Warden of the Mint was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England from 1216 to 1829. The warden was responsible for a variety of minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. The role of warden changed greatly through history with the original task being the receiving, assay and payment for bullion, while later evolving into more of an administerial role.
The office received a yearly emolument of £500. Up until 1685, wardens were given tenure: many of them died while in office. Although technically subordinate to the Master of the Mint whose job was act as a contractor to the crown, many wardens advanced later on to become Master of the Mint with some wardens holding both offices at the same time.
The most illustrious holder of the office of Warden of the Mint was Isaac Newton, who was warranted to this position on the recommendation of his friend, Charles Montagu, Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1696. In 1699 however, Newton undertook the office of Master of the Mint, which was far more lucrative, as well as potentially more technically challenging. After the death in 1829 of the final warden, Sir Walter James, 1st Baronet, the office was abolished having existed for 613 years.
| Tenure | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1193 | Henry de Cornhill | |||
| 1197 | Odo Parvus and others | |||
| 1202 | Hugh Oisel | |||
| 1203 | Wido de Vou | |||
| 1204 | Hugh Oisel | |||
| 1208 | Nigel Ruffus and Odo Varvus | |||
| 1216–1222 | Hubert de Berg | |||
| 1222 | Hger | |||
| 1224 | Alexander | |||
| 1229 | Riehard Reinger | London and Canterbury | ||
| 1243 | Otto Fitz William | |||
| 1245 | William Hardel | London and Canterbury | ||
| 1247 | Walter de Flemeng | |||
| 1248 | William HardelWalter de More | London and Canterbury | ||
| 1251 | J. Silvestre | |||
| 1252 | J. de Somercote | |||
| 1258 | William the King's Goldsmith | London and Canterbury | ||
| 1266 | B. de Castell and Richard de Geoffrey | |||
| 1270–1279 | Bartholomew de Castello | |||
| 1279–1292 | Gregory de Rokesley | Shared Role | ||
| 1279–1281 | Orlando di Poggio | |||
| 1292–1296 | William of Wymondham | |||
| 1297–1298 | Peter of Leicester | |||
| 1298–1305 | John Sandale | |||
| c1319 | Augustine le Waleys | |||
| 1331 | Richard de Snowshill | |||
| c1337 | John de Wyndsore | |||
| 1343 | George Kirkyn, Lotte Nicholyn | |||
| 1334 | William of Wakefield | |||
| 1334 | John of Fleet | |||
| 1346 | George Kirkyn, Lotte Nicholyn | |||
| 1349 | John Donati de Castello, Philip John de Neri, Benedict Isbari | (killed 1381) | ||
| 1375–1376 | Executed on 14 June 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt | |||
| 1376–1377 | Thomas Hervey | |||
| 1377–1388 | John Gurtmonchester | |||
| 1389–1392 | Guy Rocliffe | |||
| 1392–1399 | ||||
| 1399–1403 | Robert Heathcote | |||
| 1408–1411 | David de Nigarellis of Lucca | |||
| 1411–1439 | ||||
| 1439–1446 | ||||
| 1446–1449 | John Lematon | |||
| 1449–1468 | Thomas Montgomery | |||
| 1468–1470 | John Wode | |||
| 1470–1471 | John Langstrother | Joint Wardens both executed Tewkesbury 1471 | ||
| 1471-1471 | ||||
| 1471 | John Wode | (re-instated) | ||
| 1534–1536 | ||||
| 1536–1544 | John Browne | |||
| 1560–1595 | Sir Richard Martin | Acted as Master of the Mint from 1581-1617 | [1] | |
| 1599–1609 | Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet | |||
| 1609–1621 | Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet and Edmund Doubleday | |||
| 1621 | Henry Tweedy | |||
| 1623 | Sir Edward Villiers Sir William Parkhurst | died 1626 | ||
| 1629–1642 | Sir William Parkhurst and Sir Anthony St Leger | |||
| 1642–1645 | Holland | (appointed by Parliament) | ||
| 1645 | John St John | (appointed by Parliament) | ||
| 1660–1666 | Sir William Parkhurst | |||
| 1660–1680 | Sir Anthony St Leger | died 1680 | ||
| 1681 | Sir Thomas Wharton (died 1684) and son Philip Wharton | |||
| 1685–1686 | Sir Philip Lloyd | |||
| 1686–1690 | Owen Wynne | |||
| 1690 | Benjamin Overton | |||
| 1696–1699 | Sir Isaac Newton | Promoted to Master of the Mint in 1699 | [2] | |
| 1700 | Sir John Stanley, 1st Baronet | |||
| 1708–1714 | Craven Peyton | Appointed in April 1708 and removed from office in December 1714 | [3] | |
| 1714 | Sir Richard Sandford, 3rd Baronet | |||
| 1718 | William Thompson | |||
| 1725 | Walter Cary | |||
| 1727 | Sir Andrew Fountaine | |||
| 1754 | Richard Herbert (died 1754) | |||
| 1754 | John Jeffreys | |||
| 1766 | William Whitmore | |||
| 1771 | Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet | [4] | ||
| 1796–1829 | Sir Walter James, 1st Baronet (the last Warden; he died in 1829) | |||
| 1829 | Office abolished |