Draft of MINT00055(a) (Mint 19/1/411-2)
In all the Indentures of the Mint of wch copies are come to my hands & wch were made before the time of Mr Neale late Master made Ann. 37 Edw 3. An. 46 Ed 3 An 1 Hen or& Worker mention is made that vizt46 An 11 Edw 4 An 1 Rich III. An 24 Hen 8 An 1 Edw {illeg}6 An 2 Edw 6 An. 1 Mariæ I mention is made that the M{illeg}aster & Worker hath found sureties before the King for makingthat upon pain thereof he shall make gree to the Merchant or Importer. for And in the first {illeg}five Indentures the sum & the sureties &are named, in the 4 last they are not named. the summ named is usually 500li.
{illeg} In the Indentures made An 3 Eliz. mention is made that the Master & Worker hath bound himself in 500li & {illeg}found sureties in other 500li to make gree to the Merchant & to ye Queen
In the Indenture made An 2 Eliz mention is made that the Master & WorkerVnder Treasurer of the Mint hath found sureties before the Queen in Chancery the in 1000li that upon pain thereof he shall make gree to the Queen & to ye Merchant.
In ye Indenture made An 3 Eliz it is said that ye Master & Worker hath bound himself in 500li & found sureties in other 500li to make gree to ye Qu Merchant &{illeg}s joynd wth ye Merchant because she recoynd ye money.
In ye Indentures made Ann 14 Eliz An 2 Iacob{illeg}i I, An 3 Iacobi I An An 10 Iacobi I, An 2 Car. I, And in the two Indentures made in An 12 Car II An 14 Car II? An 22 Car II. An 36 Car II? mention is made that the Master & Worker hathe re ye reign of K. Ch. IIdth given security in found sureties in ye summ of 2000 that upon pain thereof he shall make Gree to ye Queen or King & to ye Merchants.
In the Indentures made to Mr Neale An Iac II & An 1 Gul Gul. III to Mr Neale Gentleman who was in debt & of a prodigal temper & by irregular practises insinuated himself into ye Office instead of the clause abovementioned there is a covneant that the Master shall find such Burroughs Burrows & Sureties in their Majts Court of Excheqr in such summ as ye Commrs of the Treasury or High Treasurer of England for the time being shall approve of that upon pain thereof he shall make gree to their Majts & to ye Merchants, & it is metnioned that Mr {sic} Neale bound himself by oath to perform ye covenants of th & {sic} afteriose Indenturesward gave the passing of the 1st Indenture found {illeg} he found sureties in 15000li.but after the passing of the second he found none.
Q 1 Ought not the Master of the Mint upon his beginning theto receive the ImportersMerchants Gold & Silver & to give security the Queens money or Bullion to {illeg}find Sureties that he shall make gree to the Queen & to the Merchant of what he shall receive tho ye Indenture of the Mint be not yet sealed.
Q 23 Ought the Mr & Worker to find sureties to Observe such covenants of the I{illeg}ndenture of ye Mint as do not create an A{illeg}cct in money there being other punishments proper for the breaches of such cCovenants & an Oath for the Observance of them., & no mention in any Indenture of such finding such sureties.
Q 34 Is it a reasonable Oath that the Master shall find such Sureties & such summ as another shall approve of. Or ought not rather the sureties to be found at ye same time that ye Oath is made to ye Indenture {illeg} or before.
Q. 2 For making sure that the Master doth find such sureties before is it not fit to mention in the Indenture that the Master hath fouthean Indenture be sealed to him{illeg}nd sureties, to the so that the an Indenture may not be sealed to him till he hath found th{illeg}em.
Source
MINT 19/1/407, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UKOctober 1702, c. 706 words.