The Early Coinage of Scotland. 



287 



controversy, which was carried on for a considerable time, whether 

 the coins bearing the name of Alexander, with a long double 

 cross on the reverse, should be attributed to Alexander II. or III. 

 It has been clearly proved that they belong to Alexander III., the 

 historical evidence all being with that \\ew. Lord Hailes, in 

 "Annals of Scotland," states: — "1250. In this year the form 

 of the Scottish coin was changed, and the cross, which formerly 

 went no further than the inner circle, was extended to the cir- 

 cumference." Lord Hailes mentions that this information is 

 received from the Scotichronicon by Bower. Alexander II. died 

 in 1249. This change of the coinage took place in 1250, when 

 Alexander III. was on the throne. It is to a small group of these 

 early long double cross coins of Alexander III. that I wish to 

 direct your attention. They all bear the name of WALTER as 

 the moneyer. We have WAITER ON GLA, WALTER ON 

 DVN, WALTER ON MVN, WALTER ON FREB. The ster- 

 lings reading ON GLA are attributed to Glasgow ; ON DVN might 

 repre.sent either Dundee, Dunbar, or Dunfermline ; ON MVN, 

 Montrose, which is known in ancient charters as Munross. Burns, 

 in the Coinage of Scotland, says : — "It is an altogether exceptional 

 occurrence to find the same obverse die employed upon sterlings 

 of different mints. After much careful comparison, I have not 

 ' in any instance, other than on the sterlings of this remarkable 

 group with the name of Walter for the moneyer, met with coins 

 from different mints struck from the same obverse dies. The 

 natural inference, therefore, is that the four Mints must all have 

 been worked by one and the same moneyer, and probably to some 

 extent contemporaneously." This is the opinion of the highest 

 authority on the subject, derived from a very careful examination 

 of the coins themselves. In France the moneyers are said to 

 ►have travelled with the King. There is every probability that 

 [Walter accompanied Alexander and coined when necessary. 

 iForres has been considered the probable town at which the ster- 

 lings with FRES were minted. " In the absence," Mr Burns says, 

 ["of any Scottish town whose name commences with FRES." 

 iThis is certainly a very easy way out of the difficulty. Burns, how- 

 lever, admits that " it may be no more than a coincidence, but it 

 [is certainly remarkable that the two syllables composing the name 

 IDunfries should have been represented on Walter's coinages." It 

 [seems to me that Dumfries has a verv strong claim to the honour 



