Mints and Money in Medieval England

Money could be as essential to everyday life in medieval England as it is today, but who made the coinage, how was it used and why is it important? This definitive study charts the development of coin production from the small workshops of Anglo-Saxon and Norman England to the centralised factory mints of the late Middle Ages, the largest being in the Tower of London. Martin Allen investigates the working lives of the people employed in the mints in unprecedented detail and places the mints in the context of medieval England's commerce and government, showing the king's vital interest in the production of coinage, the maintenance of its quality and his mint revenue. This unique source of reference also offers the first full history of the official exchanges in the City of London regulating foreign exchange and an in-depth analysis of the changing size and composition of medieval England's coinage.

1. Moneyers and mints, c.973–1158; 2. The centralisation of minting, 1158–1278; 3. Mints and their men, 1279–1544; 4. Mint workshop practice and equipment; 5. Standards of weight and fineness; 6. Profits; 7. The exchanges in the city of London; 8. The sources of bullion for the English coinage; 9. Mint output; 10. The changing size of the currency; 11. The currency in circulation; Conclusion; Appendices.

Who made medieval coinage, how was it used and why is it important? This definitive study traces coin production in England from small Anglo-Saxon and Norman workshops to the centralised factory mints of the late Middle Ages, situating mints and money in the context of medieval England's commerce and government.

Martin Allen is a Senior Assistant Keeper in the Department of Coins and Medals at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of History. His first book, The Durham Mint (2003), was awarded the North Book Prize of the British Numismatic Society and his numerous publications and research have established his reputation as one of the leading experts on the money and coinage of medieval England.