the Mint

Mint, in Southwork, the str. called Mint str. is on the W. side of Blackman str. near against St. George's Church, and it was so called, for that a sumptuous House built by Charles Brandon, late Duke of Suffolk, in the Reign of Hen. VIII. called Suffolk house, coming afterwards into the King's Hands, the same was called Southwork place, and a Mint of Coinage was there kept for the King. The Inhabitants have of late (as the White fryars, Savoy, Salisbury court, Ram alley, Mitre court, Fullers rents, Baldwins gardens, Montague close, or the Minories, Clink and Deadmans place) assumed to themselves a Privilege of Protection from Arrests, for Debt; against whom a severe, tho' just statute was made, 8 & 9 William III. Chap. 27. whereby any Person having Moneys owing from any in these pretended privileged Places, may, upon a Legal Process taken out, require the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, the head Bailiff of the Dutchy, Liberty, or the High Sheriff of Surry, or Bailiff of Southwork, or their Deputies, to take a Posse Comitatus, and arrest such Persons, or take their Goods upon Execution or Extent, and the Sheriffs or Officers neglecting, to forfeit to the Plaintiff 100 l. and every Person opposing them, to forfeit 50 l. and to be sent to Gaol till the next Assize, and suffer such Imprisonment, and be set in the Pillory, as the Court shall think fit; and any Person rescuing or aiding therein, forfeits to the Plaintiff 500 l. and upon Non-payment of the Forfeitures, the Person neglecting, to be transported to some of the Plantations for 7 Years, and returning again within that time, to be guilty of Felony, without Benefit of Clergy: and Persons harbouring those that have made such Rescues, shall be transported as aforesaid, unless they pay the Plaintiff the whole Debt and Costs. Yet notwithstanding, the Place pretends as much to Privilege as before, tho this Act has supprest all the other Places; and these Streets are reckon'd within the compass of this Mint, viz. Mint str. Crooked lane there, Bells rents, Exchange alley, Cheapside, and Lombard str. there; also Cannon str. Suffolk str. St. George str. Queen str. King str. Peter str. Harrow alley, Anchor alley, and Duke str. all in the Parish of St. Georges, Southwork.

The Mint, generally so taken, is very large, containing several Streets and Alleys; In this Tract of Ground called the Mint, stood the Duke of Suffolk's House. The chief Street in the Mint is so called, being that which gives an Entrance into it out of Blackman's street; It is long and narrow, running into Lombart street, thence into Suffolk street, and also into George street, which said Suffolk street and George street have open Passages into St. George's Fields: Then on the North side are several Places intended to be built, several Foundations of Houses being laid, but whether they will be finished, is a Question. Peale Yard of which there are two, one within another, and both small and ordinary. Souls Yard, a little open Place with two Houses. Acorn Alley, but small, runs into Birdcage Alley, and so into Harrow Alley. Birdcage Alley, very well built, with Gardens behind. Harrow Alley goes into Mint street, it hath good Buildings with Gardens to them, and here is a small Court which bears the same Name. Crooked Lane, very narrow and mean both to Buildings and Inhabitants. Whelers Rent, very ordinary, hath its Entrance into Mint street. Blue Ball Alley, very ordinary, with several Turnings amongst the Gardens; at the upper End of the Mint are several Streets, which are pretty good, as already taken notice of, viz. Lombard street, Suffolk street, and George street.

Mint, opposite the west end of St. George's church, Southwark. Here anciently stood a magnificent structure belonging to the Duke of Suffolk, which coming to Henry VIII. he erected a mint in it, from which that neighbourhood is still denominated. This place was for many years a famous asylum for debtors, who fled thither with their effects, in order to defraud their creditors: till this was carried to such a height, that the Parliament found it necessary to take away the privilege of sanctuary in order to destroy this nest of spoilers.

Mint (The) in Southwark, a sanctuary for insolvent debtors, and a harbour for thieves, prostitutes, and lawless persons of all descriptions, not effectually suppressed till the reign of George I., and then only after the perpetration of many intolerable outrages. There are three statutes against it; 8 and 9 Will. III., c. 27; 9 Geo. I., c. 29; and II Geo. I., c. 22.

The Mint generally so taken is very large, containing several streets and alleys; in this tract of ground called the Mint, stood the Duke of Suffolk's house. The chief street in the Mint [Mint Street] is so called, being that which gives an entrance into it out of Blackman Street; it is long and narrow, running into Lombart Street, thence into Suffolk Street, and so into George Street.—StrypeB. iv. p. 31.

Almost directly over-against St. George's Church, was sometime a large and most sumptuous house, built by Charles Brandon late Duke of Suffolk, in the reign of Henry VIII., which was called Suffolk House, but coming afterwards into the King's hands, the same was Called Southwarke Place, and a Mint of Coinage was there kept for the King.—Stow, p. 153.

A large number of coins were discovered in a field in 1833, and among these 468 pennies were found.

At the accession of King George I. he [Rowe] was made Poet Laureate; I am afraid by the ejection of poor Nahum Tate who [Dec. 6, 1718] died in the Mint, where he was forced to seek shelter by extreme poverty.—Johnson's Life of Rowe.

No place is sacred, not the church is free.
E'en Sunday shines no sabbath day to me:
Then from the Mint walks forth the man of rhyme,
Happy to catch me just at dinner time.

I never answered. ...
If want provoked, or madness made them print,
I wag'd no war with Bedlam or the Mint.—Pope.

The great topic of his [Pope's] ridicule is poverty; the crimes with which he reproaches his antagonists are their debts, their habitation in the Mint, and their want of a dinner.—Johnson's Life of Pope.

Young indulged much in the same vein—

Clubs credit for Geneva in the Mint.—Young, Satire iv.

Such writers have we! all but sense they print
Ev'n George's praise is dated from the Mint.—Young to Pope.

Trapes. The act for destroying the Mint was a severe cut upon our business—'Till then if a customer stept out of the way—we knew where to have her.—Gay, The Beggar's Opera.

John Tutchin, of the Bloody Assizes ("Flagrant from the stroke"), died here in great distress in 1707. Mat of the Mint is one of Macheath's gang in Gay's Beggar's Opera. Marriages were performed here, as at the Fleet, the Savoy, and May Fair. Clearances have been made at different times, and in 1887 the whole place was cleared.