NOTICES OF AND RELATING TO THE COINAGE OF HENRY THE THIRD.

[Extracted from "De Antiquis Legibus Liber;" a MS. in the Archives of the City of London, and printed by the Camden Society, 1846.]

Page 13.—“Mo.cco.xlvij. in fine anni regni regis xxxj.*

"Eodem anno factus est maior iterum Michael Thovy, et edictum fuit per preceptum Domini Regis, quod si aliquis denarius sive obolus retonsus inventus fuisset prolatus ad aliquid emendum, statim perforaretur. Tunc omnino creata est nova moneta, scilicet, statim post festum Omnium Sanctorum."†

Page 25.-"De correctione Statere Domini Regis.

"Usualiter consuetudo est, quando pecunia, quam debent vendi per stateram, ponderatur, quod statera debet trahere inclinando versus

[Translation by Dr. Aquilla Smith.]

Page 13.-A.D. 1247. In the end of the thirty-first year of the reign of King (Henry III.)

In the same year Michael Thovy was made mayor the second time, and it was proclaimed by the king's writ, that, if any clipped penny or halfpenny should be offered in payment for any thing, it should be immediately perforated. Then, that is, immediately after the feast of All Saints (1st Nov.), money in every respect new (that is, of a new type altogether) was made.

Page 25.-(A.D. 1256.)

When merchandise, which ought to be sold by weight, is weighed, the custom usually is that the beam ought to incline

"The reign of this monarch commenced on the day of his coronation, namely, the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Friday, 28th October, 1216, nine days after he succeeded to the inchoate right to the throne."-Sir Harris Nicolas.

+"Calend. Nov. 1. Feast of All Saints. All Hallows."-Sir Harris Nicolas.

pecuniam, excepto auro et argento, quod semper ponderatur per medium clavum, neque trahens ad pondam neque ad aurum sive ad argentum; et quod ponderator, qui ponderatur per stateram Domini Regis in civitate, per hujus tractum potuit prebere majus pondus uni quam alio, sive per favorem sive per timorem, sive mercede interveniente, sive forsitan per ignorantiam, Provisum fuit et statutum, die Sabbati post festum Sancti Nicholai, anno regni Regis Henrici, filii Regis Johannis, xli., quod omnis pecunia, quæ debet vendi per stateras Regis in civitate, ponderetur sicut aurum et argentum, nichil trahens versus pecuniam: et pro tractu predicto debet venditor dare emptori ad quemlibet centum, quatuor libras. Tunc provisum fuit quod ponderator pro labore suo debet habere pro uno centum per se ponderato, unum obolum, et de pluribus centenariis de quolibet centum unum quadrantem, et sic de milliariis duos denarios et obolum."

Page 29.-"M°.cco.lvij. in fine anni regni Regis xlj. "Hoc anno creavit Rex monetam auream denariorum, ponderis

[Translation by Dr. Aquilla Smith.]

towards the merchandise, except gold and silver, which is always weighed at standing beam, neither inclining to the weight nor to the gold or silver; and because the weighmaster, who weighs with the king's balance in the city, by this sort of inclination may give more weight to one person than to another, either through favour or fear, or bribery, or perhaps through ignorance; it was provided and established on the Saturday after the feast of St. Nicholas, in the forty-first year of the reign of King Henry, the son of King John, that all merchandise, which ought to be sold by the king's scales in the city, should be weighed like gold and silver, not at all inclining towards the merchandise; and, in lieu of the aforesaid inclination (of the beam), the seller ought to allow the purchaser four pounds in each hundred. At that time it was provided that the weighmaster should have for his labour one halfpenny for one hundred weighed by him, and for more hundreds a farthing each, and so for thousands two pence halfpenny."

Page 29.-" A.D. 1257. In the end of the forty-first year of the reign of King (Henry III.)

"In this year the king made, of the purest gold, golden pennies of

duorum sterlingorum, de auro purissimo, et voluit ut ille aureus curreret in pretio viginti sterlingorum.

"Hoc anno, die Dominica proximo post festum Omnium Sanctorum, venientibus maiore et civibus Londoniarum coram Domino Rege per preceptum suum, ad scaccarium, posuit illos ad rationem, conjurans eos in fide, qua tenentur ei, ut certificassent ipsum secundum conscientias eorum, si predicta moneta foret utilis ad commune commodum regni sui, an non. Qui habito consilio et colloquio inter se, venerunt coram Rege dicentes, Quod per illam monetam posset magnum dampnum pervenire regno suo et maxime pauperibus regni sui, quorum plurimorum catalla non valent unum aureum. Et insuper dixerunt quod aurum per hanc monetam multum vilius haberetur, cum in tot manus illa moneta dispersa fuisset: quod nunc patet, quia aurum de folio, quod semper solebat valere decem marcas, nunc non valet nisi novem marcas vel octo.' Unde, multis rationibus

[Translation by Dr. Aquilla Smith.]

the weight of two sterlings, and decreed that the golden penny should be current for the value of twenty sterlings.

"In this year, on the Sunday next after the feast of All Saints (1st Nov.), the mayor and citizens of London coming to the king's presence, by his command, at the Exchequer, he warned [summoned] them,* conjuring them by their allegiance to certify him according to their conscience, if the aforesaid money would be useful to the commonweal of his kingdom or not. After counsel and communion had with one another, they came before the king, saying, 'That through that money there might arise great damage to his realm, and especially to the poor of his realm, many of whom had not chattels to the value of one golden penny. And, moreover, they said that through this money gold would be lowered in value when that money would be dispersed into so many hands; that this was already manifest, because leaf gold,† which was always wont to be of the value of ten marks, was now worth no more than nine marks or eight.' Wherefore, many reasons having been shown that such

"Posuit illos ad rationem," i. e. citare, submonere. See Du Cange, Gloss. sub voce Ratio. Or the translation may be " he brought them to accompt."

66

See Ruding's notes on the Gold Penny of Henry III. vol. v. p. 296-7, 8vo. edit. aurum in folio.”

ostensis quod illa moneta non fuit utilis, dixit Dominus Rex, Volo quod ista moneta currat, denarius pro viginti sterlingis, ita quod nullus cogatur ad illum capiendum, et qui illum ceperet possit illum escambiare, ubi voluerit, sine occasione, et, si voluerit, veniat ad escambium nostrum, et habebit pro quolibet aureo decem et novem denarios et obolum."

In page 198, mention is made of two distinct coinages in the reign of Henry II. See line 5 from the top of the page, and line 5 from the bottom.

A.D. 1159.-Fifth year of the reign of Henry II. "Eodem anno nova moneta creata est in Anglia.”

A.D. 1180.-Twenty-sixth year of Henry II.

"Eodem anno nova moneta in Anglia.”

From the different wording of these records I infer that the coinage of the fifth year was altogether a new one; of the type as well as of the Sovereign. But of the twenty-sixth year, that it was only a general coinage of an established type.-R. SAINTHILL.

[Translation by Dr. Aquilla Smith.]

money was of no use, our Lord the King said, I will that this money pass current, the penny for twenty sterlings, provided that no one be compelled to take it, and that whoever takes it may exchange it, whenever he will, without charge [loss], and if he wish may come to our Exchange and shall have for every gold penny nineteen (silver) pennies and one halfpenny."

In 1257 the citizens were charged by the king with having altered the scales and weights. To which they replied that the scales and weights were not altered, but the form only and manner of weighing, and that it was done by the advice of more than 200 honest citizens.-P. 34.

(A.D. 1263.)-At that time, and before, many pennies of the Italians and Corsini, which were deposited in the priories and abbeys about London, were removed by force and brought to London.

The Corsini were Italian merchants famous for their usurious practices. See Du Cange, Gloss. voce Caorcini.

Appendix, page 247.-" E. l'an xv.

"Fet a remembrer que le esterling peisera xxxij. greyns de furment, mileweins par numbre, e a un quarterun del unce vount c.lx. greyns de numbre et a demy unce vount ccc.lxx. greyns, et al unce entir vount vje. e xl. greyns, c'est a saver le unce de xx. esterlings : e al quarterun de la livre vount M.ix. xx. greyns par numbre, e le demy livre vount iij.viij.xl. greyns; e a livre de xx. de esterling vount vijm.vje.iiij. greyns par numbre par xii. unces."

Page 249.-" Memorandum ke le jour Seynt Estevene l'an xxviij. comencaunt furent le crocars e le pollars apeles. Furent cries a malle parmi Engleterre e coreurent jusces le weylle de Pasce preseyn suant. La quelle weylle furent defendu ke mes ne corusent. La quele mone wint hors de Flandres, ke corut en la tere par vj. hans per Angleter, a grante damaje de tout le reyume."

[Translation by Dr. Aquilla Smith.]

Appendix, page 247.-" 15 Edw. I.

"Be it remembered that the sterling shall weigh 32 grains of wheat in number from the middle of the ear, and to a quarter of an ounce there go 160 grains in number, and to half an ounce there go 370 [recte 320] grains, and 640 grains to a whole ounce; that is to say, the ounce of twenty sterlings; and to a quarter of a pound there go 1920 grains in number, and to half a pound 3840 grains; and to a pound of twenty shillings of sterlings go 7680 grains in [equal to] 12 ounces."

Page 249.—(A.D. 1299, December 26.)

Memorandum, that on St. Stephen's Day, in the beginning of the 28th year (of Edw. I.), the crocards and pollards were called in. They were cried down to a halfpenny in England, and circulated until Easter Eve next ensuing, on which eve they were prohibited from circulating. This money came from Flanders, and circulated in the land for six years through England, to the great injury of the realm."