Further holograph draft of MINT00828 (Mint 19/3/426)

<425r>

To their Excellencies the Lord Iustices of England.

May it please your Excellencies

Vpon A dispute here

In the Indenture made between his Maty & the Master & Worker of {illeg} his Mint under the bread seal there in wch is the Law of the Mint there is a clause {illeg} in these words. 'And his said Majesty doth grant & confirm 'by these presents that the Officers of the Mint shall at all times have hold & peaceably enjoy all places houses & grownds as well builded as unbuilded within the said Mint which heretofore have been called reputed or taken for the Mint without the medling let or disturbance by the Constable Chief Governour Constable Lieuetenant or any other Officer or Minister of the Tower. This {illeg} grant is of above 160 years standing as I {illeg}When the coinage by the Mill & Press was first set {illeg}up, [wch was or about in the year 1665,] there was an order of Council for removing all strangers out of the Mint find by copies of old Indentures. And no mention being made therein of any Officer of the Ordnance, it seems to have {illeg}been made before that Office was erected.

About the year 1577 a Smiths shop in the Mint was put into repairs by the Office of Ordnance & has fresince being frequently been repaired by them. & was rebuiltAnd {sic} by them one & twnety years ago this SmithAnd the same smith has usually been Smith of the Mint also & had a fourge at the end of the Mill rooms for making the dyes & puncheons {illeg}for the Mint.

When the coinage was set on foot by the mill & press wch was in the year 1665, there was an order of Council for removing all strangers out of the Mint: but the Smith was not removed; whether because he was Smith to both Offices or for any other reason I do not know.

Mr Slingsby about a little before his place of Mr & Wr was sequestred, under (that is, about the year 1675 or 1680) {sic} about 80 years ago endeavoured to re{illeg}move this Smith of the Office of Ordnance out of the Mint {illeg}& a Committee of Council came to the Mint to Tower to view whether another place might be in the Tower might be found for the said Smith & about that time the further end of the Mint was put into the hands of the Off Office of Ordnance & {illeg} & a new Gate built for bounding the Mint at that end & there has been a tradition in the Mint that that end of the Mint was the Office of Ordnance was on that account to have quitted the Mint smiths s{illeg}hop {illeg}p{illeg}t wth the fourge over against it. But byt {illeg} was made I cannot affirm but what a great {sic} the writings relating to that matter {illeg}being carried away by Mr Hoars Executri{illeg}x. {illeg}

In the year 1699 the Surveyor of the Ordnantce to rebuilt the Smiths Shop, & I opposed it & he represented that the further end of the Mint was not sufficient{illeg} sufficie{illeg}nt for the business of their Smith. And the Board of the Ordnance g{illeg} sent tohe letter to the Lds Commrs of the Treasury who thereupon quashed the dispute without acquainting me wth that Letter, or reading the clause in the Indenture of the Mint.inquiring further into it.

On the 23d Febr. last I received a Letter from the board of Ordnance a {illeg}letter directed to the principal Officers of the Mint a copy of wch is hereunto annedxed. But we having no board to return an answer to it I {illeg} {illeg} waited upon Generall Wills & told h{illeg}im that we had no{illeg} authority to treat with them about these matters. contents th{illeg}ereof. {illeg} having notice afterward that they would give me a meeting They have since built a new house in the Mint for their Clerks & are turning the Smiths shop into another house for Clerks, & would have me agree with them about a parti{illeg}tion wall between that house & one of ours: but I have no authority to meddle with it.

They Obs

The gates at both ends of the Mint {illeg}being in the custody {illeg}of the Porter of the Mint, the Officers of the Ordnance can have no less right to bring in Carts with bricks & Timber for building between {illeg}the gates , {illeg} without leave.

It is represented that the Officers of the Mint let their houses to forreigners., But & why may not the Clerks of ye Ordnan{illeg}ce as well as other peoplestrangers live in the Mint. But {illeg} disorders ought not to be remedied & not drawn into president & made incurable. The Mint is under the government of a board, & at present we have no board, but this disorder is not to be drawn into president.