• DOI:10.1098/RSNR.1963.0017
• Corpus ID: 143981415

Isaac Newton and the counterfeiters

@article{Craig1963IsaacNA,
  title={Isaac Newton and the counterfeiters},
  author={John H.S. Craig},
  journal={Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London},
  year={1963},
  volume={18},
  pages={136 - 145}
}

• J. Craig
• Published 1 December 1963
• History
• Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London

Dr Isaac Newton, who retained his Cambridge appointments, probably entered on the Wardenship of the Mint between 13 April 1696, the date of his warrant of appointment, and 2 May when he took the oath of secrecy. A memorandum (1) by Thomas Fowle, one of the clerks, showed him that Montague’s ‘not much bus’ness to require more attendance than you can spare’ (2) exaggerated the burden. The three principal officers of the Mint had each his peculiar province, though formal concurrences of colleagues were required for some matters. Any or all of them could leave everything to his deputy. The Comptroller kept the bullion accounts as a check on the Master’s minting, and looked after buildings and some ancillary services. The Master received the whole yield of certain taxes which he disbursed as required at stereotyped rates; he contracted to coin for set fees from this fund all gold or silver bullion bars offered to the Mint, but subcontracted the work to the Melter and the Company of Moneyers who provided their own staff. The Warden represented the other party to this contract, the Crown; he still paid, with money drawn from the Master, those salaries once charged on the Crown’s share of the seignorage, which he had collected till its abolition; he could give orders to none except his three clerks, but he retained some fading judicial powers. Newton’s six immediate predecessors scarcely attended at all. His petition (3) to the Treasury to restore the old primacy of the post shows his distaste for the role. The wardenship in fact remained a sinecure from before 1600 till its abolition in the 19th century except for his term, from 1696 until 1699.