Draft of MINT00167 (Mint 19/1/290)

<285r>

How new standard Trial Pieces may be made.

Vpon an order of the Queen or Council for making & delivering six new standard Trial pieces of Gold & as many of silver, the Lord 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 Lordship may send his Warrant by his Serjeant at arms or Serjeants Deputy to summon the Iury by their names to attend his Lordship at a time & place appointed by him.

When they attend, his Lordship may call to his Serjeant at arms for his Warrant for summoning them & appoint the same to be delivered to the Remembrancers Deputy, who may attend with a copy of an oath to be given to the Iury: & the Oath being administred the Lord Chancellour may give the Iury in charge to make 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 with their Veredict & with the said indented Trial pieces.

Which being done, his Lordship may deliver the said Trial pieces or order them to be delivered according to her Majestys directions upon receipts 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, suppose 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 the 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 the same uses as formerly, unless that which was delivered to the Treasury in Scotland for trying the moneys be now delivered to the General & Warden of the Mint at Edinborough & that which was delivered to the General & Officers of that Mint for 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 henceforward tried before the Queen & Council after one & the same manner by a Iury of Goldsmiths & by the standards of great Britain, & be made & examined in both Mints alike by two Trial pieces kept the one by the Master for making the moneys & the other by the Warden for trying them before delivery, & for deciding controversies between the Master & the Merchant about the bullion, as is done in the Tower.