Holograph draft of MINT00063 (Mint 19/1/170-71)

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May it please your Lordship

In obedience to your Lordships Order of Reference signified to us by Mr Lowndes his Letter of Iuly     we have considered the Petition of Coll Parsons & Mr Croker and discoursed the Petitioners & also spoke with Mr Rose & we find that Coll. Parsons doth not grave himself but imployes the best workmen and has a good fansy & judgment in these matters & that Mr Rosse desires only to succeed Mr Harris in his place of Graver of Seales to her Majesty & by a seale which he has graved for the Dutchy of Lancaster he seems to be a good workman for seales & sufficiently qualified for that place. But as for Mr Harris'es other places of Graver for the money & for Medals we humbly lay before the Lordship that the Master of the Mint upon considering what inconveniency the Mind had lately suffered & may again suffer by taking in Cutters of seales into the chief Gravers place, did upon his succeeding Mr Neale put a clause into the Indenture then made between the Crown & himself, whereby the Gravers salary of 325li per annum upon the next voydance fo the place should cease in order to a new establishment For Mr Harris being a cutter of Seales & not skilled in that sort of graving which is proper for the money, imployed Mr James Rotier & afterwards Mr Croker to do all that work for an allowance of 175li per annum & retained the remaining 150li per annum to himself without doing any thing for it, & Mr Croker not being bred up in the service of the Mint did not understand it when he first succeeded Mr Roetier by was necessitated for three or four years to copy after Mr Roetiers work, tho now by long practise he works very well, It is humbly proposed therefore for the security of the coyne against counterfeiting that there should be a set of Gravers constantly brought up in the Mint who having once attained to perfection in their way may keep such Art amongst themselves & propagate it to their Apprentices or Probationers & be succeeded by them & that no new Graver be taken into the Mint unless as an Apprentice or Probationer. For which end we humbly propose that Mr Croker be made the first Graver of the Mint with such an augmentation of salary as your Lordship shall think fit for maintaining himself & a servant to file & polish the Dyes, & that Mr Bull who is now a Probationer & works very well be made the second Graver with a salary to be also appointed by your Lordship, & a new Probationer taken into the third place so soon as fit person shall be met with.

And as for Mr Harris his other place of Graver of Medals to her Majesty we are humbly of opinion that the Gravers of the Mint for the time being are the fittest persons to execute it, & that whenever the Master of the Mint receives any directions about making of Coronation Medals or others, they be obliged to assist him & have no power without his leave to use any of the Presses in the Mint or to work upon Medals in any of the rooms which belongs to his Office for the coynage of money.

All which &c