2 4 
COINS. 
“ In the Parliament held in October, 1423, the Commons of the 
counties of York, Northumberland, Westmorland, Cumberland, 
Lancaster, Chester, Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby, bishopric of 
Durham, and all parts of the North, petitioned the King and the 
Lords spiritual and temporal, stating, that in consideration of the 
provision in the statute of the ninth of the late King, which forbade 
the currency of gold under the lawful weight the last Parliament 
had ordained, at the suit of the said suppliants, that the master 
and worker of the King’s monies, within the Tower of London, 
should come to York, there to coin the gold and silver of the said 
country which were not of legal weight, and to remain there during 
the King's pleasure. By virtue of which ordinance the said master 
was at York, and there placed his mint to the great profit of the 
King, and ease of the said counties. But that the said master and 
his workmen had since returned form thence, wherefore the King’s 
lieges, in the said parts, for their private convenience, commonly 
received and paid light gold, at rates and abatements, against the 
ordinance of the statute aforesaid, in contempt of the King, and to 
his and his people’s loss. They therefore prayed that the master 
of the mint should be commanded to return to the said city there 
to coin as he had done before, and to remain, or leave there his 
sufficient deputies, for whom he should be responsible, during the 
King’s pleasure. And also that it might be enacted, that all the 
gold, of the said parts, which should be deficient in weight, should 
be brought to the Castle at York, there to be coined, before the 
Feast of St. Michael next. And that no gold, not of just weight, 
should be current thenceforward in payment, nor have course 
within the counties aforesaid, nor elsewhere within the realm, and 
that proclamation to that effect should be made throughout the 
realm. This petition was granted by the said Lords, with the 
assent of the Commons in Parliament assembled.'’ 1 
Goldbeter appears to have returned. The account of the monies 
coined at York was to extend from October 16th, 1423, to August 
7th, 1424. On the death of Goldbeter, William Russe, jeweller, 
of London, w r as appointed master of the mints of London, Calais, 
Bristol, and York. Russe was succeeded by John Paddesley, who 
had been exchanger in the reign of Henry Ah 
During the reign of Henry VI., the mint at York issued groats, 
half groats, pennies and halfpennies. At the restoration of Henry 
1 Ruding, vol. 1, p. 269. 
