356)

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/361, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

Additional Information
- Notes on the Electronic Edition
  - You are currently reading the diplomatic version of this text. Diplomatic transcriptions offer a detailed representation of the document with minimal editorial intervention. All deletions and additions are rendered in the text and abbreviations have not been expanded. Switching to the normalized view of this text will hide 2 deletions, silently include 1 addition and apply 8 editorial regularizations.
- 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
  - 9 December 2019
    - Transcribed by Kees-Jan Schilt
- Download MINT00635.xml and schema (advanced users only)
Related Texts
- This document is a version of:
  In response to a verbal order, a detailed account of Newton's proposed method of coining copper from rolled bars, the requisite staff and their respective duties [MINT 19/2/356]

<361r>

To the R^t Hon^ble the Lords Comm^ers of his Ma^ties. Treasury.

May it please yo^er Lord^ps

In obedience to yo^er Lord^ps verbal Order that I should lay before your Lordships a Proposal or Memorial for coyning Copper Money: I humbly represent that the Copper be imported into a Mint by weight in clean barrs nealed & of a due fineness & size for cutting out of them blanks of such a weight as his Ma^ty shall appoint; that the finenes be such that the barrs when heated red hot will spread thin under the hammer without cracking; that the scissel be delivered back to the Importer by weight, & the Importer be paid for the excess of the Copper imported above the scissel returned back after the rate of per pound weight Averdupois; that it be in the power of the Mint - master to refuse such copper as doth not bear the assay or is not well sized nealed & cleand; that when a parcel of copper money, suppose half a Tunn or a Tunn, is coyned, the same be well mixed by shovelling it forwards & backwards in a heap before sufficient witnesses, & then assayed in four or five distant places before sufficient witnesses & tha|e| assays entred in books, & the tale of the heap estimated by taking a medium of all the assays; & the money then put into baggs by weight to be delivered to the people, & the weight & price of the baggs entred in books, & the weight of three or four pence allowed in every quarter of an hundred weight for turning the scales & preventing clamours about the weight & tale. And out of every heap assayed, four or five pieces may be put into a Box & kept to be examined at the end of the year before whom yo^er Lord^p shall appoint, & a Remedy of an half penny in the pound weight allowed for errors. And the Mint-Master may account annually to the King

The Officer requisite in this service are

A Mint-master with a Deputy.

A Smith to fourge the Dyes & Puncheons.

A Graver for graving & polishing them.

A Moneyer or body of Monyers for cutting out the blanks & coyning them & taking care of the coyning tools.

A Clerk for entring the proceedings in Books.

Another Clerk (who may be called the kings Clerk) for doing the like in behalf of the king & his people, & for making a Controllment Roll of all the Coynage yearly upon Oath.

The Assays may be made by the Moneyer or Smith or any Labourer

If the barrs be not nealed & cleaned by the Importer, the blanks may be nealed & cleaned by the Moneyer.

All which is most humbly submitted to yo^er Lord^ps great wisdome.

Draft of MINT00633 (Mint 19/2/356)

To the Rt Honble the Lords Commers of his Maties. Treasury.

To the R^t Hon^ble the Lords Comm^ers of his Ma^ties. Treasury.