Draft of MINT00159 (Mint 19/1/228-9)

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Directions about the Triall of the Monies of Gold & Silver in the Pix.

About a Month before the triall of the monies in the Pix his Majesty or his Councill appoints the time and place for that Triall (and Names if he pleases) the Lords of the Council before whome it shall be made and notice thereof is sent to the Lord High Chancellour and Lord High Treasurer of England and from the Treasury to the Officers of the Exchequer and Mint

The Lord Chancellour presently after this order is to be waited on by the officers of the Mint to send his letter to the Wardens and Company of Goldsmiths to return him the names of an able Iury for that Triall and a paper is to be delivered to his Lordship conteineing the form of the Triall

The return of the names being made to his Lordship he sends his Warrant by his serjeant at Arms or serjeants Deputy to summon the Iury by their names to meet at the place and time appointed for the Triall.

The Chancellour of the Exchequer is also to be attended about a Dinner for the Iury. The place has usually been at the Dogg Tavern in the Palace yard

The Lord High Treasurer or Chancellour of the Exchequer sends an order for the standard Troy weights and the Indented triall pieces of his Majesties Crown Gold monies and standard silver Monies Kept in the Treasury of the Exchequer to be delivered upon the day of the Triall for the use of the Iury.

In the mean time the King's Warden's, Master's and Comptrollers Clerks severally extract out of all their Books the weight and tale of all the Monies taken up from time to time since the Tryall of the last Pix and the tale of all the monies in the present Pix and when their Extracts are all compared and agreed 40 or 50 Copies thereof are written fair to be distributed to the Lords and Iury at the tryall

On the day of the Triall the officers of the mint cause the Pixes to be brought before nine in the morning & placed on a Table where the Lords are to sit

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about tenn the King if he pleases and Lord Chancellour & other Lords of the Council take their places at the Table aforesaid, the officers of the Mint Exchequer officers and Goldsmiths attending: and the Pixes are opened by the Officers of the Mint Either before the Lords sit down (if they direct it) or after they are sat.

The Lord Chancellour calls his sarjeant at Arms for his Warrant for summoning the Iury and appoints the same to be deliver'd to the Remembrancers Deputy who attends there with the Copy of their Oath.

The Gold and Silver Money in the Pixes being poured on the Table the Lord Chancellour causeth the said oath to be Administred to the Iury.

The standard Troy weights and the Indented Triall pieces of his Majesties Crown Gold and standard Silver Monies Kept in the Treasury of the Exchequer being delivered for the use of the Iury, the Lord Chancellour gives the Iury in charge to make Tryall of the said Gold and Silver Money by the said standards of his Majesties Treasury according to the rules set down in the Indenture of the Mint and to do it Iustly with all possible care and Exactness it being a business of a very publick concern. In the absence of the Lord Chancellour the Chancellour of the Exchequer Administers the oaths and gives the charge.

The charge being given the Lord Chancellour appoints the Iury when and where to attend his Lordship with their veredict and then departs with the rest of the Lords unless of any of them be appointed to see the assayrs. And the Warden Master and Comptroller lock up the monies and with the Iury withdraw into another Roome where they take their places according to the order of the Mint for trying the monies

The officers of the Mine Examin the Indented Tryall pieces of the Exchequer by the like Tryal pieces of the Mint in the Wardens Custody and the Iury doth the same by the Tryal pieces of the Company of Goldsmiths: they also inform themselves about the triall and for that and inspect the Indenture of the Mint delivered to them by the Master and Worker and so proceed to the Triall.

This tryall is made by weight fire + water after the same manner as is done in the mint at the Pixing of the Monies before deliverance the Iury being the Kings Assaymasters weighers and Tellers sworn in the roome of the Assay Master weigher and Teller of the Mint to try the Monies according to the rates in the Indenture and by Consequence in presence of the Warden <256r> Master and Comptrolle who as Officers of the Mint are to see that this Triall as well as those made in the Mint be duely performed and the Warden or Comptroller or their Deputys are to enter of Record how much the Monies prove too feeble or too strong and make a true Accompt thereof to his Majesty.

The Pixes being opened the Iury tells & weighes all the Money therein Gold & Silver apart and reccon how much it makes in the pound weight and when they have sold out of Every species of Gold or Silver monies so much as should make a pound or a pound and a half or two pound weight they weigh it and melt it into an Ingot and weight the Ingot and the graines and if the wast Exceed not 8 or 10 grains in the pound weight they assay it but if the wast be too great they tell out other money and melt that into an Ingot and Assay it, and the Assaymaster reports the Assay in the same manner as is done in the Mint

Then the Iury draw up and sign theire veredict Expressing their weight & tale of all the monies in the Pix and how much they make in the pound weight and that they are agreeable to standard or better or worse according to the report. And in the meantime the Warden and Comptroller write down how much the Monies are too feeble or too strong in weight and Allay in order to enter the same of Record

At the time appointed by the Lord Chancellour the said Officers of the Mint and Iury attend his Lordship, and the Iury presenting their veredict to him the Remembrancers Deputy attends to read it and keeps it when tis read.