'The late Laws about ye Coinage'

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The late Laws about the Coynage.

On or before Feb. 1 1695 one or more of the Lords of the Treasury to cause all the clipt money (standard or of coarser allay) in the exchequer, that of every branch apart, to be told, weighed, melted into Ingots, assayed & sent to the mint to be reduced to standard & coyned & paid back to the Exchequer upon the several changes, deducting only the charges of coynage (not exceeding 14d per pound weight) & melting & refining, & the tale of the new money paid back upon every branch to be registred that the Deficiency between that & the tale of the clipt money may be known in order to make it good by Parliament. The Receivers to receive all clipt money (standard or of coarser allay & not plated or washed over) by tale till May 4 1696, & the Tellers in the Exchequer to receive the same & also all loanes in the like money till Iune 4 1696, & one or more of the Lords of the Treasury shall once or oftener every 14 days cause it all to be melted down into Ingots (every branch apart) assayed & sent to the Mint by Indenture expressing the weight & fineness of every Ingot & the branch to which it belongs, to be there coyned & paid back weekly as above, & the tale registred in the Exchequer that the Deficiency may be known. 7 Gul. I

Such Mints as his Majesty shall erect in the country not being less then four to be under the methods & directions prescribed in this Act

All unclipt money to be punched through before Feb. 10.

Kings Officers injuring any person to make double satisfaction.

In every 100lb there shall be 40℔ & 10℔ in sixpences besides small money of 20lb on the Master & Worker for every offence, one $\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ to the King the other $\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ to the Informer

Sixpences not clipt within the inner ring being sterling, not prohibited currency. 7 Gul. I

A Duty yearly of 2s on every house + 4s on every house with 10 windows + 4s on every house with 20 windows payable by the Tenants & occupiers or inhabitants for 7 years from Mar 25 1696 half yearly, the 1st payment to begin Sept 29 1696. Iustices of Peace Commissioners for the last 6 years. After Iune 24 1696 loans allowed not exceeding 1200000℔ at 7 per cent for the 1st moiety & 8 per cent for the last & taxfree. All the money so raised upon Loans or otherwise by this Act (excent interest & repayment of Loanes & Salaries &c) shall be applied to make up the Deficiency between the clipt & the new money of every branch. 7 & 8 William. pag 419.

Wrought Plate or other manufactured silver imported from May 4 to Novem 4 1696 into any of the Mints to be there melted down reduced to standard coyned & repaid standard weight for standard weight according to the course of the Mint without any deduction for charge of coynage. The Master to give Bills of receipt denoting the weight fineness & value thereof with the day & order of its delivery into the Mint And upon producing the Bill to the Auditor of Exchequer it shall be entred in the Receipt of Exchequer & an Order shall be drawn for paying the Importer a reward of 6d per ounce sterling out of such funds as are setled by Parliament for supplying the deficiencies of clipt monies. Inns Alehouses Taverns Victualling houses prohibited wrought Plate (except spoon) upon pain of forfeiting the same to him that shall sue for it. Presses called in which may be used in coynage & Presses for coynage prohibited upon pain of forfeiting 500℔. Clipt moneys brought in before May 4 upon the hereditary Excise on liquors or the Excise for life or Revenue by the Post office & payable on Tallies in coarse & for the Interest thereof shall be carried by the Commissioners of Excise & Receiver for the Post Office to the Exchequer there melted down, recoyned at the Mint & returned to the Exchequer (except the charge of melting refining & coyning) & sent thence to the Commissioners of Excise & Receivers of Post Office to be payd out &c & Accounts of the Deficiency or difference between the clipt moneys <502v> & new moneys to be kept by Commissioners of Excise & Receiver of the Post Office to be made good at the publick charge.

Exportation of Bullion & currency of clipt money prohibited

Guineas after Apr 10 1696 at 22s a piece

The Master & Worker is impowered to imploy others instead of the Moneyers. 7 & 8 Gul. p. 622.

An oath that the imported wrought Plate was manufactured on or before the 25th of March 1696, & imported wrought plate which was manufactured afterward to be forfeited to any one that shall sue for it 7 & 8 Gul. p 697.

From Novem 1695 Gold may be again received & coyned in the Mint but not by the Coynage Duty except for the African company. One or more Mills & Presses to be set apart for ☉ & the courses of ☉ & ☽ to be kept apart 8 Gul. pag 4.

All hammered money clipt or unclipt, imported from Novem 4 1696 to Iul 1 1697 into any of the Mints, to be there received by the Mints at the rate of 5s 4d per ounce Troy. All the Kings Receivers & Collecters from Nov 14 1696 to Feb 1 ensuing to receive Loane & arrears of aids & Taxes due before Feb. 1 & further to Iune 1 all future Aids Taxes & other Revenues & Duties at 5s 8d per ounce And after Dec 1 no hammered silver to be current but by weight at 5s 2d per ounce. Yet moneys received by tale by any Collector before Nov. 18 may upon the Oath of the Collector be paid to Receiver till Dec 18 & by the Receiver ( & upon his oath) into the Exchequer till Jan 10. And all the hammered money brought into the Exchequer upon any account whatever shall by direction of the Lords of the Treasury be melted down from time to time & sent to the Mint or Mints to be reduced into sterling & coyned & the new money (except the charge of melting & coyning shall be returned into the Exchequer & placed to the branches it proceeded from. And all money received in Taxes & Loanes at 5s 8d per ounce shall be carried to the next adjacent Mint & there coyned before it be brought into the Exchequer. How the hammered money raised in Herefordshire for making navigable the Rivers Wye & Lugg too be paid at 5s 8d per ounce to the Receiver General & coyned. 8 Gul. 3 pag 3.

A Duty upon Paper Pastbawn Vellum & parchment for two years commencing from Mar. 1 1696, towards paying the 5s 4d per ounce (allowed for the former Act) for hammered moneys & making good the Deficiencies of Loanes in hammered money occasioned by recoyning thereof & for paying the allowance for wrought plate & for bearing the wast & charges of (receiving melting refining &) coyning the said hammered money & plate. Moneys not exceed 125000℔ may be lent upon this Act at 8 per cent. The Master & Worker in receiving hammered money at 5s 4d per ounce shall separate & cut in pieces all base & counterfeit monies & return such pieces to the bringers thereof & weigh the residue & compute the same at 5s 4d per ounce & the proper Officers & Clerks of the Mint shall enter the same in Day books according to the couurse of the mint, specifying the names of the Importers, the date or times of Importation, the weight & quantity imported & the amount thereof at the said rate of 5s 4d per ounce, & the Master & Worker shall <503r> a receipt thereof specifying all the said particulars, & out of the money arising by this Act shall defray the necessary charges of receiving, melting down, refining & recoyning the said hammered monies so imported at 5s 4d per ounce & the wast incident thereunto & also pay back in new money 5s 4d per ounce in due course of the Mint

And in like manner the Master & Worker is to receive of the Kings receivers the hammered silver monies of the Taxes or Revenues, to separate & cut in pieces all base or counterfeit monies & return such monies to the bringers thereof & weigh the rest & compute it at 5s 8d per ounce & enter it in Day books according to the course of the Mint specifying the names of the respective Receivers bringing the same & the day or time of its importation & the weight & quantity & amount thereof at 5s 8d per ounce & the Revenue or Tax to which it belongs & to give the Importer a Receipt thereof specifying all the aforesaid particulars, & to cause the same to be melted assayed & reduced to standard & the standard weight thereof entred in books, & the same standard weight to be recoyned & all the new moneys proceeding from the said silver to be paid back except except the necessary charges of receiving melting down refining & coyning the same & the wast thereunto incident, unto the respective Importers who in their accounts to the King shall be allowed the deficiency occasioned by recoyning the same, that is to say the Difference between the summ of the hammered money brought into the Mint computed at 5s 8d per ounce & the summ in tail of the new money received back from the Mint.

Vndue preference how punished

The Master & Worker may use the Melting house in Westminster

Inferior collectors to pay their money to their respective Receivers generall to be carried into the next adjacent Mint

If more money then 125000℔ arise by this Act the surplus to be kept in the Exchequer to be disposed of by Act of Parliament. 8 & 9 Gul. p. 143.

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Extracts out of the acts of Parliament relating to the great recoinage