From a very early time the moneyers seem to have enjoyed exclusive privileges. In the 33 Henry II. the moneyers of York were expressly exempted from the payment of the " Donum," which was assessed upon the men of that city. (Mottos, vol. i., p. 635.) In the 13 Henry the mayor. &c., of London were commanded not to infringe upon the liberties of the king's moneyers of London, by exacting from them tallages or other customs contrary to their privileges (Cl. 18 henry III., m. and before his 41st year those privileges appear to have been extended to the whole body of officers belonging to the mint; for at that time the bailiffs, &c., of Canterbury were ordered to appear in the Exchemer to receive judgment for having distrained upon thd ifficers of that mint. (Maio:, Hist. Exch.; ' Burling, Annals of the The earliest grant of these privileges by charter was in the reign of Edward I., when the officers of the exchange and of the mint were (by the names of the keepers of the changes of the city of London and Canterbury, the labourers, or workers, money-makers, or coiners, and other ministers deputed or appointed unto those things which touch the office of the changes aforesaid) freed from all tallages, and were not to be put into any assizes, juries, or recognisance, and were to plead before the said keepers of the changes only, except in plats appertaining unto freehold and the crown.
These privileges were granted to them so long as they should con tinue in the above-mentioned offices, and were confirmed by Edward II. in his second year, with this addition, that they were to be quit of all manner of aids and contributions, as well as tillages, and that if at any time they should, of their own proper will, grant any aid or contribu tion, such should be levied upon them by the keepers of the exchanges aforesaid, and that no other should intermeddle. The keepers them selves were in such case to be taxed by the barons of the Exchequer. Letters-patent to the same effect were issued by Edward III., Richard 11., Edward IV., Henry VII., Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Philip and Mary. All these are referred to in the charter of incorporation which was granted by Elizabeth in the first year of her reign, but those of Edward I. and Edward II. alone are given at length.
In that year Queen Elizabeth granted a charter to the workers of the mint, by which important privileges were secured to theta. Many of these privileges were enjoyed till a recent period, but were gradually restricted, and are now wholly abolished. In 1799, by the 39 Geo. III. c. 94, the salary of the master and worker of the royal mint was fixed at 3000/. a-year, in lieu of all fees, perquisites, and emoluments, which in cases of recoinage were declared to be " excessive ;" but the fees were to bo received as usual and paid into the Exchequer. In 1831, the act of 1 & 2 Wm. IV. esp. 10 reduced the salary to 2000/. a year. In 1837, the 7 Wm. IV. c. 9 enacted that all fees, allowances, or emoluments authorised by the indenture between the master of the mint and the king, should cease altogether from April 5th in that year ; that from the same date no part of the seignorage on the coinage of silver or copper should be applied in any way to the expenditure of the mint, but should be paid into the exchequer ; and that the treasury might authorise the master of the mint to purchase bullion for purposes of coinage, the means to be furnished from the consolidated fund, the money received for the coin to bo repaid into the exchequer, and an account to be laid before parliament within ten days of the commencement of the session.
In 1848 the government appointed a commission to inquire into the working of the Mint system and to suggest remedies. The report presented by the commissioners showed that the system was extremely complicated ; and that many of the officials, especially the refiner and smelter, and the moneyers, received inordinately large emoluments. Them persons regarded themselves as a sort of close corporate body with vented rights ; and it was with the utmost difficulty that the commissioners could obtain from them any details concerning their profits' or receipts. The official routine at that time may shortly be described thus :--The master gave to the refiner and tnoneyera a certain weight of gold and silver, and the latter returned to him a less weight of coined money; the difference being their salary, profit, or reward for conducting the refining and coining operations. The muter was, himself, always an adherent of the government for the time being; his was a political office, with a salary of 2000/. a year ; and the holder Interfered very little with the proceedings of the regular staff at the Mint. The commissioners recommended very extensive changes to be marls. When the late Mr. Shell was Master of the Mint, lu 1850, the government requested him to draw up a plan of reform, based on the report of the commissioners, with such modifications as seemed to him desirable ; be did so, entering minutely into the details of the subject. Mr. Shell being soon afterwards appointed to the embassy at Florence, the government acted on one of the suggestions of the commission, by appointing a scientific person as Muter of the Mint, instead of a mere political adherent; Sir John Iferschel became master. Ho approved of the various proposed reforms ; and an order in council in 1851 authorised them to be made. It was a most difficult matter to effect a compromise with the assayers, refiners, monevers, smelters, engravers, and others, owing to the enormous sums which they demanded for a relinquishment of their several privileges ; but this was at length effected, and the now system was got into working order by the beginning of 1852. Professor Graham has since succeeded Sir John Herschel. All the officials at the Mint are now paid regular salaries, without any retention of the vicious system of fen and perquisites ; and the master is empowered to contract for coining, to be conducted by persons not connected with the Mint, if he thinks the public advantage can be served by so doing. An arrangement was at the same time made, whereby Sir Anthony do Rothschild took a lease of the government refinery at the Mint for ten years; he is bound to refine all the gold and silver that the master may send to him, within a certain maximum and minimum, at a fixed price of 4s. per lb. for gold, and 6d. per lb. for silver ; but ho is per. mated to refine other bullion also on his own account; while the master is permitted to employ other refiners in addition to Sir Anthony.