AN HUMBLE PETITION AND REMONSTRANCE PRESENTED Unto both the High and Honourable Houses OF PARLIAMENT, CONCERNING The insupportable grievance of the Farthing Tokens.  
Printed in the year, 1642.   

TO The Right Honourable the Lords now assembled in the High Court of PARLIAMENT.  
The humble Petition and Remonstrance of us whose names are here subscribed of London, Westminster, Middlesex, Southwark, and other places of the Kingdom, in behalf of themselves and others.  
Humbly showeth,  
1 THat about 26. years since, King james of blessed memory, conceiving that Farthing Tokens would be useful to the Subjects, and helpful to the poor, caused some quantities thereof to be made, and committed the care and trust both for the issuing forth and rechanging of them again to john Lord Harrington, and afterwards to the Lady Anne his wife.  
2. That 1. Caroli the King by his Letters Patents grants unto the Duchess of Lenox, and Sir Francis Crane, the office of making Tokens for the term of 17. years, at the rent of one hundred Marks per annum.  
3. That 11. Caroli the King grants the office of making the said Farthings to the Lord Matravers and Sir Francis Crane, their executors, administrators, and assigns.  
4. That 15. Caroli the King by his Letters Patents grants the office of making the Farthing Tokens to the Lord Matravers alone at the rent of fourscore pounds per annum.  
5. That in all the several Patents their Majesties have declared their gracious intents and pleasures was that the said Farthing Tokens should be issued forth for the good and ease of the Subject, and that without any loss or hindrance at all, or any other inconveniency, and therefore appointed the rechange as well as the exchange thereof.  
6. That many of your petitioners have still remaining in their hands great quantities of Farthings unrechanged, which were made and issued forth by the authority of the said Duchess of Lenox and Sir Francis Crane, and since by the authority of the L. Matravers and Sir Francis Crane, which your petitioners cannot get to be rechanged, although they have often desired and endeavoured the same, and although all the said Patentees have undertaken and covenanted with his Majesty to rechange them.  
That the allowance of one and twenty shillings in Farthing Tokens for twenty shillings in money, hath been the chiefest cause of your petitioners great burden, for many covetous persons have usually fetched out great quantities of Farthings, some five pounds at a time, some ten pounds, some more, and forced them in payments upon poor labouring people.  
That your petitioners have lost by the rechange of Tokens into the Office some of them fifty pounds, some an hundred pounds, some two hundred pounds, and much more do still daily lose, so that your petitioners are greatly oppressed and damnified in their trading.  
That your petitioners have heretofore petitioned to his Majesty for relief, who was graciously inclined to relieve them, and referred the consideration of their grievances to the Lords of his most Honourable Privy Council, and their Lordships commiserated your petitioners sufferings, nevertheless they have been no way relieved, whereby they are much impoverished, not able to subsist without redress, all which in their humble Remonstrance may fully appear.  
Wherefore the petitioners most humbly pray that they may have all their said tokens rechanged, and for ever hereafter freed from this great oppression and trouble, and in the mean time the Office prohibited from issuing forth any Tokens, with such other reparations and relief for their insupportable losses, as to the great judgement of this Honourable Assembly shall be requisite. And they shall pray, etc.  
About five hundred hands subscribed to this Petition.   

An humble Remonstrance concerning the grievance of Farthing tokens.  
BLessed King JAMES tendering the good of his Subjects, knowing that the richer they grow, the better able they would be to serve him; wisely considered that small monies would be exceeding helpful to the poor, and for retailing trades, about the eleventh year of his Reign caused a copper coin to be made, and to pass under the denomination of a Farthing for the ease and benefit of the Subject.  
And the King's Majesty that now is, hath ever since the death of his Royal Father continued the same, and to the same end, as by their several Patents and Proclamations may appear.  
Nevertheless it hath been for a long time, and still is the greatest oppression that ever was upon the Subject; for put all those insupportable projects or monopolies that of late years hath been set on foot into one end of the balance, and this grievance of Farthing tokens into the other end, and it will out weigh them all, unto the Petitioners and to many thousands more, which for manifestation they do here humbly present to the great Judgement of this honourable Assembly these considerable things: 

1. The Petitioners inconceivable loss.  
2. How the same is occasioned.  
3. The great benefit the Office makes thereby.  
4. The remedy or prevention of this evil for future times.    
For the greatness of the loss, that it is heavier than all the projects or monopolies, appears whether considered in the Petitioners yearly loss or total sum.  
The projects for Salt, Soap, Starch, Tobacco, Cards, Pins, Butter, casks, transporting of Leather, Shipmoney, etc. all which, most of the Petitioners were losers by, yet the loss of all these put together, is not comparable to the Farthings.  
For in all these to lose forty shillings a year, or twenty shillings a year for each man was much, but this oppression of Farthings is to some five pound per annum, to some eight pound, ten pound, to some twelve pound, fifteen pound per annum, and more, enough to bring many thousands of families to breaking and beggary.  
And many of these great losers are poor men which never was able to be brought within the list of Subsidy or Shipmoney.  
And for the total of the Petitioners losses, it is to some twenty pound, to some forty pound, fifty, to some a hundred pound, a hundred and fifty, to some two hundred pound and more, so that many of the Petitioners have lost more by tokens then their whole estate amounts unto.  
Besides these monopolising oppressions of Soap, Ship-money, etc. have been imposed of late years, but this of Farthing tokens, hath continued for this twenty seven years and more, and many poor retailing trades men do lose as much by them in one year as they are worth.  

The second thing to remonstrate, is how this great oppression is occasioned.  
The first occasion is, in issuing forth from the Office one and twenty shillings in tokens, for twenty shillings in money, which profit entices rich men to fetch them out, some forty shillings, five pound, some ten pound a week constantly, and in greater sums, and forces them in payments upon poor work men, as if they were hirelings to the Office to ruin the Kingdom  
And with these tokens poor people come to buy bread, butter, cheese, coals, and other necessaries, and the Petitioners must either take them or leave off trading, then are forced to bring them weekly to the Office, and lose twelve pence per pound, five pound per centum at the least.  
The second occasion is, the altering of the stamp which hath been done five several times, and at each alteration tokens have been left upon the Petitioners hands.  
And many of the Petitioners have yet great quantities of old tokens unrechanged, some forty shillings, five pound, some ten pound, fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty pound, & more, which the Office refuse to rechange, although they have been often required thereunto, and although the patentees have covenanted with his Majesty to rechange them, as by their several Patents, and the King's Proclamations may appear.  
The third occasion is, the abuse of the Office causing the Petitioners daily attendance before they could get their tokens rechanged.  
For all the week they take to deliver out tokens, and appointed but three days a week to rechange, and but six hours in a day, viz. from eight to eleven in the fore noon, and from one till four in the after noon, and the greatest part of that little time was spent in delivering out tokens, and the rest in a trifling rechange of a small quantity, whereby the Petitioners have waited day after day, week after week, to have their tokens rechanged, and in the interim want money to manage their trades, for those with whom they have to deal will not be paid in tokens, besides the Office hath cut and defaced many of those tokens which themselves have issued forth, pretending them to be naught.   

The third thing to remonstrate, is the great profit which the Patentees do make by Tokens.  
The greatness of the profit will appear upon examination of the quantities of the Farthings, issued forth upon each several stamp, and of the small sums received in.  
For instance, the last stamp of single ringed tokens, it is conceived there was a hundred and twenty thousand pounds made and issued forth; and when the stamp was altered, there was not forty thousand pounds received in again; so that there must be still in the hands of the subject fourscore thousand pounds at the least, which they could never get to be rechanged.  
Now the charge of copper and making of the tokens, is not above five shillings per pound, so that the Office gains fifteen shillings in twenty, which amounts to threescore thousand pounds de claro that they have gotten by one sort of tokens; a fare greater profit than all the King's Mints of England, Scotland, etc. can make.  
For the coinage of fourscore thousand pounds in silver is but eleven hundred and eleven pounds, three shillings four pence, which properly belongs to the King, out of which he defrays all the charges of the Mint, except the workmanship, which charges being deducted, the King gains not the claro five hundred pounds but in fourscore thousand pounds of Tokens, the Office gains threescore thousand pounds at the least, which shows that the Office of Farthings is more than a hundred times as good as the Mint, quantity for quantity: & out of all this great profit the King hath but fourscore pounds per annum rent: an inconsiderable sum for so inconceiveable a gain.   

The fourth thing to remonstrate, is the remedy or prevention of this evil for future times.  
For to lay down the Office will not be convenient, than all retailing trades will want small moneys, and the poor relief, therefore it is requisite,  

1. That the Office be settled in the power of the Crown, and not in any subject.  
2. That there be some nearer proportion betwixt the extrinseck denomination and the intrinseck value.  
3. That it may be felony either to import or counterfeit them.  
4. That no advantage may be allowed upon issuing forth any Tokens, and the Office to receive them in upon the like terms.   
It may be alleged,  
Alleg. 1. If the oppression were so great, and of such continuance as is pretended, it would long since have been complained of.  
Ans. The Petitioners have not been wanting to their great charge to complain and seek relief, both to King JAMES, and to the King's Majesty that now is, and they, graciously inclined to relieve them, have several times referred the same to the Lords of the Council, and by their Lordships to some Lords Committees, but the Petitioners could never procure any thing to be done therein.  
And the Office hath been made acquainted with the Petitioners complaints, and hath given in their answers of defence: the chief heads whereof we do here humbly present.   

First pretence of the Office.  
That the issuing forth of one and twenty shillings in Tokens for twenty shillings in money, and the rechange of one and twenty shillings in Tokens for twenty shillings in money is warranted by the King's Patents and Proclamation, so that the Office is no way faulty.  
Answ. The King by his several Patents and Proclamations doth declare that it is his intent and pleasure that the Farthing Tokens should be an ease and benefit to the Subject, and not otherwise; but it is an insufferable oppression, and so against the King's mind.   

Second pretence.  
That to rechange upon the same terms as is delivered out, is no damage to any.  
Ans. It is true, if the same parties that fetch them out did bring them in, but it is otherwise, for the rich fetch them out, and gain five pounds per cent. and the Petitioners bring them in, and lose five pounds per cent. and never fetch out any.   

Third pretence.  
That the Petitioners knowing the loss by rechange, proportion the prizes of their wares accordingly, and so are no losers.  
Answ. It is not so: for the Petitioners deliver out their commodities either by weight or measure, neither do they know what money people bring, and when their commodities are cut or weighed out, they must take Tokens, or else lose more by taking the commodity again, and lose their customers too.  
Besides, if the Petitioners should proportion their wares according to the loss by rechange, than the oppression of the subject would be the greater, for that would enhance the prizes of provision, which is the beggering of a Kingdom.   
FINIS.