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The king and Robert Manfeld esquire, whom by letters patent
he has made master and worker of his moneys of gold and silver
in the Tower of London, England and Caleys. Indenture witnessing that the said Robert has undertaken to make three sorts of
gold money, one current for 6s. 8d. apiece to be called the gold
noble, there shall be fifty such pieces in the pound of the Tower
weight, another of half that weight current for 3s. 4d. apiece,
there shall be a hundred in the pound, and a third of a fourth
part the weight of the first current for 20d. apiece, there shall be
two hundred in the pound, and every pound of the Tower weight
of them shall be worth 16l. 13s. 4d., and they shall be of 23 carats
3½ grains; of every pound so made the king shall have 3s. 6d.,
whereof the warden, controller, cutter of the irons and clerk of
the mint shall have their fees by the warden's hands, and the
master shall take 18d. for his labour and expenses, and 10d.
only for loss of weight, and so there shall remain to the merchant
of every pound of fine gold by him put in the mint 16l. 7s. 6d.
by tale; and because the money may not always be made quite
in accordance with the standard, but peradventure by default
of the master or workmen it may be found too strong or too
weak more or less in weight or alloy or in both, when at the assay
before delivery it shall be found too strong or too weak by the
eighth part of a carat in the pound and no more, which shall be
called the master's remedy, it shall be delivered as good, provided
that be by accident and not otherwise, but if greater fault be
found, it shall be challenged and adjudged by the assayer less
than good, and shall be again molten and wrought anew at the
master's cost until it be exact. The master has undertaken to
make five sorts of money of silver worth 30s. the pound of the
Tower weight, one current for 4d. apiece to be called a groat,
there shall be ninety to the pound, another for 2d. to be called
a half groat, there shall be 180 to the pound, the third for 1d.
to be called a sterling, there shall be 360 to the pound, the fourth
to be called mail worth half a sterling, there shall be 720 to the
pound, and the fifth to be called 'ferlyng' worth half the mail,
there shall be 1,440 to the pound, and all shall be of the standard
of the old sterling, to wit every pound of them shall contain 11
ounces 2 pennyweights of fine silver and 18 pennyweights of
alloy, the pennyweight containing 24 grains; and of every
pound of these silver moneys the king shall have 3d. by tale,
and the master 9d. by tale for his labour, offals and all costs
except the wages aforesaid, and so there shall remain to the
merchant of every pound of fine silver 28s. 10d.; and because etc.
(as above), when at the assay before delivery it shall be found too
strong or too weak by 2 pennyweights in the pound and no more,
which shall be called the master's remedy, the money shall be
delivered as good, but if greater fault be found delivery shall
cease and the money shall be challenged etc. (as before). The
warden, changer, assayer and controller shall oversee the moneys
at all times, as to their office pertains, and after they be found
good, before any delivery be made, a prise of the whole sum shall
be cunningly taken to put in a box, whereof the assays shall
be made at Westminster, to wit of every 10li. of gold by weight
the value of one noble or less by tale, and of every 100li. of silver
by weight 2s. or more by tale, and these shall be sealed up
under the seals of the warden, master and controller, and the
box locked with three keys, one remaining with the warden, the
second with the master, and the third with the controller, and
the box shall be put in a hutch for safe keeping, and opened once
every three months upon reasonable warning before lords of
the council appointed for the purpose, and in presence of the
warden and master assays shall be made of the money found in
the box in the fairest manner, by fire or touchstone or both,
to the end that if it be proved good the master shall be quit
toward the king and all men up to that date, and if he will he
shall have without fee letters patent under the great seal declaring
it; and if by the assays at Westminster the moneys be found too
weak in weight or alloy or in both up to the said remedies and
no more, the default shall be put on record, and the master shall
be bound to recompense the king, saving always that in case they
be found above the standard in weight or alloy or both, the
excess shall be recorded, and set off against any default, and if at
Westminster default be found in excess of the said remedies,
the master shall make fine and ransom to the king at his will:
the master shall be bound at his peril to make a privy mark on
all moneys by him made of gold and of silver, so that if need be
he can tell which are his own work and which are not: he may
take as many gravers as he shall need to grave the irons at the
king's cost, provided always that when the irons be cut they be
delivered by indenture in presence of the warden to one appointed
by the king, and that they shall be cut nowhere but in a house
within the Tower appointed by the warden and master: he shall
be bound to receive every sort of gold and silver brought to the
Tower at its true value, to wit each parcel in its degree more or
less according to the quality thereof, and if the master and the
merchant who brings the same may not agree, the king's assayers
appointed for the purpose must try the truth in presence of the
warden and master, and the master shall take it as found upon
the two assays, one by himself and the other by the assayers,
and remain therewith charged; and the king's will is that
two good stones and a pair of lawful touchstones shall speedily
be provided for the king's use to make the assay between the
merchants and the master, and shall remain in keeping of the
warden and master, and that the balances and weights shall be
amended and made correct from time to time when need be, so
that no fault be found in them to the hurt of the people: upon
receipt of gold and silver the master shall be bound to deliver
to the merchants bills of the sums which they have brought,
and the sums which they ought to receive, so that they or their
attorneys producing the bills be duly repaid at the delivery,
and he shall deliver the same to the merchants, who shall have
free ingress and egress without hindrance by the porters or others,
and without giving aught against their will: delivery shall be
made once or twice a week or oftener as the master will, and after
the assay made before delivery he shall observe the amount of
the sums received and the number of persons to take delivery,
so that each may take part payment, having regard to the time
when each brought his gold and silver and the time when it was
molten, and the master shall be bound at the delivery to shew
each merchant his sum when required: whereas the warden
shall take all the profit pertaining to the king, and render
account thereof, the master shall not be bound to render any
account to the king but only to the warden, except for damages
for defaults found by the assays at Westminster by way of the
said remedies for which he is answerable to the king: the master
shall take order for holding the mint at Caleys by himself or by a
deputy for whom he will answer, as to his office pertains, according to the foregoing articles: the king shall cause proclamation
to be made throughout his realm and power, forbidding any
man to take out of the realm any money or bullion of gold or
silver upon pain of losing such money and his body at the king's
will, unless it be by special licence of the king or a sum for expenses
of those passing out, and that of the king's coin and so much as
may be reasonable for each in his degree; and that no man bring
to England any sort of false money or counterfeit upon the
pain aforesaid, and any man who may spy people so doing and
will sue for the king's profit, the third part of money found false
and of money or bullion being exported shall be his, and two thirds
remain to the king: the king hereby confirms, to the master,
his ministers and workmen the charters of liberties heretofore
granted to the moneyers: the master has been sworn in chancery,
and hereby binds himself, his heirs and executors to perform
these covenants, for his good behaviour in his office toward
the king and people, and to recompense the king, and as security
that he shall recompense the merchants for the price of the gold
and silver he shall receive he has found a mainprise in chancery,
to wit John Hampton of Staffordshire, Richard Wyderton of
Suffolk esquires, William Combes 'wolman,' John Somerton
'grocer,' John Bromer 'fysshmonger,' Elys Harwode 'goldsmyth' and William Chirch 'goldbeter,' all of London, each
under a pain of 100l. |
