Moneyer

A person given license by the King to strike coins for the kingdom. In 12th Century England, coins were periodically melted down and restruck, keeping in excess of 30 moneyers in buisness, located at various places around the country. The moneyer was in charge of overseeing the coins being struck, but employed others to do the actuall work of making the coins. Each moneyer had his own seperate mint with a furnace where this was done, even in large cities with several moneyers.

Being a moneyer was to hold some wealth and position, but no claim to nobility or political power, making the person of the evilvalent of the merchant class.

references:

• Holmes 1952
• Zarnecki 1984