Further draft of MINT00063 (Mint 19/1/170-71)

<152r>

To the Rt Honble: the Lord High Treasurer of England

May it please yor: Lordship.

In obedience to your Lordships Order of reference of August 5th and 10th wherein Wee are directed to consider ye qualification of Coll Parsons, Mr Croker Mr Ross and Mr Fowler to succeed Mr Harris in the place of Graver of ye Mint, Wee humbly lay before your Lordship that the Master of the Mint considering what inconveniency the Mint lately suffered and may againe suffer by taking in Cutters of seales into the chief Graver's place, did upon his succeeding Mr. Neale put a Clause into the Indenture then made between ye Crown and himself, whereby the Gravers sallary of 325L ꝑ Ann upon the next voydance of ye place should cease in order to a new establishment, For the Roetiers brought up no new Gravers under them, and Mr Harris who succeeded them being a Cutter of Seales and not skilled in that sort of Graving wch is proper for the money, Imployed Mr. Croker to do all that work for an allowance of 175li ꝑ Ann and retained to himselfe ye Remaining 150li ꝑ Ann and Mr. Croker was not bred up in the service of ye Mint, but now by long practice he workes very well, and wee are humbly of Opinion that he is the fittest person to be made first Graver of the Mint.

It is humbly proposed therefore for the advantage and security of the Coyn against Counterfeiting that there should be a sett of Gravers Constantly brought up in the Mint who haveing once attained to perfection may keep their Art amongst themselves and propagate it to Probationers or Apprentices & be succeeded by them For which end Wee humbly propose that Mr. Croker be now made the first Graver of the Mint with a salary of 200li ꝑ Ann for maintaining himselfe and a servant to fire and polish the Dyes and turn the press, and be allowed that part of the Gravers house in wch. he now lives and that Mr Samuell Bull who is now a Probationer and has a salary of 60li ꝑ Ann be made second Graver of the Mint wth a salary of 80l ꝑ Ann if your Lordship shall approve thereof, and be <152v> allowed the other part of the Graver House, and that Mr Le Clerc be taken int oteh third place and be allowed also a salary of 80li per an and two Roomes to lodge and Work in over the great Press Room and over Mr Crokers shop be reserved for a third Graver or Apprentice to lodge & work in And that the salaries of Mr Croker and Mr Bull Commence from ye death of Mr Harris, but by reason of the charges wch the Mint has been at by the dam̄ages done by the great winds last Autumn, wee are humbly of opinion that for saving money to defray those Charges the salary of Mr

Collonel Parsons & Mr Fowler does not grave thiimselfves, but only employs goodbut imploy others & for that reason are less fit for or business the service of the Mint. Mr le Clerc is a quick & skilfull Fraver, but we humbly desire more time to consider of filling the third Gravers place.

And whereas Mr Harris held

Besides ye place of gGraver of of Seale to ye Mint Mr Harris had another {illeg} was also Graver of seales to her Majesty & wch is no part of the constitution of ye Mint & Mr Ross desires to succeed Mr Harris only in this place & by a seale wch he has graved for the Dutchy of Lancaster he seems qualified for this place it.

We furtherI humbly beg leave to lay before yor Lordp that the Gravers for their encouragement & for restraining the liberty of g making Medals wth ther Majts Effigies of the King or Queen have by a clause in their Patent been allowed & all other prohibited to make & sell such Medals: wch privilege has sometimes been granted to forreigners & strangers & is no part of the consitution {sic} of the Mint. For by having been For by that constitution of the Mint the Master & Worker coyns imploys not the Graver but the Moneyers to coyne all such coynes aswhatever the government has occasion for, whether money, medals or healing pieces, being {illeg} the weight, allay & form of the coyn being first approvedointed by her Majty by advice of the Council & the Graver only making the stamps. And if it be thought fit for avoyd saving {illeg}her Majesty the {illeg} & the Council & the Council the trouble of {illeg} approving orderingconsidering & giving order for about such Medals as her Majty{illeg} her Majestythe Government has no occasion for, & for encouraging the Gravers to improve themselves it be thought fit to continue the said clause in the Gravers Patientprivilege to the we are humbly of opinion that he be obliged to set his name or the first letters thereof upon his own Medals & not to disperse any of them till a specimen has been shewed yor Lordp, or that he be otherwise as yor Lop her Majty shall think fit

And we are further of opinion that the Gravers be obliged by a clause in their constitution to make such {illeg} dDraughts Dyes {illeg} Embosments, Puncheons & Dyes as the Master & Worker shall direct for dispatching the coynage according to the ancient constitution of the Mint.

And this Office of Medal-maker to ye Crown has been sometimes rewardedencouraged by a large salary out of the Civil list, & sometimes granted to strangers & is as part of the cConstitution of the Mint. For by the ancientancient constitution of the Mint the Master & Worker imploys not the Graver but the Moneyers to coyne whatever the government has occasion for whether money medals or healing pieces, the weight allay & form of the coyn money & medals being first appointed by <153r> King of Queen by device of the Council & the Graver only making the stamps. Now if it be thought fit to continue thise Privilege or Office of Medalmaker to ye Cowns in the Gravers of the Mint. Now if for saving her Majty & the Council the trouble of appoin giving particular Orders about such Medals as the governmt has no occasion for & for encouraging the Graver to improve themselves & to stay with us without be content with less salaries it be thought fit to continue this Office or Privilege to the Gravers: we are humbly of opinion that the Graver may be obliged to set his name or the first letters thereof upon the Medals his own Medals &to not to to distinguish them from Medals made by the Queens Mint & that he {illeg}may be restrained from disperseing any of them {illeg}before a specimen of them has been shewed to your Lordship or that he be otherwise limited as her Majty shall think fit. But if And if it should be thought fit to restrain him from coyning any sort of Medals relating to state affairs upon upon any occasion emergentemergent occasions to restrain him, I am well ready to coyn such Medals as her Majty by shall {illeg} by advice of Council shall be appointedthe Order, & as in the case of Coronation Medals & {illeg}to {illeg}deliver any number of them to yor Lordps Order,. or to act as yor But should the Gravers melting & coynage be made a part of the constitution of the Mint, the alteration in the constitution would be a fundamental one & might tend to confusion