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Th in former Ages, as is before mention'd, our Kings
had their Mints at York, Canterbury, Bristole,
Southward, & other places within e.
Calais in France, when t.e.
England; & mony was coynd at these places by publick
Authority so lately as in e.th., yet
since that time I doe not finde his rs
fitt to appoint any other Mint for e.e.
& Silver, besides that in the Tower of London: excep
ting the Mints at Oxford, & Shrewsbury, which in e.
heat of the late Civill War, King Charles the 1.st
appointed to coin the Plate given him by e.
Nobility, and Gentry to supply his urgent occasions;
and these Mints continued but for a short time. The
Mint in e.
dispatch e.e.
at all times, but in e.e.
dispatch in recoyning all the silver clipt and
hammerd monys, monys which amounted to between
eight and nine millions in Tale the Government
not knowing at first what su
Tower, & foreseeing to what Perplexitys the Nation would
181.
it highly necessary to appoint other Mints, and the
Parliament concurring in that opinion, A clause was
inserted in the first Act for remedying the ill state of
the Coin, That for the ease of his Majesties subjects, the New Mints to be erected by him should not be less than four. But the charge in setting up and continuing
such Mints being e.
of the Parliament in the spring in 1696. by the Lords
of the Treasury then in Commission, and the Govern
ment having little or no Cash to dispose of for that
use, the publick mony being all appropriated to the
service of the Army and Navy they would willingly
have sav'd the Government that extraordinary expence;
but for the express terms of the late Ace.
clamours and generall uneasinesse of the people in all
parts of the Nation, which began to appear in Aprill
and May 1696.
The Ennemys of the Government at that time
had industriously spread a report, That the King and his
Ministers intended to drain the Nation of their mony
bring it all to the Towr
carry it all over to his Armys and
Now th
the Government, yet they took notice of the summs
that publick Receivers were dayly sending out of
the Country to the Exchequer and that the greatest
part of the silver monys was not passable by the
Kings proclamation of 19 December 1695 after such
a Term but in payments or Loans to the King only: ch
mande some perhaps not very
insinuation.
To quiet therefore the minds of e
complyance with the forementioned clause, the
Lords of the Treasury on the 16 May 1696 orderd
proper officers Clerks and others to be instructed
at the Tower and to be sent to Exeter and York, &
on the 22 the
Mints at Bristow, Chester and Norwich.
The Officers of the Mint in the Tower appointed
one to instruct those persons who were to be con
cerned in the accompting part of the Mint. which
he did accordingly and appointedrew up written Instruc
tions for 'em containing the order and method of all
their businesse and those Instructions were sent to
every Mint. But 'tis observable that the same error was
committed in the disposall of some of these little stations,
183.
easily given by great Men and their Letters recom
mendatory carry an Authority with 'em to inferiour
officers: hence it is that many places fall into the
hands of very unqualifyed persons ch
discouragement to the able and diligent officer and
after some time not a little detrimental to the k
Some of Mr. Neals Deputys were incapable of
Instruction, two of 'em had but an indifferent character
for their Integrity, and he being known to be the easy
and complaisant Gentlemn had one T—r recommend
ed to him for a Clerk (but was not employd) who scarce
knew his own right hand and could hardly read or write
his Christian name. Others to conceal their ignorance
declined Instruction, and 2 or 3 persons fairly offered
themselves to be instructed but upon a tryall of their
abilitys as fairly confessed their ignorance & withdrew.
Well had it been for the King if some who hapned to
be employed had used the like Ingenuity. Then we had
not been pesterd with Intricat and confused Accounts;
and the Redheads and the Bartons had been Potters and
Pewterers to this day.
Two or three Persons were in the begining of Iune sent
and making the mony, and a little after midsummer the
severall offices and Clerks &c went to their appointed
stations where they were received with extraordinary
joy by the Inhabitants, particularly the People of Chester
wellcomed the officers of their Mint with ringing of
Bells, Bonefires and firing the Canon from the Castle.
They good people dreamed of golden dreams. A mint
they concluded, would be an inexhaustible fund which
could infallibly supply all their occasions. And it was
not amiss on the publick Acco
mistaken. It contented the Country for the present to see
the Government took care that they should not long be
in the want of mony. And whilst they were under that
amusement a further provision was made for their
real ease and satisfaction: for the Lords of e.
gave publick notice e.d. Iuly 1969 that pursuant to
the Kings Letters of privy seal in that behalf, any
quantity of clypt or diminish'd pieces of silver lately
current monys should be received at the Exchequer by
way of Loan at 5s. 8d. r.
the same with 6 ll. r.
of the deficiency.
Mony was taken in at the Exchequer on these conditions
'till the 20 of August following; And the Lords Iustices
having directed the Lords of the Treasury not only to expe
d
what way they might be made most usefull for the ease of
the subject: they accordingly imprested to Mr. Hall a
certain quantity of silver to be sent by him to each e.
Mints,
a fund for paying the recompense of 6d. r.
and Plate imported. And Mr. Hall was further direc
ted to appoint a Deputy at each Mint to be a generall
Receiver of the clipt mony and Plate aforesaid.
These Receivers took an Account of the o
gross in clipt mony, and of the standard ounces in plate,
brought to 'em by the respective owners, and paid back in
new monys 5s. 8d. r.
satisfaction to the people to see the new monys coming
abroad every day. The clyp
to be receivd at the Country Mints in this manner 'til e.
4th. of November 1696 and in a short time after the new
Monys proceeding there from and transmitted by Mr. Hall to
amounted to 53689L: 18s.. 5d. at Bristol; and 22940L: 12s.. 05d
L: 05s.: 09d. at Exeter; 51523L: 16s.. 9d.
at Norwich; 70520L. 8s. 4d. at York. All which amoun
ting to 262409L. 1s. 8d. was so reasonably a supply to
the neighbouring Countrys that it putt a little life into
business, and the Country marketts, and prevented very
great disorders that without this provision might pro
bably have hapened and would have prov'd of very dange
rous consequence to the Government
These 5 Mints were from time to time provided
with Mills, presses, dyes, and other Instruments used in
Coyning, from the Tower.
Such of the Tools and Engines as were bought at the Kings charge
and were fitt for further use at the dissolution of the 5 Mints,
were brought to the Tower, the rest were sold upon e.
and the mony brought to the Kings accompt. But the Dyes
of all sorts were sent back to the Tower, and Mr. Newton
187.ly
practice of the Mint
The Day-Books or Mint-Registers were most of 'em
not very regularly kept, those of Bristoll Mint were
the most methodicall. The Monys coyn'd at each of
the Mints had the first Letter of the Place impress'd on
the Headside, for distinction.
I have before mentiond the whole Receiv'd and coyned at
these Mints and transmitted to 'em in 1696, I reci
the Particulars.
N.B. The Proportionals of 5s. d. r.e.wts and grains,
that were less than a farthing, being slighted in the
particulars that made up the forementioned summs of
262,409L.. 1s.. 8d. is the reason that it falls short about 6.d
in the whole totall of 926149oz.. 14dwt. 19grs.
The General account follows