Warden of the Mint

Isaac Newton, Warden of the Mint from 1696–1699

Warden of the Mint was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England from 1216 to 1829. The warden was responsible for a variety of minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. The role of warden changed greatly through history with the original task being the receiving, assay and payment for bullion, ^[1] while later evolving into more of an administerial role.

The office received a yearly emolument of £500. Up until 1685, wardens were given tenure: many of them died while in office. ^[2] Although technically subordinate to the Master of the Mint whose job was act as a contractor to the crown, many wardens advanced later on to become Master of the Mint with some wardens holding both offices at the same time.

The most illustrious holder of the office of Warden of the Mint was Isaac Newton, who was warranted to this position on the recommendation of his friend, Charles Montagu, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1696. In 1699 however, Newton undertook the office of Master of the Mint, which was far more lucrative, as well as potentially more technically challenging. After the death in 1829 of the final warden, Sir Walter James, 1st Baronet, the office was abolished having existed for 613 years.

Warden of the Mint

Tenure		Notes
1193	Henry de Cornhill		[3]
1197	Odo Parvus and others		[3]
1202	Hugh Oisel		[3]
1203	Wido de Vou		[3]
1204	Hugh Oisel		[3]
1208	Nigel Ruffus and Odo Varvus		[3]
1216–1222	Hubert de Berg		[4]
1222	Hger		[3]
1224	Alexander		[3]
1229	Riehard Reinger	London and Canterbury	[3]
1243	Otto Fitz William		[3]
1245	William Hardel	London and Canterbury	[3]
1247	Walter de Flemeng		[3]
1248	William Hardel Walter de More	London and Canterbury	[3]
1251	J. Silvestre		[3]
1252	J. de Somercote		[3]
1258	William the King's Goldsmith	London and Canterbury	[3]
1266	B. de Castell and Richard de Geoffrey		[3]
1270–1279	Bartholomew de Castello		[4]
1279–1292	Gregory de Rokesley	Shared Role	[2]
1279–1281	Orlando di Poggio		[2]
1292–1296	William of Wymondham		[1]
1297–1298	Peter of Leicester		[1]
1298–1305	John Sandale		[1]
c1319	Augustine le Waleys		[4]
1331	Richard de Snowshill
c1337	John de Wyndsore		[4]
1343	George Kirkyn, Lotte Nicholyn		[1]
1334	William of Wakefield		[1]
1334	John of Fleet		[5]
1346	George Kirkyn, Lotte Nicholyn		[1]
1349	John Donati de Castello, Philip John de Neri, Benedict Isbari	(killed 1381)	[1]
1375–1376	Richard Lyons	Executed on 14 June 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt	[6]
1376–1377	Thomas Hervey		[1]
1377–1388	John Gurtmonchester		[1]
1389–1392	Guy Rocliffe		[1]
1392–1399	Andrew Newport		[1]
1399–1403	Robert Heathcote		[1]
1408–1411	David de Nigarellis of Lucca		[7]
1411–1439	Henry Somer		[1]
1439–1446	John Somerset		[8]
1446–1449	John Lematon		[9]
1449–1468	Thomas Montgomery		[1]
1468–1470	John Wode		[1]
1470–1471	John Langstrother	Joint Wardens both executed Tewkesbury 1471	[1]
1471-1471	Sir John Delves
1471	John Wode	(re-instated)	[10]
1534–1536	Sir Thomas Pope		[1]
1536–1544	John Browne		[1]
1560–1595	Sir Richard Martin	Acted as Master of the Mint from 1581-1617	[11]
1599–1609	Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet		[12]
1609–1621	Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet and Edmund Doubleday		[12]
1621	Henry Tweedy		[2]
1623	Sir Edward Villiers Sir William Parkhurst	died 1626	[2]
1626-1629	Sir William Parkhurst
1629–1642	Sir William Parkhurst and Sir Anthony St Leger		[2]
1642–1645	Holland	(appointed by Parliament)	[2]
1645-1660	John St John	(appointed by Parliament)	[2]
1660–1666	Sir William Parkhurst jointly with Sir Anthony St Leger		[2]
1666–1680	Sir Anthony St Leger	died 1680	[2]
1681	Sir Thomas Wharton (died 1684) and son Philip Wharton		[2]
1685–1686	Sir Philip Lloyd		[2]
1686–1690	Owen Wynne		[2]
1690	Benjamin Overton		[2]
1696–1699	Sir Isaac Newton	Promoted to Master of the Mint in 1699	[13]
1700	Sir John Stanley, 1st Baronet		[2]
1708–1714	Craven Peyton	Appointed in April 1708 and removed from office in December 1714	[14]
1714	Sir Richard Sandford, 3rd Baronet		[2]
1718	William Thompson		[2]
1725	Walter Cary		[2]
1727	Sir Andrew Fountaine		[15]
1754	Richard Herbert (died 1754)		[2]
1754	John Jeffreys		[2]
1766	William Whitmore		[2]
1771	Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet		[2]
1796–1829	Sir Walter James, 1st Baronet (the last Warden; he died in 1829)	[2]	[2]
1829	Office abolished

See also

• Münzwardein
• Master of the Mint

References

1. Craig 1953.
2. "Wardens of the Mint 1572-1869". history.ac.uk. Institute of Historical Research . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
3. Ruding 1840 , p.  26
4. Ruding 1840, p. 26-29.
5. Challis 1992, p. 155.
6. Sharpe 2016, p. 60.
7. Clark 2014, p. 185.
8. Clark 2014.
9. Challis 1992, p. 176.
10. Challis 1992, p. 181.
11. "Sir Richard Martin: Treatise on the Reorganisation of the Mint". Cambridge University Library . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
12. Challis 1989, p. 168.
13. "Isaac Newton". Royal Mint . Retrieved 2 April 2017.
14. "PEYTON, Craven (c.1663-1738), of Stratton Street, Westminster". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
15. Craig 1953, p. 206.

Bibliography

• Challis, C.E (1989). Mint Officials and Moneyers of the Stuart Period (PDF). British Numismatic Society.
• Challis, C.E (1992). A New History of the Royal Mint. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0521240260.
• Clark, Linda (2014). The Fifteenth Century XIII: Exploring the Evidence: Commemoration, Administration and the Economy. Boydell Press. ISBN   978-1843839446.
• Craig, John (1953). The Mint: A History of the London Mint from A.D. 287 to 1948. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0521170772.
• Ruding, Rogers (1840). Annals of the coinage of Great Britain and its dependencies. London.
• Sharpe, James (2016). A Fiery & Furious People: A History of Violence in England. Random House Books. p. 60. ISBN   978-1847945136.

External links

• Galileo Project Biography of Newton
• Royal Mint Biography of Newton
• Institute of Historical Research – Wardens of the Mint