412 Money and Money ers. 



Tower, at York, Bristol, and Calais ; in that of 1464, 

 in the Tower, in the realm of England, in the territory 

 of Ireland, and in the town of Calais ; while in that of 1483 the 

 mint-master becomes ' ' master and worker in London, and else- 

 where within the realm of England," and this has continued to 

 be the usual style of the mint-master down to this hour. Other 

 alterations in the system of government took place during the 

 165 years in question, but they were of minor importance, and 

 need not be specified more exactly. 



Between the years 1509 and 1544, some remarkable innova- 

 tions on the purity of the coinage took place, and they are by 

 no means creditable to the memory of Henry VIII. That 

 monarch indeed departed from the wise mint policy of Henry 

 VIL, and debased the silver currency until it contained only 

 one-third, or even one-fourth of precious metal, to two-thirds, or 

 three-fourths alloy. The evils, confusion, and counterfeiting 

 to which such a degradation of the coinage gave rise may be 

 imagined, and indeed it took twenty-six or twenty-seven years to 

 remedy the mischief done in this direction by Henry VIII. 



An instance of the attempts made to rectify the then dis- 

 ordered state of the Mint may be found in the letters-patent of 

 the year 1551 (temp. Edward VI.), reciting "Forasmuch as it 

 it has come to our knowledge and to the knowledge of our 

 Counsail, that there be divers and many things practysed and 

 used within our Myntes, and by our officers and ministers in 

 our said Myntes, necessarye for our honour and j)rofit 

 of our realms and dominions, to be reformed, altered, and 

 changed." To effect these reforms the Earl of Warwick, 

 High Admiral of England, and Sir William Herbert, Master of 

 the Horses are by the same letters-patent nominated " Chief 

 Commissioners, Surveyors, Controllers, and Overseers of all 

 officers and ministers within our said Myntes, and of all 

 rules, statutes, and ordinances heretofore had or made con- 

 concerning the same." These newly appointed officers set 

 themselves to work in earnest, and much good came of their 

 labours. Another and similar commission was appointed in 

 1559, to inquire into the state of the Mint, and devise what 

 standards, officers and ministers, ordinances, iDrofits, etc., might 

 advantageously be continued, or abolished, or adopted. 



One material feature of change resulting from these com- 

 missions of inquiry, was the defining more accurately the con- 

 stitution of the Mint. This was done in an instrument called 

 the "Establishment of the Mint," and specifying the officers of 

 the Mint, their duties, responsibilities, and salaries. Several 

 of these documents were subsequently issued, with various 

 modifications — one, for instance, in the reign of Queen Mary, 

 and another in that of Queen Elizabeth. The "Establishment" 



