1279
Edward I moves the Mint into the Tower.
1318
The Master of the Mint, Giles de Hertesbergh fails the Trial of the Pyx and is imprisoned in Marshalsea Prison for 6 weeks as punishment.
1348
The first gold coins are made at the Mint. Previously only silver coins had been made.
1360
The first instalment of the French king John II’s ransom arrives into the Mint to be melted down and made into new English coins.
1402
There are complaints that the Mint porter insists on a small ‘donation’ before he lets people come into the Mint to conduct their lawful business.
1483
Lord William Hastings, Master, is killed by Richard III at the Tower for disagreeing with him about the fate of the Princes in the Tower.
1544
Henry VIII orders the ‘Great debasement’ of his coins. He reduced the purity of English silver and gold coins to fund foreign wars and an extravagant lifestyle
1560
Elizabeth I orders a recoinage to get rid of the debased coins introduced by her father Henry VIII, and new ‘fine’ coins are made again.
1642
In the bitter Civil Wars, Parliament takes control of the Tower and the Mint, but they continue using King Charles I’s portrait on coins.
1649
The Crown Jewels are melted down at the Mint and made into coins.
1663
All coins are now made by new machinery including new screw-presses. The new machine-struck coins were more regular than the old hammered coins and harder to tamper with.
1696
Isaac Newton is made Warden of the Mint. He devotes his time to tracking down counterfeiters, and in making carful notes about how the Mint works and suggesting improvements.
