Petition for a pay rise

Author: William Boswell

Source: MINT 19/3/156-7, 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
  - 16 March 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
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<156r>

Sir

The giveing you the truble of this being altogether a Stranger and to one of such a larg Character may justly be termed a bold attempt, but the singūlar accoūnt I have of you from Do^r Gregorie and these Gentlemen of our Societie Alerdice and M^r Drūmmond, and that oblidgeing caire you have of evrie particūlar relateing to our Mint makes me venture y^e more on your goodnes and plad that this may humble present my sincear good wishes and most duetie Respects with a full acknowledgement of y^e {recd} freedom I take to acquaint that the Generall and other Directing Officers of our Mint finding y^mselfs at a stand and difficūltie {annent} our {foūnds} for supporting y^e Recoynage; agreed to make a Representation y^rof to My Lord Heigh Tresaūrer and of y^e necessar {sic} officers added by Doctor Gregorie on his doune comeing hier to put ūs in the method at your mint which he did with all coine and good thoūght, a Coppie wherof M^r Drūmmond is to transmit to you with this accoūnt y^rof Queen Clerk I presume to informe you that being Comptroller or Coūnter warden my Sallerie is only sixtie pounds, this I complaind of to Do^r Gregorie as being too mean for y^e office and Atendance and no ways in proportion with the other sallerie, he proposed that to saive some charge to y^e Government I might have a suteable allowance, and officiat as Weigher and Teller also, this besids M^r Drūmmonds and my attendance was give by tūrns as sūrviors of the meltings, and because the Qūeens Clerk had only 40£ And that a Clerk of the Irons was necessar y^t he should officiat <156v> in that office, and so have his sallerie by the same reason augmented, wee are hopefull hier that My Lord Tresaurer will transmit our Representation to you and the other Directing officers with you, and y^rfor shall earnestly beg y^t favour of your freindship in this for us both as you see good reason for the Aūgmentation and shall wish your thoūght and advice did determine it. also there are three new Clerks added one to the Master one to M^r Drūmmond and one to me, all to continūe fo{illeg}|r| the fūtūre, and one assistant to y^e assaymaster to continūe only dureing the Recoynage, y^e new offices shoudl commence from the first of Aūgūst last, to iune with our Quarter salleries, and am hopefull y^r will be a reasonable allowance given them, fūrther I plead to informe out of a principall of Charetie and the benefet of oūr Mint, that oūr founder and Melter Iames Shiels who performs extreamly well and most usefull to ūs in a great monie things as Do^r Gregorie will acquaint you, his condition is {bot} {brean} in y^e world and is haired by the day, when the Mint is goeing and so as his incūragement fails he may come to leave ūs, Therfor wee did propose to the Doctor if it was possible to get ten pounds a year setled on him, which he thought reasonable and y^t he might be named pūrvior, I am possetive this is for y^t service of the mint for if wee shoūld lose this man wee would have difficūltie to supply his place he haveing y^t exact practi{illeg}|ce| of smelting with pit-coall and a most readie servant evrie way and might prove a great lose to Alerdice our Master. I know m^r Drummond will wreat you annent our {founds} and y^rfor shall not double that trūble to inorme, wee shall want ane order from My Lord Treasuurer {sic} to y^e Exchequer hier to signe precepts to us for two Quarters salleries preceeding y^e first of May last, and in time comeing to y^e officers according to oūr old Establisment befor y^e ūnion, a {shedall} {sic} wherof M^r Drummond sens ūp and for the salleries of y^e new added officers from the first of aūgūst 1707, all might be in a sign'd {shedall} {sic} by My Lord Tresaurer

<157r>

By the fue trayels wee have had of oūr new Essay M^r I hope he shall ansuer expectation our moneyrs are verie dilligent and wee all continūe easie and freindly \with/ onanther; Dead Sir I have been most ūnmainnerly in first presumeing this and then to insist so long on our oune particūlars, but being mint būssines and your readie inclination to favoūr ūs at all times makes me hope you'l pardin this; I beg the urther favoūr of presenting my kind Respects and service to your Warden and Mr Ellies who I hope well justly contribūt to my pairt of the Representation also to yo^r Essay M^r and the rest of y^e Gentlemen of yoūr Societie and again in particūlar to your self with my heartie and good wishes I am in all cinceretie and good will

Sir

Your most hūmble and real servant

Edinbūrgh 10 Iūllie 1708

Wa:Boswell