64 Dr. Smith on the Irish Coins of Henry the Seventh. 



be bound by indenture to perform the premises, in the same manner and form as 

 the master in London is bound.* 



In the third and fourth years of Henry, a grant of one hundred shillings a 

 year, during the king's pleasure, was made to William Goldesmyth, the striker 

 of the money in the Castle of Dublin.f 



At a parliament held at Trim, in 1447, an Act was passed against clipping 

 and counterfeiting the king's coin, and it was ordained " that no money so 

 clipped be received in any place of said land, from the first day of May next to 

 come, nor the money called the O'Reyly's money, or any other unlawful money, 

 so that one coyner be ready at the said day to make the coyn."t 



In 1456, a parliament was held at Naas, and it was enacted, at the request of 

 the Commons, that " whereas no mean could be found to keep the king's coin 

 within the land of Ireland," all foreign merchants " shall pay for every pound 

 of silver that they shall carry out of Ireland, forty-pence of custom to the king's 

 customer, to the use of the king ; and if any man shall do the contrary in con- 

 cealing of the said custom, he shall pay for every penny, twenty shillings to the 

 said customers, to the king's use,"§ and from the twelfth chapter of the same Act 

 it appears that Ireland was greatly impoverished by the daily exportation of silver, 

 and the great clipping of the coin, and that " the Irish money, called the O'Rey- 

 ley's," daily increased ; it was therefore enacted, that any person carrying silver 

 out of Ireland shall pay for custom to the king twelve-pence for every ounce ; 

 "except lords and messengers going to England upon business of the public, who 

 may carry plate with them, according to their degrees."|| 



* " Rex concessit Johanni Cobbham officium magistfi cunagii in castro Dublinie faciendi, 

 durante beneplacito, proviso quod moneta operata sit ejusdem ponderis, allaie, et assaie, sicut mo- 

 neta argenti que in Londonio operata est, et quod dictus Johannes tantum pro factura 1 libre monete 

 in castro predicto operate percipiat, et Regi tantutn reddat, quantum magister monete in terra pre- 

 dicta pro hujusmodi libra percipit et reddit, et quod idem Johannes ad premissa facienda per in- 

 denturam obligetur, eisdem modo et forma quibus magister cunagii in terra predicta pro tempore 

 obligatus existit. Trym, 6 Feb."— i?o<. Pat. 3 Hen. VI. cap. 21. 



•J- " Rex eisdem mandat quod Willelmo Goldesmy[th ?], percussori monete in castro Dub- 

 linie, 100» per annum ei per Regem concessos durante beneplacito annuatim solvant. [ ] Julii, 

 anni predicti." — Rot. Claus. 3 & 4 Hen. VI. cap. 35. 



J Simon, Appendix, No. III. § Ruding, 2nd edit. vol. ii. p. 341. 



II Simon, Appendix, No. IV. 



