The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

ON THE IRISH COINS OF RICHARD III. 313
This document, the existence of which was unknown to
me when I entered on the investigation of Richard's
Irish coinage, is important, as its date is eight months
previous to the first meeting of the Irish Parliament
in March, 1483, O.S. ; and it will serve in some
degree to remove the obscurity in Simon's abstract from
the Eoll of 1483, in which he says, "All that can be
gathered from it relating to coin is, that the coin struck
within the Castle of Dublin, or elsewhere in Ireland, by
the king's officers according to the print described (which
cannot be read), shall pass and be current among all the
subjects." 3
Mr. Lindsay also was unable to understand (from
Simon's account) the Act, which in his opinion " is
evidently composed of parts of two Acts, and relate to coin
of very different description." 4
There is also a document from which I have copied only
the following items " concernyng the mynte of Ireland."
GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND.
[MS. Harl. 488, f. 242.]
[A.D. 1488, August.] INSTRUCCIONS yeven by the King
our soverayn lord to his trusty welbeloved maister William
Lacy, sent from his highness unto his saide lande in Irland.
Item, the said maister William shall have with him a lettre
undre the kinges prive seall concernyng the mynte of Irlande,
the whiche lettre is directe unto the lordes of the counsaille
there, and he shal ensiste that in al possible hast the content of
that lettre be put in execucion.
Item, to appoynt officers besides the maister of the mynte,
Kichard III. and Henry VII." (edited by James Gairdner).
Published under the direction of the Master of the Rolls,
8vo, 1868, vol. ii., Appendix B, page 286.
3
Simon, Appendix, No. xviii. cap. 7.
4
Lindsay's " View of the Coinage of Ireland," Cork, 4to,
1889, p. 47.
VOL. I. THIRD SERIES. S S