ꝑ Ann and retained to himselfe y^e Remaining 150^li ꝑ Ann and M^r. Croker was not bred up in the service of y^e 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 ꝑ Ann 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 w^ch. he now lives and that M^r Samuell Bull who is now a Probationer and has a salary of 60^li ꝑ Ann be made second Graver of the Mint w^th a salary of 80^l ꝑ Ann if your Lordship shall approve thereof, and be <152v> allowed the other part of the Graver House, and that M^r Le Clerc be taken int oteh third place and be allowed also a salary of 80^li per an and two Roomes to lodge and Work in over the great Press Room and over M^r Crokers shop \be reserved for a third Graver or Apprentice to lodge & work in/ And that the salaries of M^r Croker and M^r Bull Commence from y^e death of M^r Harris, but by reason of the charges w^ch the Mint has been at by the dam̄ages done by the great winds last Autumn, wee are humbly of opinion that for saving money to defray those Charges the salary of M^r

Collonel Parsons \& M^r Fowler/ does not grave |t|hi|i|mself|v||es,| but only employs good\but imploy others/ & for that reason are less fit for o^r business 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.

And whereas M^r Harris {held}

Besides y^e place of g|G|raver of of Seale to y^e Mint M^r Harris had another {illeg} was also Graver of seales to her Majesty & w^ch is no part of the constitution of y^e Mint & M^r Ross desires to succeed M^r Harris only in this place & by a seale w^ch he has graved for the Dutchy of Lancaster he seems qualified for this place it.

We further\I humbly beg leave to/ lay before yo^r Lord^p that the Gravers for their encouragement & for restraining the liberty of {g} making Medals w^th |t|her Maj^ts Effigies \of the King or Queen/ have by a clause in their Patent been allowed & all other prohibited to make \& sell/ such Medals: w^ch privilege \has sometimes been granted to forreigners & strangers &/ is no part of the consitution {sic} of the Mint. For by having been For by that constitution of the Mint the Master & Worker coyns imploys \not the Graver but/ the Moneyers to coyne all such coynes as\whatever/ the government has occasion for, whether money, medals or healing pieces, being {illeg} the weight, allay & form of the coyn being first approved\ointed/ by her Majty \by advice of the Council |{&} the| Graver only making the stamps/. And if it be thought fit for avoyd saving {illeg}|h|er Majesty the {illeg} & the Council \& the Council/ the trouble of {illeg} approving ordering\considering & \giving order// \for about/ such Medals as her Maj^ty\{illeg} her {Majesty}\the Government// has no occasion for, \& for encouraging the Gravers to improve themselves/ it be thought fit to continue \the said clause in/ the Gravers Patient\privilege to the/ we are humbly of opinion that he be obliged to set his name or the first letters thereof upon his own Medals & not to disperse any of them till a specimen has been shewed yo^r Lord^p, or \that he/ be otherwise as yo^r Lo^p |her Maj^ty| shall think fit

And we are further of opinion that the Gravers be obliged by a clause in their constitution to make such {illeg} d|D|raughts Dyes {illeg} Embosments, Puncheons & Dyes as the Master & Worker shall direct for dispatching the coynage according to the ancient constitution of the Mint.

And this Office of Medal-maker to y^e Crown has been sometimes rewarded\encouraged/ by a large salary out of the Civil list, & sometimes granted to strangers & is as part of the c|C|onstitution of the Mint. For by the ancient\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 coyn \money & medals/ being first appointed by <153r> King of Queen \by device of the Council/ & the Graver only making the stamps. Now if it be thought fit to continue this|e| \Privilege or/ Office of Medalmaker to y^e Cowns in the Gravers of the Mint. Now if for saving her Maj^ty & the Council the trouble of appoin giving particular Orders about such Medals as the governm^t has no occasion for & for encouraging the Graver to improve themselves & to stay with us without 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 may be obliged to set his name or the first letters thereof upon the Medals his own Medals & to not to \to distinguish them from Medals made by the Queens Mint & that he {illeg}|m|ay be restrained from/ disperse|in||g| any of them {illeg}|b|efore a specimen of them has been shewed to your Lordship or \that he/ be otherwise limited as her Maj^ty shall think fit. But if And if it \should/ be thought fit to restrain him from coyning any \sort of/ Medals relating to state affairs \|upon| upon any occasion emergent\emergent/ occasions to restrain him,/ I am well ready to coyn such \Medals/ as her Maj^ty |by| shall {illeg} by advice of Council shall be appointed\the Order/, & as in the case of Coronation Medals & {illeg}|to| {illeg}|d|eliver \any number of/ them to yo^r Lord^ps Order,|.| or to act as yo^r 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