the Royal Mint

the Royal Mint

Between Royal Mint Street north and Upper East Smithfield south (P.O. Directory).

Erected here 1810–11. Partly reconstructed and practically rebuilt 1881–2. Architects, Johnson and Smirke.

Old office of Warden abolished 1817 and of Master 1870, being transferred to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The working head is called the Deputy Master.

Formerly in the Tower.

Amongst the Courts and alleys, etc., removed to make way for its erection and extension were Seven Star Court, Beck's Rents, etc.

It occupies the site of the old Victualling Office shown in Rocque's map, 1746, erected on the site of the Abbey of St. Mary Graces, pulled down temp. H. VIII.

Mint (New), Tower Hill,—the large new building on the E. side of Little Tower-hill by Victualling-office-square.

Mint, the Royal, Tower-hill, is the large building on the east side of the principal land entrance and offices of the St. Katherine Dock Company. It derives its name either from munte, Dutch, or mynetian, Saxon, a place where money is coined. In former times the Kings of England had mints in various places, and so early as Henry I. the English goldsmiths had become so eminent as to be frequently employed by foreign princes. In Cromwell's time the celebrated Simon presided at the Mint, and raised the English coinage to a deservedly high rank. The reign of Queen Anne is also another era in our coinage, as is that of George IV., the beauty of whose coins has never been surpassed. The coinage all undergoes a close investigation before the lord chancellor and a jury of goldsmiths, of what is called the trial of the pix, by which its equal purity is ascertained.

All the coinage of the United Kingdoms is now executed within the walls of this building, which is a handsome structure of a mixture of Roman and Grecian architecture. The elevation of the building is by the late Mr. Johnson, and the entrances, &c., by Robert Smirke, Esq., R.A., who finished the works. The complex nature of the machinery by which this great national undertaking is conducted, and the care taken to preserve the integrity of the coinage, maybe gathered from the following official list of those under whose superintendence it is conducted. Namely:—

The Rt. Hon. J.C. Herries, Master and Worker; Sir Walter James, Bart., Warden; James W. Morrison, Esq., Deputy Master and Worker, and Receiver of Mint Fees; John Tekell, Esq., Comptroller; John Barton, Esq., Deputy Comptroller and King's Clerk of Copper Coinage; Messrs. Robert Bingley, King's Assayer; Henry Bingley, Probationer Assayer; Thomas P. Croasdaile, King's Clerk and Clerk of the Papers; W.T. Brande, Clerk of the Irons and Superintendent of Machinery; John M. Beckwith, the Master's Assay Master; George F. Mathison, the Master's First Clerk, Melter and Refiner; John Buckham, Second Clerk and Probationer Melter; John Field, Weigher and Teller, and Stamper of Money Weights; Henry Delhoste, Surveyor of Meltings; William Wyon, Esq., Chief Engraver; — — Esq., Second Engraver; B. Pistrucci, Esq., Chief Medallist to the King; Messrs. John B. Merlin, Supernumerary Engraver; Henry W. Atkinson, Provost of the Moneyers; William Busson, Surveyor of the Money-Presses; Robert Smirke, Esq., R.A., Surveyor of Buildings; Joshua Blunt, Esq., Solicitor; Peregrine Courteney, Esq., Standing Counsel; John Pearson, Bullion Porter; William Ward, Second Porter; and Mary Wilson, Office-keeper.

Mint (The Royal), on Tower Hill. The work of coinage, which had been carried on for many centuries in the Tower of London, was removed here in 1810. The coinage of the United Kingdom and of most of our Colonies is executed within these walls. The present building was designed by Mr. John Johnson, and the entrances, etc., by Sir Robert Smirke, who finished the works. The facade towards Tower Hill, Graeco-Roman in character, comprises a centre with six columns and pediment, and two wings each with pilasters, on a rustic basement. The building is imposing from its extent, solidity and simplicity of style. New machinery was introduced into the Mint, and the operative department was reconstructed in 1881–1882. The article on the Mint in the last edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica by Prof. C. Roberts-Austen, F.R.S., Chemist to the Mint, contains a plan of this building as thus rearranged. The various processes connected with coining, after the metal has been brought to the proper standard and cast in ingots of uniform size and thickness, are carried on by a series of ingenious machines in rooms known as the rolling-room, the cutting-out and milling room, the annealing-room, the coining press-room, etc. An interesting machine is that called "the draw-bench," by which the metal is drawn through fixed blocks to the precise thickness required for the coin which is to be cut out of it. In the case of gold the difference of a hair's breadth in any part of the plate or sheet of gold would alter the weight of a sovereign. By another machine circular disks are punched out of the sheets of metal of any size required, and by a number of presses these blanks as they are called are stamped on obverse and reverse at the same time. The force with which the blow is struck; the rapid motion by which sixty or more coins may be struck in a minute; the mode in which the press feeds itself with the blanks to be coined, and, when struck, removes them from between the dies, is very interesting. A matrix in intaglio is first cut in soft steel by the Engraver to the Mint. When this is hardened, many dies may be obtained from it, provided the metal resists the great force required to obtain an impression from it. To prevent the metal of the blank squeezing out in the process of coining, the die is fitted with a steel collar of the exact size of the blank. The inside of this collar is cut into fine grooves, into which, in stamping, the edge of the metal is forced, and the milled edge of our coins is thus produced. The blanks are supplied to the press by a feeder, and as they leave the die are pushed by a slide into a receiver. The gold and silver coins are all weighed by ingenious automatic weighing machines similar to those in use in the Bank of England.

No gold or silver coins are issued from the Mint until a sample of them has been assayed. When that process has been gone through, other samples are placed in a pyx or casket secured with locks, which require several keys to open, these keys being kept by different officials. The coins so secured are annuaUy submitted to what is termed the Trial of the Pyx. This is now performed by a jury of ten practical goldsmiths and assayers, who assay and compare with the trial plates, which were formerly kept in the ancient treasury in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey, the keys of which and of the pyx in which the trial plates were deposited were in the custody of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Lords of the Treasury. The Trial plates are now in the custody of the Board of Trade. In this trial an extremely small amount of inaccuracy both as to weight and fineness is allowed, but in every instance hitherto the coins have been found well within this remedy as it is called, and the jury, through the Queen's Remembrancer, have pronounced a verdict of acquittal. The gold coin in circulation in Great Britain is estimated at £100,000,000. Within the Mint is a collection of early matrices for coins, and coins which the coin collector should exert his interest to see.

In 1817 the old office of Warden of the Mint was abolished. The office of Master of the Mint was virtually abolished by Act of Parliament in 1870, being transferred to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is Master of the Mint, ex officio but without a special salary. The working head is called Deputy Master, who has to present an annual report to the Treasury. The office of Master of the Mint was usually given to a political partisan, but in a few instances to eminent men of science—Sir Isaac Newton, Sir John Herschel, and Thomas Graham being conspicuous examples.

A remarkable robbery occurred at the Mint in 1798, when a man of the name of Turnbull entered with a loaded pistol, served himself with 2804 guineas, and then made the best of his way off. On October 31, 1815, a fire broke out in what was called the shaking-machine room, which caused much destruction.

Mode of Admission.—Order firom the Deputy Master, which is not transferable, and is available only for the day and hour specified. In all applications for admission the names and addresses of the persons wishing to be admitted, or of some one of them, are to be stated, and the party must not exceed six.