Browne Willis - John Bettesworth - 1734-04-08

Correspondence

Browne Willis

Browne Willis - John Bettesworth - 1734-04-08

FINA IDUnique ID of the page ᵖ	14209
InstitutionName of Institution.	Gloucestershire Archives
InventoryInventory number.	D340a/C35
AuthorAuthor of the document.	Browne Willis
RecipientRecipient of the correspondence.	John Bettesworth
Correspondence dateDate when the correspondence was written: day - month - year .	April 8, 1734
PlacePlace of publication of the book, composition of the document or institution.
Associated personsNames of Persons who are mentioned in the annotation.	John Conduitt
LiteratureReference to literature.	Burnett 2020b, p. 16541
KeywordNumismatic Keywords ᵖ	British Coins , Coin Price , Gold Coins
LanguageLanguage of the correspondence	English
External LinkLink to external information, e.g. Wikpedia ᵖ

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Grand documentOriginal passage from the "Grand document".

'I was very glad I rec’d y^r kind letter being allways thankfull for your \continued/ favours which I can never repay. I wish it may be in my power to make you the least return. I rejoyce Mr Conduit thinks of you among the first; the peices He has at the Tower consist of some few of Henry 8th, more of Edwd 6, & Queen Elizabeth, but most of all, of James & Charles the First – whatever peices you can pick up of Henry 8^th or Edw^d 6 weighing 7^sh or 4^sh, or 5^sh, you may lay hold of: these little peices or quarters are very scarce & pretty uncommon, the weight will direct you; all the peices in the Tower are of the Standard Gold, there were none took in that were of the Fine Gold, as the Angels Ryals double Ryals George Nobles Spur Ryals & such curious peices. I am told there are abundance of James & Charles the First in [choi]cest preservation, if you take a double set of these, every [ ... ] will be glad to give you the cost w^th the utmost thanks. I am infinitely thankfull you are so generous to make me (who are at such a distance) so kind an offer I cannot direct a^bt it otherwise than that I should rejoyce to get fairer peices for several I have, which I must keep to preserve my sett, till I can part with them for others of better preservation. As to the more Ancient peices I hope to describe them so by weight & otherwise in each Reign that the Gold may easily be known. I presume you have Mr Lowndes’s Essay which describes the weights in several reigns. I am now essaying to make a calendar of the Gold Coins with their weights in every reign but I find it will take up some time to compleat; if I live to finish it, it is heartily at y^r service with any thing else in my power. As to antient Gold peices before Queen Elizabeth’s time no one can be a Loser by accumulating them if they come for a small matter above their weight the Fineness of the Gold in the Angels Nobles Ryals &c will over & above ballance the purchases of them so then I need say nothing on the particular but to recommend a Freind to secure th[e] peices. … [talks of the problems of acquiring silver] … I have spent of many Bargains of this kind because had I not been over Lavish in my I might have supplyed my Freinds, however I hope it may still be in my power if I have the opportunity to look into hords as I now & then have in private purses; these were very numerous before 1696 the calling in of the clipt money; but are now not common.'

(Gloucestershire Archives, D340a/C35; Burnett 2020b, p. 1654)