Draft of MINT00167 (Mint 19/1/290)

Normalised TextCatalogue Entry

<285r>

How new standard Trial Pieces may be made.

Vpon an order of the Queen &or Coucil {sic} for making & delivering six new standard Trial pieces of Gold & as many of silver, the Ld Chancellour of great Britain may send his letter to the Wardens & Company of Goldsmiths to return him the names of an able Iury to make the standards. The Iury for this purpose has been of 12 or 15 persons.

The names being returned, his Lop may send his Warrant by his Serjeant at arms or Serjeants Deputy to summon the Iury by their names to attend his Lop at a time & place appointed by him.

When they attend, his Lop may c{illeg}all to his Serjeant at arms for his Warrant for summoning them & appoint the same to be delivered to the Remembrancers Deputy, who atten may attend wth a c{illeg}opy of an oath to be given to the Iury: & the Oath being administred the Ld Chancellour may give the Iury in charge to make the said two Standards the one of crown gold the other of sterling silver with all the skill & exactness imaginable & to indent & divide each into six equal parts according to their best endeavours & to inscribe & print the same as formerly, & may appoint the time when & where to attend wth their Veredict & with the said indented Trial pieces.

Which being done, his Lop may deliver the said Trial pie{illeg}ces or order them to be delivered according to her Majts directions upon receipsts mutually given for the same, & may send the Veredict & Receipts to the Treasury to be entered & kept by the Deputy Remembrancer.

The print has formerly been that of the money, supp{illeg}ose of a Guinea on the Gold & a shilling on the silver, & the impressions have been as follows. This standard commixed of 22 carrets of fine gold & 2 carrets of allay in the pound weight Troy of England 20 Aug. 1605.      This standard commixed of 11oz 2dwt of fine silver & 18dwt of allay in ye pound weight Troy of England made 20 Aug. 1605. And the like inscriptions may be still used putting great Britain for England.

The Trial pieces may be delivered to the same Officers & for ye same uses as formerly, unless that wch was delivered to the Treasury in Scotland for trying the moneys be now delivered to the General & Warden of the Mint at Edinborough & that wch was delivered to the General & Officers of yt Mint {illeg}for now de making the moneys be now delivered to the General & Master of the same Mint. For it seens conformable to the Act of Vnion that the moneys of both Mints be hence{illeg}forward tried before the Queen & Council after one & ye same manner by a Iury of Goldsmiths & by the standards of great Britain, & be made & examined by two Trial pieces in both Mints alike by two Trial pieces kept the one by the Master for making the moneys & the other by the Warden for {illeg}trying them before delivery, & for deciding controversies between the Master & the Merchant about the bullion, as is done in the Tower.