Holograph draft memorandum dating the smith's house back to 1553, i.e. before the creation of the Ordnance Office

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1. The bounds of the Mint {illeg}are setled by a covenant grant in the Indentures of ye Mint under the broad seal above 160 years old, wch runs in these words. And his said Maty doth grant & confirm by these presents that the Officers of the Mint shall at all times have hold & peaceably enjoy all places houses & grounds built or unbuilt as well builded as unbuilded within the said Mint which heretofore have been called reputed {illeg}or taken for the Mint without the medling let or disturbance by the chief Governour Constable Lieutenant or any other Officer or Minister of the Tower. No mention being here made before that Office was erected. The Mint is bounded at both ends by gates in ye custody of our Porter, so that no carts wth timber bricks or mortar for building can go in for building without the leave of our P leave of the Office or negligence of the Porter. And The Mint was erected before the Office of Ordnance & always had a Smith, & their Smith usually lived in the house in dispute &taking Smiths to both offices {illeg}& I know of no other ancient Smiths shop besides that in dispute.for the Mint. And its more proble {sic} that the Smith Office of Ordnance at their first erection, so for want of a Smiths shop of their own should use the Smith of the Mint then that the Smith of the Mint should leave their own Smith with his shop to use make use of the Smith of the Ordnance.

2 In the late recoinage of the money {illeg} our Smith lived in the house in dispute & had a fourge or shop now taken from us, & five Mills & half that recoinage was carried {illeg}d on in the Irish Mint {sic} in the Irish Mint now taken from us, {sic}[& without these we have not room for such another coinage if there should be occasion]. And the houses wch stand empty or are let, ought to be inhabited by the owners or their Deputies for carrying on the service of the Mint. And our Smith is a different Office from our Engineer when they call our Master Smith. It is not superfluous room that we desire but the conveniency of our offices & their lying together & the safety of the coinage for supporting the credit of the Mint with the Merchant, & the custody of our gates for keeping the Mint quiet while the coinage is going on & the money is carrying in Trays from Office to Office w{illeg} thought the street of the Mint., & that our people may not be discouraged from living in the Mint to attend their business.

3 I The Letters Patents to the Smiths of the Ordnance, granting them the place of the Master Smiths in the Tower place of the Master Smiths in the Tower of all the Iron Works within the Tower of London – cum mansionibus domibus proficuis emolumentis &c do not extend to all the iron works in the Mint nor to the houses in wch nor alter the property in wch t of the houses in wch the iron works of the Mint were performed.

4 In the Depositions no mention is made that the Smith of the Ordnance was also Smith of the Mint. And Mr Wm Smith deposeth washat was done before he was born ~ Mr Wm Smith deposeth {illeg} what was done before he was born. ~ ~ ~
~ ~ Robt Fitch deposeth that about the year 1688 {illeg}or 1689 a Committee of Council came to the Tower to view whether another place in the Tower might be found for the Smith of the Ordnance upon occasion of Mr Slingsby endeavours to remove him. And we have a tradition that The further end of the Mint was then put into the hands of the Office of Ordnance. The for that purpose. & yet Let them sh{illeg}ow what other title they have to it.

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The Mint in the Tower of London was erected before the Office of Ordnance & in the Indenture made in the first year of Queen Mary ({illeg}Aug. 20 16553) between her Maty & the Master & {illeg} been {sic} her Maty & her Officers of the Mint there was a covenant in these words. And her said Maty doth g{illeg}rant & confirm by these present ––– or minister of the Tower No mention being here made of any officer of the Ordnance this grant seems to have been first made not only before theat Office of Ordn had any footing in the Mint but even before that Office was instituted.

In the ninth year of Queen Elizabeth (May 3, 1567) William & Martin Hopkins were made Mr Smiths to theat Office & Martin died 16 Iuly 1606. And in an Indenture made the 14th year of Q. Eliz in an Indenture made (Apr. 19 ( {sic}1572) William Hopkins is mentioned as being then Smith {illeg}Of the Mint with a salary of 10li per an ,during life. the He was therefore Smith to both Offices & {illeg}the Smith of the Mint lived in the house now in dispute. In ye year 1577 this {illeg}hous was put into several re{illeg}pairs necessary to be done with new materials & therefore was built & many years before the year 1567, & might be built for the Smith of the Mint before the Office of Ornance {sic} was erected, {illeg}& now might be repaired by the Office of Ordnance, by consent of the Mint&, in recompence for the use they made of it, & to make it more fit for theirat use.