Further holograph draft of <ref target="/catalogue/record/MINT00020">MINT00020</ref> (Mint 19/1/2-3) Isaac Newton c. 1,731 words The Newton Project Oxford 2017 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 Early 1697, c. 1,731 words. MINT 19/1/6-7, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/1/6-7 Early 1697 England English Holograph MintPersonnel and Administration Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Will Scott, with retrofitting of normalized MINT00020
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An Account of the Mint in the Tower of London.

The Mint or Change is by the Charter thereof a Corporation consisting of the Warden, the Workers the Moneyers & the other Ministers. Th It may buy & sell, sue & be sued & is free from Taxes arrests pressings & servitude in Iuries & forreign offices unless where the Charter is over-ruled by Act of Parliament.

The Warden or Keeper of the Changes is by the Charter a Magistrate appointed to do right & justice among the Workers, Moneyers & other Magistrates Ministers in all their complaints & differences except in causes of freehold & causes relating to the crown, & may call a Court. And thereby it is that they are freefree thence they are freed from suits & arrests. Standing Orders are made by him the Master & Controller (as a Court or Board) or by any two of them whereof he to be one. Hence Letters from the Treasury are directed to them & sometimes to them by name & to the rest of the Officers in generall. In some things [below stairs (such as relate to (as about yethe buildingsassays of the money &c) the Assay master may be also called to yethe consult. ButFor the Warden takes care of the buildings & pays the charges of necessary repairs first allowedavouched by the Master Controller & Assaymrmaster or any two of them whereof the Master to be one. He supervises the whole process of the coynage & pays yethe charges thereof & the salaries of the Officers except the Masters Salary & coynage allowance & salaries & allowances as are appointed to be paid by the Master all wchwhich were by the warden received of the King by the warden & paid to the M WarOfficers & workmen by the Warden before the enacting of the coinage duty, but now the Master retaineds out of that duty by the Master what the Warden should otherwise pay to him. With the consent of the General of the Mint of Scotland the Warden makes the standard weights of England & Scotland. He keeps an Indented trial pieces to examin the assays by as oft as he shall think convenient, & the Master keeps another to make the moneys by.

The Workers are the Master & his Assaymaster & Melter & Refiner wthwith their Assistants Clerks & Vnderworkmen. The Master upon new occasions of coynage contracts wthwith the King by Indenture & according to yethe Indenture by the assistance of his aforesaid servants receives, melts, refines, assays rates & standards the gold & silver to be coyned, sets it out to yethe Potts, runs it into standard barrs & & delivers those barrs by weight to the Moneyers & after coynage receives it from them & delivers it to yethe Importer by weight. & by his Clerks enters the accounts thereof in Day-books, Leger-books, Melting books, Pott-books & Books of Debtor & Creditor.

The Moneyers draw cut out size blanch edge & coyne those barrs into moneys & return the moneys, scissel & brokage back to the Master by weight. They may not pay or distribute any moneys unassayd upon pain of forfeiting their franchises & bodies to prison. They take apprentices & without form themselves into a governmentCompany by electing one their number to be their Provost. They live in the Country & are bound to attend & do their work whenever summoned by the Warden Master &or Controller upon pain of losing their Franchises & bodies to Prison. They are to work in such tasks & so many hours every day (sundays only excepted) as shall be appointed by the Master & & for wilfull neglect or refusall the Warden Master & Controller (that is the Court) may expell or otherwise punish them (or other workmen) as shall seem meet for their Majesties service & by the same power (as in all other Corporations) may grant freedom to new Moneyers when it shall be requisite. They may not pay or distribute any unassayd & inpixed money upon pain of forfeiting their franchises & bodies to prison.

The other Ministers are the Controller, Kings Clerk Assaymaster Surveyor of the Meltings, Weigher & Teller, King's Clerk, Clerk of the Irons &c. These are standing Officers with set salaries the Moneyers to cheque the Moneyers & Workers & see that they do their duty in working & coyning the gold & silver: the wWorkers & Moneyers (except the Master since the reign of Charles II) are nonot standing Officers nor have Salaries but as workmen receive wages after a certain rate in yethe pound weight for all the gold & silver they work & coyne,,. except that yethe Master in the reign of K. Charles II became a standing Officer with a salary..

The Controller is in behalf of the King a Cheque upon the Master in his accounts & upon the Assaymasters in their assays. He makes a Controllment Roll upon Oath every year of all the Bullion molten with its allay & of all the moneys coyned from monthly to month that year & supervises the whole coynage, & with the Warden & Master locks up the Bullion & new coyned moneys & the Pix & coynage duty: in doing wchwhich the Warden & Controller are a guard upon the Master's bullion moneys & Pix & the Master & Controller are a guard upon the coynage duty to be issued out by the Warden according to ancient custome.

The Assaymaster is in behalf of the King a cheque upon the Master for his Assays & keeps a book of all the gold & silver as to quantity & fineness & of all the Pott-assays.  He & the Warden & Controller or any two of them chuse the ingot for the Pott assay. When yethe money is coyned he tries it both in weight & fineness before yethe Warden the Master & Controller, & if it prove without remedy the Master bears the loss. And the Warden at yethe same time takes out money for the Pix. When the Importer & Master disagree about the price of Bullion the Assaymaster in the presence of the Warden Master & Controller assays the same & the Master then receives it & stands charged with it. according to yethe report of the Assaymaster who is a sworn officer. In cases of moment the truth is tried by the wardens indented trial piece. If upon trial of the Pix the money proves worse or better then Master standard, the Master accordingly becomes debitor or creditor to yethe King

The Surveyor of the Meltings is in behalf of the King a cheque upon the Melter to see that the gold & silver & its allay & nothing else be put into the melting-pot. & that the Ingot for Whenever yethe Pot is opened he watches that nothing that unfit Ingot for be put into it, & when it is laded out he sees that the Pot assay be duly taken before the Warden Master & Controller or two of them & carried to the Assaymaster.& carried to the Assay-office. He keeps a book of all the gold & silver molten & of the allay put into it.

The Weigher & Teller weighs all the gold & silver brought into the Office of Receipt either before or after coynage & when tis requisite he tells it there. He weighs the gosildver moneys by journeys of 60℔ weight in a journey, & again by but this second weighing is inconsistent wth yethe Indenture.the gold by journeys of 15℔ weight in the journey.

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The Kings Clerk registers the papers wchwhich pass between the Treasury & the Mint. Also he & the Warden & Controller (by their Clerks) or two of them in behalf of the King rate & standard all the gold & silver brought into the Mint & examin the Pots set out by the Master & enter these accounts in Day books, Leger-books & Melting books.

The Clerk of the irons is at present the same person with the Surveyor of the meltings. He keeps an account of all the Dyes made & hardened by the Smith, & when they are worn out sees them defaced in the presence of the Warden Master & Controller. He now keeps an account of all the Dyes that are sunck & for that end has one of the keys to the great Press & to the box of Puncheons.

There are also two Auditors who yearly examin & allow yethe accounts of the Warden & Master & the Controllment Roll, a Clerk of the papers who at prresent is also yethe same person wth the Kings Clerk & has no proper business but but may register Controllment Rolls, Accounts Aaudited, Orders, & transactions of Court,Orders, Contracts, Patents, Deputtations, Controllment Rolls, Accounts audited &c such other things as may be of service tfor the officers of the Mint to have ready recourse unto,. There is also a Porter who remove the Ingots of gold & silver from Office to Office, & an Engraver, two Engineers & a Smith who make & repair the Puncheons, Dyes, Engins & other iron work; & some extr & are immediately under the Masters directions.

If upon trial of the Pix the money proves worse or better yethe standard in weight & fineness then it ought to be & yet within remedy the Master accordingly becomes debtor or creditor to yethe King. If it be without remedy the Master is liable to fine, & ransome.

There ought to be 3℔. 2s. of silver & 44℔ 10s of gold inmoneys in yethe pound weight Troy wthwith an allowance over or under of 2 penny weighweight or 48gr in silver & yethe 16 part of a carat or 40gr in gold.. wchwhich is called yethe masters remedy. If upon triall of the Pix the money proves worse or better in weight & finesness then it ought to be & yet wthwithin remedy, the Master accordingly becomes debtor or creditor to yethe King. If it be wthwithout remedy the Master is liable to fine & ransome. In single pieces the remedy is not set. It may by 5gr in a crown 212 in a 12 crown 112 in a shilling & 34 in a sixpence.