Affidavit of Thomas Clenton supporting the claim that the Warden has no right to oversee the Master's melting

Thomas Clenton Citizen & goldesmythe of London Goldefyner and melter of golde and Silver wthin the mynte at the Tower of London aged Lxxvj yeares or theareaboute sworne & examyned the xxvijth daye of August 1575. and in the xvijth yeare of the rayne of oer moste dreade souerayne Ladie Queene Elizabeth saithe and deposeth uppon his saide othe that he did serve in the mynte wthin the saide tower a thre or fower yeares before Sr Martyn Bowes knight deceassed was sherif of the cittye of London and hathe euer since serued as a fyner & melter in the same mynte / And saithe that the same Sr Martyn Bowes beinge them mr of the saide mynte this Deponente very well remembereth that one mr John Browne was at the same tyme an officer also the same mynte and is well assured that neither the saide Browne nor any other officer of that mynte at that tyme had any thinge to doe or cam into the meltinge house either to ouerse or comaunde any thynge there to be done or kepte any keye thereof excepte suche as the saide mr did therunto appointe / And this examynate dothe verry well rememb that at the same tyme there were but two keyes belonginge to bothe the meltinge houses that is to saye those to the meltinge house of golde and thother to the meltinge house of siluer wch two keyes were alwayes tyed wth the keye of the blanthinge house the keye of the fyninge house and the keye of the Cole house all at one Stringe wch keyes Thomas Stanley and this deponent beinge bothe then the saide mrs seruannts comonly carryed to and from the tower as occasion serued And as for any other keye or keyes to any of thoffices afore saide sauinge those keyes before mentioned or any ouerseer or ouerseers of the meltinge howse or in the meltinge howse other then is before declared this Examynate dothe verry well knowe none was used And more or furder in effecte touchinge the premisses this Examynate knoweth not /
                              Ass coram dno Maiore die et Ao preditto /
                    Ex. ꝑ me Rogerus Coys

Edward Pate of Ketleby in the County of Lecester gent one of the moneyers of the mynte wthin the Tower of London aged Lxv yeares or theare aboute sworne & Examyned the xith daye of October 1575 anno xvij Elizabetha Regna &c saithe and deposeth Upoon his saide othe that he did serue in the same mynte in the tyme of the late kinge henry the viijth aswell when the L: Mounteioye was mr of the saide mynte and mr Amydas his deputye And John Coppinger then warden of the same mynte as also when Sr Raph Rowlet and Sr Martyn Bowes were mrs of the saide mynte and John Browne warden of the same mynte by all wch tymes he certainly knoweth and well remembers that neither the saide John Coppinger nor John Browne then beinge wardens no any of them nor any other officer of the saide mynte did entermedle wth the mrs ratinge of his potte or meltinge or had any thyme to doe in the meltinge howse either to ouerse or comaunde any thinge there to be don, or kepte any keye thereof neither did any man entermedle wth the mrs meltinge excepte suche as the mr did therunto appointe And more or furder herin in effect this Examynate cannot depose/


                                                       Ass. in cm{illeg} die et Ao. perdcō
                              Ex ꝑ me Rogerus Coys