Close Rolls, Henry VI: March 1423 | British History Online

Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry VI: Volume 1, 1422-1429. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1933.

'Close Rolls, Henry VI: March 1423', in Calendar of Close Rolls, Henry VI: Volume 1, 1422-1429, (London, 1933) pp. 58-62. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-close-rolls/hen6/vol1/pp58-62 [accessed 20 April 2024]

March 1423



March 4. Westminster.	To the mayor and sheriffs of London. Order with advice and assent of the council to cause proclamation to be made, that all who will buy certain great ships and other vessels of the king which, for particular causes moving him and the great council, with advice and assent of the council the king has ordered to be sold by certain commissaries and deputies of his, shall hasten and draw to Suthampton to the presence of William Soper, John Foxholes clerk and Nicholas Banastre the commissaries he has deputed for sale thereof before Whitsuntide next. By p.s. [570.]
	Like writs to the following:
	The mayor and sheriff of Bristol.
	The mayor and bailiffs of Lenne.
	The mayor and bailiffs of Great Jernemuth.
	The mayor and bailiffs of Plymmouth.
	Memorandum of an undertaking under a pain of 500 marks, made in chancery 5 March this year by Edmund Colman of London 'gentilman,' that this instant 5 March (sic) he shall appear there in person to find security to Peter Malpas and all the people.
	Memorandum of an undertaking under a pain of 10,000 marks, made in chancery 11 February this year by James Boteller earl of Ermoun, that until Monday next he shall do or procure no hurt or harm to John lord Talbot and Fournyvalle nor any other of the people, and shall that day appear in person before the council to find security for keeping the peace to the said John and every other of the people.
	Memorandum of a like undertaking, mutatis mutandis, made by the said John in regard to James Boteller earl of Ermoun etc.
	Memorandum of a like undertaking, mutatis mutandis, made on Monday aforesaid by the said earl in regard to the said John etc. until Friday next.
	Memorandum of a like undertaking, mutatis mutandis, made on Tuesday following by the said John in regard to the said earl etc. until Friday next.
	Memorandum of a like undertaking, mutatis mutandis, made on Friday aforesaid by the said earl in regard to the said John etc. until Monday following.
	Memorandum of a like undertaking, mutatis mutandis, made by the said John in regard to the said earl etc. until Monday following.
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	The king and Bartholomew Goldebeter citizen of London, whom he has made master and worker of his moneys of gold and silver in the Tower of London, the city of York and the towns of Bristol and Calais. Indenture witnessing that the said Bartholomew has before the council undertaken to make three sorts of moneys of gold, one current at 6s. 8d. apiece to be called the gold noble, there shall be fifty such pieces in the pound of the Tower weight and of good alloy, another of half that weight current for 40d., there shall be a hundred in the pound, and another one fourth the weight of the first current for 20d., there shall be two hundred in the pound, and these moneys shall be of 23 carats 3½ grains of fine gold, and every pound of them shall be worth 16l. 13s. 4d., and of every pound by weight the king shall have 3s. 6d. by tale, and the master for his labour, waste of gold, loss of weight, expenses and all other costs save the wages of the warden and other ministers of the king 18d. by tale paid by the warden's hands, and so there shall remain to the merchant for every pound by weight that he shall deposit in the Tower according to the standard of the noble 16l. 8s. 4d. by tale; and because the money may not always be made according to the right standard, but by default of the master or workmen shall be found at times too strong or too weak more or less in weight or alloy or in both, the king's will is that when at the assay before delivery it be found too strong or too weak in weight only, in alloy only or in both by the sixteenth part of one carat in the pound by weight and no more, which part shall be called the master's remedy, it shall be delivered as good when such default shall be accidental, otherwise not, but if greater default be found delivery thereof shall cease, the money shall be challenged by the king's assayer, condemned as bad, and shall again be molten and wrought at the master's cost until it be perfect, and for a particular cause it is agreed that of every pound of gold by weight the master must make 8 ounces in nobles, 3 ounces in half nobles, and one pound (sic) in gold sterlings (sic), and this ordinance shall not be changed by the master to make more of one sort and less of another until he have command to the contrary; also he has undertaken to make five sorts of silver moneys, to wit one current for 4d. apiece to be called a groat, there shall be ninety such pieces in the pound of the Tower weight and of good alloy, another for 2d. to be called a half groat, there shall be 180 of these in the pound, the third for 1d. to be called the sterling, of the coinage of the old sterling, there shall be 360 of these in the pound, the fourth shall be called the mail, worth half the sterling, there shall be 720 in the pound, and the fifth to be called the ferling shall be worth half the mail, there shall be 1440 in the pound, and all shall be made with alloy of the standard of the old sterling, to wit every pound by weight shall contain 11 ounces 2 pennyweight of fine silver and 18 pennyweight of alloy, every pennyweight containing 24 grains, and of every pound of silver by weight the warden shall take 8 pennyweight, making 12d. by tale, whereof he shall pay the master 9d. by tale for his labour, offals, loss of weight and all other costs save the wages aforesaid, and the rest he shall keep to the king's use, so there shall remain to the merchant of every pound by weight according to the standard that he shall deposit in the Tower 29s. by tale; and because etc. (as above) if at the assay before delivery the silver money be found too strong or too weak by two pennyweight in the pound by weight and no more, which shall be called the master's remedy, it shall be delivered as good etc. (as above), and it is agreed that of every pound of silver the master shall make 4 ounces in groats, 2 ounces in half groats, 3 ounces in sterlings, 2 ounces in males, and 1 ounce in ferlings etc.; the warden and the king's changer, assayer and controller shall at all times be overseers of the gold and silver moneys as to their offices pertains, and after the same be coined, assayed and proved good as aforesaid, before any delivery made of the whole sum a prise shall be cunningly taken to put in a box whereof the assays at Westminster shall be made, to wit of every ten pounds of gold by weight the value of one gold noble, so that nobles, half nobles and ferlings shall be equally included in proportion, and of every hundred pounds of silver by weight two shillings by tale in groats, half groats, sterlings, mails and ferlings, and when taken and put in a box they shall be sealed up with the seals of the warden, assayer and master, and the box shall be locked with three keys, one remaining with the warden, the second with the assayer, and the third with the master, and the box so locked shall be put in a hutch for safe keeping, and opened once every three months before lords of the council chosen for the purpose and in presence of the warden, assayer and master, and assays shall there be made of the gold and silver moneys found therein in the fairest manner, by fire or touchstone or by both, to the end that if the same be proved good the master shall be quit to that time, and if he will shall have a patent under the great seal specifying the assay, and if by the assays at Westminster the moneys be found weaker than the standard in weight or alloy or in both more or less to the extent of the remedies and no more the default shall be recorded, and the master shall be charged to make recompense to the king forthwith, claiming no advantage by virtue of the remedies, saving always that if at any time the moneys shall be found to be above the standard in weight or alloy or in both, that shall be recorded and set off against any such default, and if at any of the assays at Westminster the moneys shall be found to exceed the remedies, the master shall incur forfeiture of life and goods to the king, and he shall be bound at his peril to put a privy mark on all the moneys he shall make, gold and silver, so that if need be he may know which are his own work and which are not; whereas heretofore the cutter of the irons has been appointed by the master and at his cost, the king's will is that henceforth he shall be appointed by the council, and sworn to do his office in the Tower in a house appointed for the purpose and nowhere else by oversight of the warden, and shall be paid for his labour by the warden's hands, what he shall take being agreed before the council, and he shall cause all the irons when cut to be delivered by indenture in presence of the warden to one appointed by the king to keep them; the master shall be bound to receive every sort of gold and silver brought to the Tower in presence of the warden and changer at the true value thereof, to wit every parcel in its degree, one more and another less according to the quality, and if the master and merchant bringing the same may not agree, the king's assayers shall try the truth in presence of the warden and master, and the master shall take it and remain charged according to what is found at the assay, and the king's will is that two good stones and a pair of lawful touchstones shall be ready, purveyed to his use, to make such assay, and shall remain in the keeping of the warden and changer, and that the balances and weights shall be corrected and made perfect from time to time when need be, that no defect be found therein to the hurt of the people; the master or any other minister or officer of the moneys shall hold no public exchange by himself or by any other in the city of London or elsewhere without special licence of the king; upon receipt of gold or silver he shall be bound to deliver to the merchants bills of the sums they have brought and the sums they ought to receive at the delivery, so that they or their attorneys shewing such bills shall be repaid, and he shall cause such bills to be delivered to the merchants when required, and merchants bringing gold and silver to the Tower shall have free ingress and egress without disturbance by the porters or others, and without giving aught to any of them against their will; delivery of gold and silver shall be made twice a week, or once at least, and after the assay made the warden, changer and master shall take note of the sums received and the number of persons to take delivery, so that in case the sum wrought may not suffice to make full payment to all, each may have part payment according to the quantity due, having regard to the time when each brought his gold or silver, and when the same was molten, and at the delivery the master shall be bound to shew to every merchant the sum due to him when required, and in case the merchant be absent at any delivery, and have no attorney ready to take his money, the master shall be bound to take it and keep it safe under the seals of the changer and master until he or his attorney shall come to receive payment, and the money shall be straightway delivered as if he had been present at the first delivery; for that the
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	warden shall take all the profit pertaining to the king, and render account thereof, the master shall not be bound to render account to the king but to the warden, save for damages charged against him for defaults which may be found by the assay at Westminster by way of remedies, for which he shall answer as aforesaid; he shall take order that the mint at Calais shall be kept by him, or by his deputy for whom he will answer, as to his office pertains; the king shall cause proclamation to be made through all his realm and power, that no man shall carry money or bullion of gold or silver out of the realm under pain of losing the value thereof and his body at the king's will, if it be not by special licence of the king or a sum for expenses of those passing out, and that shall be of the king's coin, and of such quantity as may be reasonably sufficient for each in his degree, and that no man shall bring to England false or counterfeit money under the pain aforesaid, and every man who may spy people so doing and will sue for the king, the third part thereof shall be to him and two thirds to the king; the king hereby confirms to the master, ministers and workmen the charters of liberties heretofore granted to the moneyers; the master has made oath before the council and hereby gives his bond that he shall truly keep the covenants aforesaid, shall be of good behaviour toward the king and people, and shall recompense the king and all men for the price of all gold and silver he shall receive so long as he shall be in office, and for greater security he has found a mainprise before the chancellor and treasurer and others of the council, to wit John atte Water, Robert Walton, Richard George, John Pattesley, Peter Toralde, Richard Withyall, John Biernes, William Botoun, John Paake and Thomas Leget of London, each in 100l., and himself in 2,000l. to recompense the merchants aforesaid. Dated Westminster, 16 February 1 Henry VI. French.
	Memorandum of acknowledgment by the said Bartholomew, 6 March.