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Directions about the Triall of the Monies of Gold & Silver in the Pix.
About a Month before the triall of the monies in the
Pix his ty
that Triall (and Names if he pleases) the Lords of the Council
before whome it shall be made and notice thereof is sent to the
Lord High Chancellour and Lord High Treasurer of England and
from the Treasury to the Officers of the Exchequer and Mint
The Lord Chancellour presently after this order is
to be waited on by the officers of the Mint to send his letter to
the Wardens and Company of Goldsmiths to return him the names
of an able Iury for that Triall and a paper is to be delivered to
his p
The return of the names being made to his p
he sends his Warrant by his serjeant at Arms or serjeants
Deputy to summon the Iury by their names to meet at the
place and time appointed for the Triall.
The Chancellour of the Exchequer is also to be
attended about a Dinner for the Iury. The place has usually been
at the Dogg Tavern in the Palace yard
The Lord High Treasurer or Chancellour of the
Exchequer sends an order for the standard Troy weights and the
Indented triall pieces of his ties.
silver Monies Kept in the Treasury of the r
upon the day of the Triall for the use of the Iury.
In the mean time the King's Warden's, Master's
and Comptrollers Clerks severally extract
weight and tale of all the Monies taken up from time to time
since the Tryall of the last Pix and the tale of all the monies
in the present Pix and when their Extracts are all compared
and agreed 40 or 50 Copies thereof are written fair to be
distributed to the Lords and Iury at the tryall
On the day of the Triall the officers of e
cause the Pixes to be brought before nine in the morning & placed
on a Table where the Lords are to sit
about tenn the King if he pleases and Lord Chancellour & other Lords
of the Council take their places at the Table afored.
Mint Exchequer officers and Goldsmiths attending: and the Pixes
are opened by the Officers of the Mint Either before the Lords sit
down (if they direct it) or after they are sat.
The Lord Chancellour calls his sarjeant at Arms
for his Warrant for summoning the Iury and appoints the same
to be deliver'd to the Remembrancers Deputy who attends there th
of their Oath.
The Gold and Silver Money in the Pixes being
poured on the Table the Lord Chancellour causeth the said oath to
be Administred to the Iury.
The standard Troy weights and the Indented Triall
pieces of his Majesties Crown Gold and standard Silver Monies Kept in
the Treasury of the Exchequer being delivered for the use of the
Iury, the Lord Chancellour gives the Iury in charge to make Tryall
of the said Gold and Silver Money by the said standards of his ties.
Treasury according to the rules set down in the Indenture of the
Mint and to do it Iustly th
a business of a very publick concern. In the absence of the Lord
Chancellour the Chancellour of the r.
and gives the charge.
The charge being given the d
appoints the Iury when and where to attend his th
and then departs th
to see the assayrs. And the Warden Master and Comptroller lock up
the monies and th
they take their places according to the order of the Mint for the
trying the monies
The officers of the Mine Examin the Indented
Tryall pieces of the r
in the Wardens Custody and the Iury doth the same by the Tryal pieces
of the Company of Goldsmiths: they also inform themselves about the
triall and for that and inspect the Indenture of the Mint delivered
to them by the Master and Worker and so proceed to the Triall.
This tryall is made by weight fire + water
after the same manner as is done in the mint at the Pixing of the
Monies before deliverance the Iury being the Kings Assaymasters
weighers and Tellers sworn in the roome of the Assay Master weigher
and Teller of the Mint to try the Monies according to the rates
in the Indenture and by Consequence in presence of the Warden
that this Triall as well as those made in the Mint be duely
performed and the Warden or Comptroller or their Deputys are
to enter of Record how much the Monies prove to
strong and make a true Accompt thereof to his ty
The Pixes being opened the Iury tells &
weighes all the Money therein Gold & Silver apart and reccon how
much it makes in the pound weight and when they have sold out of
Every species of Gold or Silver monies so much as should make
a pound or a pound
and melt it into an Ingot and weight the Ingot and the graines and
if the wast Exceed not 8 or 10 grains in the pound weight they
assay it but if the wast be too great they tell out other money
and melt that into an Ingot and Assay it, and the Assaymaster
reports the Assay in the same manner as is done in the Mint
Then the Iury draw up and sign theire veredict
Expressing their weight & tale of all the monies in the Pix and how
much they make in the pound weight and that they are agreeable to
standard or better or worse according to the report. And in the mean
time the Warden and Comptroller write down how much the Monies
are too feeble or too strong in weight and Allay in order to enter the
same of Record
At the time appointed by the Lord Chancellour
the said Officers of the Mint and Iury attend his Lordship, and the
Iury presenting their veredict to him the Remembrancers Deputy
attends to read it and keeps it when tis read.