The Mint of Navarre and Béarn (French: ''Monnaie de Navarre et Béarn'') was formed through the merger of the Mint of Navarre (French: ''Monnaie de Navarre'') in Saint-Palais, whose construction was originally authorized by

Charles the Bad Charles II (10 October 1332 – 1 January 1387), called Charles the Bad, was King of Navarre 1349–1387 and Count of Évreux 1343–1387. Besides the Pyrenean Kingdom of Navarre, Charles had extensive lands in Normandy, inherited from his fathe ...

in 1351, and placed under the authority of the

Chambre des Comptes of Navarre The Chambres des Comptes de Navarre, alias Cour des Comptes de NavarreBascle de Lagrèze (1851), p. 1(in French)/ref> ''(English: Court of Auditors of Navarre)'', was formed in April 1624 during the reign of Louis XIII through the act of merging the ...

on 4 January 1527, with the two Mints of Béarn (French: ''Monnaies de Béarn'') in Pau and

Morlaàs Morlaàs (; Gascon Morlans) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is the seat of a canton. After the Roman city of Benearnum (today's Lescar) was razed by the Vikings in 841, Morlaàs became the c ...

, in

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...

, in 1562.

Mints

The physical buildings that housed the mints were typically called the ''"Hôtel de la Monnaie."'' In some cases they are called the ''"Château de la Monnaie"''. In both

and Pau, the mints had their origins in the official residences of the

Viscount of Béarn A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

and of the

Kings of Navarre This is a list of the kings and queens of Pamplona, later Navarre. Pamplona was the primary name of the kingdom until its union with Aragon (1076–1134). However, the territorial designation Navarre came into use as an alternative name in the l ...

in Pau respectively. The tower of the Château de Pau in which the

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAES g ...

was located was called the ''"Tour de la Monnaie"''. A

itself, in addition to being called by its proper name, such as the ''Monnaie de Saint-Palais'' or ''Monnaie de Pau'', is often referred to as a ''ferme de monnaie'' and an ''atelier de la monnaie'', or collectively as ''ateliers monétaires'',Blanchet (1893), p. 2
(in French)
/ref> in older French literature and records. In Béarnese, one sees the name ''secque'' (also ''seque'' and ''socques''), as well as ''moneda'' and ''monederie'', to designate the mint or monetary workshop.Blanchet (1893), p. 2
(in French)
/ref> The Béarnese ''secque'' has the same meaning as ''zecca'' in Italian, and is most likely directly derived from the Arabic word ''sekkah'' (English: a die used to strike coins), because of the proximity to Spain. The three mints still functioning as of the 15th century were subcontracted out to third parties who ran them privately under licenses renewable every six years. They minted coins of differing values in the name of, and for the benefit of, the

King of Navarre This is a list of the kings and queens of kingdom of Pamplona, Pamplona, later kingdom of Navarre, Navarre. Pamplona was the primary name of the kingdom until its union with Kingdom of Aragon, Aragon (1076–1134). However, the territorial desig ...

and

, as well as medals and tokens. Starting on 19 August 1494, the currency had one-to-one exchange rates with coins of the same value minted in the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...

.Blanchet (1893), p. 91, §
(in French)
/ref>Dumas (1959), p. 29
(in French)
/ref>

Mints of Navarre

Saint-Palais

In Saint-Palais, the former ''Hôtel de la Monnaie'' is now called the ''"Maison des Têtes"'', located in the ''Rue du Palais de Justice''. At the time of its creation in 1351, Saint-Palais had a population of about 300 inhabitants, of which 100 worked at the

(60 workers in the

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

to melt the metal into liquid and 40 striking silver écus bearing the effigies of

Henry III of Navarre Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

and of Louis II of Navarre; the last écus struck bore the

effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

. In 1386, Saint-Palais was one of four mints in the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France. The medieval state took ...

, the other three being

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John t theFoot of hePass"; eu, Donibane Garazi; es, San Juan Pie de Puerto) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothi ...

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

and Monreal.Blanchet (1893), pp. 45-4
(in French)
/ref> At some point after 1402, the

ceased activity. The ''Mint of Navarre'' in Saint-Palais was closed after 1527 for a period, but reopened in 1579. It ceased activity in 1672.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Records show the existence of a

in 1386, one of four in the Kingdom of Navarre. Little else is known about this

from records in French archives.

Mints of Béarn

Morlaàs

Coins, called ''" sols morlans"'', that were legal tender in all of

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

as well as

, were minted in

at the ''Château de la Hourquie'' ''(Béarnese: Forcas)'', the official residence of the

, since the 9th century. It was situated on a small plateau south of the ''Place du Marché''. In 1096, in the letters of

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...

, it is written that the church of Sainte-Foi of Morlaàs is situated in the County of Béarn, in a town called ''Furcas''. In the early years, these were simple coins made from

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

, but

Gaston Phoebus Gaston Fébus (also spelt Phoebus) (30 April 1331 – 1391) was the eleventh count of Foix (as Gaston III) and twenty-fourth viscount of Béarn (as Gaston X) from 1343 until his death. Early life Gaston was born either in Orthez or Foix, the e ...

later ordered that the

strike écus in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

. Coins minted in

, engraved with the heraldic cows, the symbols of

, were often referred to as ''"baquettes"'' (i.e. little cows). The reputation of

currency was great. For this reason, in 1366

, who was seeking to give his

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

the perfection of those of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

and of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, called upon ''Jean d'Estèbe'', who was the head of the Mint of

. In 1434, Jean de Foix-Grailly,

, appointed ''Peyroten d'Arblade'', from

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Military installations The French Air and Space Force operates the ''Constantin Rozan ...

, as ''Maître Particulier'' of the ''Mint of

'' for two years. To this end, he established the

in the castle in

. The new ''maître particulier'' contractually committed to mint ''"morlaàs blancs"'', which by definition included deniers, the ''"medalhes morlanes"'' (i.e. oboles and mailles), and lastly a

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

called '' pogese'' which had the value of one-fourth of a denier. The

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

contractually committed to provide four hundred marks of

, based on

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

weight ''(French: poids de Cologne)'', that Peyroton d'Arblade had to mint during the first year of the contract. In 1484, ''Jean de Gardey'' from the County of Pardiac, was removed from office as the maître of the Mint of Morlaàs on the pretext that he was not Béarnese and that he paid seigneurial duties of less than half of the real value of the

. When ''Arnaud d'Abbadie'' was appointed ''maître'' of the Mint of Morlaàs, one sees that the mint was still located in the castle in 1484, because it is written that he will stamp coins in "our castle, house and

in Morlaàs" ''(Béarnese: "nostre castet, mayson et monederie de Morlàas".)''AD64, E 326 Before 1488,

had the exclusive privilege of minting coins for

, after which Jean d'Albret, then

Count of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court ...

and

, gave privileges to Pau and new

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

for Saint-Palais. ''Bascle de Lagrèze'' wrote that the ''Mint of Morlaàs'' was closed and that the molds, forges and other equipment were transferred to Pau about 1554, but this appears incorrect, because there is evidence that coins continued to be minted in

well into the 1660s, if not later.Blanchet (1893), p. 25, §
(in French)
/ref> In 1562, ''Auger de Lagarde'' promised to mint coins in "the monetary workshop and castle of the Mint of Morlàas" ''(Béarnese: "la secque et castet de la moneda de Morlàas".)''AD64, B 925 Blanchet suspected that production was suspended at the Mint of Morlaàs was around 1619, due to the lack of evidence of any deliveries or shipments after this date.Blanchet (1893), p. 2
(in French)
/ref> If production was suspended, it was short-lived, because a written decree dated 6 May 1637, issued on the advice of the officers of the

, ordered that ''"baquettes"'' be produced in the Mint of Morlaàs ''"...up to a maximum value and quantity of 1,000

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

within a period of two weeks, explicitly requiring the officers, laborers and moneyers of the

, to give the said ''"baquettes"'' in this vintage a distinct form, diameter and roundness so that they could be easily distinguished from counterfeits, and that to further ensure this, Messieurs Dupont, First President of the Chambre des Comptes, de Cachalon, Maître des Comptes, and the Prosecutor General, are required to be present during the new production, unless a bigger production run is otherwise ordered by the Chambre to meet to public needs."''SSLAP (1887), p. 20
(in French)
/ref> The

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

was apparently closed again for an unknown period of time, because in 1662, the moneyers of

presented a request to reopen the

for the production of

and

coins to the Estates of Béarn.AD64, C 829 Their request was apparently not granted, because at the Assembly of Nobility of the Estates of Béarn in

Nay Nay or NAY may refer to: *Nay (name) *Ney (also nay, nye, nai), a wind instrument *Nay, Manche, a place in the Manche ''département'' of France *Nay, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a place in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'' of France *Nay-y ...

on 10 September 1663, a new request was made that the Estates intercede with His Majesty, ''"...to obtain his decree that the Mint of Morlaàs be reopened, at least for the production of pieces of five and ten ardit (one ardit was one-sixth of a

sol Sol or SOL may refer to: Astronomy * The Sun Currency * SOL Project, a currency project in France * French sol, or sou * Argentine sol * Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864 * Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991 * Peruvian sol ( ...

, meaning 15 and 30 denier coins), that are necessary for usage by the public."''AD64, C 1232 The molds, forges and other equipment of the ''Mint of Morlaàs'' were finally transferred to Pau about 1690 and the

ceased operations, after no less than 600 years of operation. The references that can be found concerning the Mint of Morlaàs in 1690 lead to the conclusion that the

was no longer functioning.Blanchet (1893), pp. 26–2
(in French)
/ref> In the registers of the Mint of Pau, there is mention of the payment of 37

for ''"the days employed to assemble the 'presse de la monoje' from

and the one of Pau by Mathieu, Moulat and la Galère, carpenters from Jurançon."'' In the same register, in an entry dated May 11th of the same year, there is mention of a payment of 3

paid "...to the

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

of the ' monoje' for his time and the use of his horse to go and load a

scale Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

at the 'Monoje de Morlaas' (sic)."Blanchet (1893), p. 2
(in French)
/ref> It seems evident that if the

still existed, it no longer was functioning and its equipment was being transported to Pau. After having rented the old ''Hôtel de la Monnaie'' of Morlaàs, the land on which it previously stood was sold at the end of the 18th century. The ''Château de la Hourquie'' that housed the ''Hôtel de la Monnaie'' is said to have been destroyed in 1708.

Pau

In Pau, a ''Château de la Monnaie'', rebuilt in the 14th century during the reign of

, was situated in the ''"Borc Nau"'' ''(French: "le Bourg neuf")'', between the ''Hôtel de la Baque'' and the ''Motte de la Couète de la Molère'', not far from the ''Moulin de la Dona''. The ''Hôtel de la Baque'' evidently took its name from the coins of

, engraved with the heraldic cows, the symbols of

, commonly referred to as ''"baquettes"'' (i.e. ''"vachettes"'') at the time. A ''Hôtel de la Monnaie'' was then constructed in the ''Tour de la Monnaie'' of the Château de Pau in 1524. When this became too small, a larger ''Hôtel de la Monnaie'' was built in 1554 to the east of, but adjoining, the original ''Tour de la Monnaie''.Saget (1838), p. 2
(in French)
/ref> It served as a

from 1554 until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. The equipment and tools of the

were transferred to ''Monnaie de Bayonne'' during the Revolution, and in 1807 the ''Tour de la Monnaie'', ''Hôtel de la Monnaie'', and all their outbuildings were legally separated from the Château de Pau and sold by the government.Blanchet (1893), p. 38, §
(in French)
/ref> In 1617, the ''Cours des Monnaies de France'' demanded that the three mints of Saint-Palais, Pau and

be placed under its jurisdiction, but this reform was never carried out. A judgement issued by the Parliament of Bordeaux in 1642, specifically mentions the

Parliament of Navarre and Béarn The Parliament of Navarre and Béarn ''(French: "Parlement de Navarre et de Béarn", alias "Parlement de Navarre séant à Pau", alias "Parlement de Pau")'' was created in 1620 out of the merger of the ''Conseil Souverain of Béarn'' and the ''Cha ...

and the

, but does not mention at all the ''Cours des Monnaies de France''.Blanchet (1893), p.
(in French)
/ref> Blanchet concluded from the lack of documents he was able to find that the ''Mint of Pau'' was closed by 1622, at least for some time.Blanchet (1893), p. 35, §
(in French)
/ref> In 1662, Genisseau incorporated the ''Mint of Pau'' into the general contract of the ''Mint of France'' by surprise, which provoked objections in Pau, and which were finally ruled as valid.Blanchet (1893), p.
(in French)
/ref> As of 1763, the ''Mint of Pau'' was still not under the authority of the ''Cour des Monnaies de Paris'', the reason for which a majority of coins struck in Béarn under the reigns of Louis XIII of France and Louis XIV of France were a special type. With article 2 of the Edict of October 1775, the King finally placed all of the responsibilities that the Court of Parliament of Pau had had jurisdiction for under the auspices of the Cour des Monnaies, under the authority of the ''Cour des Monnaies de Paris''.

Mint Officers

Because the mints were under the authority of the

, the most senior

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...

, the ''Général des Monnaies'', was an officer of the

. Each of the three mints had their own separate and distinct personnel. The mints officers included a ''Garde de la Monnaie'', a ''Contre-Garde de la Monnaie'', a Prosecutor ''(French: procureur)'', a Registrar ''(French: greffier)'', and later a ''

Huissier The French word ''huissier'' (" doorman", from ''huis'', an archaic term for a door) designates ceremonial offices in France and Switzerland. France In French government ministries and Parliament, a ''huissier'', which can be translated as u ...

''. Within the mints ''(French: Hôtel de la Monnaie)'' themselves, the management consisted of the licensee, often referred to as the "

lessee A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

" of the

''(French: fermier)'', who was normally the operational and financial manager ''(French: directeur & trésorier particulier)'', an engraver ''(French: graveur)'', a quality controller ''(French: essayeur)'', a moneyer provost ''(French:

prévôt A ''prévôt'' () was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Régime France, typically referring to a civil officer, magistrate, head of cathedral or church, often anglicised as ''provost''. A unit of justice or court overseen by a ...

des monnayeurs)'', a finisher provost ''(French:

des ajusteurs)'', and a moneyer supervisor ''(French: lieutenant des monnayeurs)''. The ''" monnayeurs"'' were the operators of the equipment and presses needed to mint the coins. The ''"ajusteurs"'' took the freshly-minted coins and deburred and otherwise polished them. After

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

and

were joined in union with the

in 1620, certain officers exercised general functions for all three mints.Blanchet (1893), p.
(in French)
/ref> In 1635, the King

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

confirmed the ''letters of

succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

'' granted to the officers of the mints of Pau and

in 1631. Each officer paid 293

and 5

sous The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) ( ar, سوس, sūs, shi, ⵙⵓⵙ, sus) is an area in mid-southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Sous River (''Asif n Sus''), separated from the Sahara desert ...

for confirmation of their letters, after which the

of the offices was by

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, Title (property), titles, debts, entitlements, Privilege (law), privileges, rights, and Law of obligations, obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ ...

.Blanchet (1893), pp. 2-
(in French)
/ref> In his ''Monetary History of Béarn'', Blanchet provided detailed, albeit incomplete, listings with references from the Departmental Archives of the Payrénées-Atlantiques, of the persons who held the various offices for the three mints in Saint-Palais,Blanchet (1893), pp. 45-4
(in French)
/ref> PauBlanchet (1893), pp. 30-4
(in French)
/ref> and Morlaàs.Blanchet (1893), pp. 23-3
(in French)
/ref>

Général des Monnaies

The Général des Monnaies ''(English: General of the Mint)'', also known as a Général Provincial ''(English: Provincial General)'', was title for the judges established in different provinces of the

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

to preside over rulings that were issued in jurisdictions under the authority of the

, before 1691, and by the ''Cour des Monnaies'' of the

,Blanchet (1893), pp. 3–
(in French)
/ref> between 1691 and the

. A ruling of the Conseil d’État dated 1 July 1625 gave them the official title of Conseillers Généraux Provinciaux des Monnaies ''(English: General Provincial Counselors of the Mints)''. They were responsible for the audit and inspection of the mints, and had the ''gardes'', later ''juges-gardes'', reporting directly to them. They were responsible for remitting the minutes of his visits in the form of reports to the ''Prosecutor General'', who, in turn, was responsible for remitting reports to the Court of Parliament. This latter examined the reported abuses committed in the production processes and pronounced punishment on the ''fermiers/maîtres'', officers and laborers of the mints. In an edict dated 30 June 1696, King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

replaced the seven Provincial Generals with twenty-eight ''Conseillers Généraux Provinciaux'', of which one was for the city of Pau and under the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Pau. These new counselors, like their counterparts at the ''Cour de la Monnaie'', were responsible for the prevention of

counterfeiting To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

and unauthorized alterations of coins, working in parallel with the bailiwicks,

seneschals The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

, officers of the

Présidial The presidial courts (french: présidiaux; singular ) were judicial courts of the Kingdom of France set up in January 1551 by Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 u ...

, and the ''gardes'' of the mints. The General of the Mint of

and

settled disputes between

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, hired

skilled A skill is the Learning, learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into Departmentalization, domain-general and domain-specific skills. Fo ...

and unskilled laborers for the mints, and ruled on objections raised to procedures at, and judgments concerning, the mints, when they arose, except in those cases when they were appealed to the Court of Parliament. Before 1691, the General of the Mint was hired by, and swore

oath Traditionally an oath (from Anglo-Saxon ', also called plight) is either a statement of fact or a promise taken by a sacrality as a sign of verity. A common legal substitute for those who conscientiously object to making sacred oaths is to ...

to, the

. After the

was merged into the

in 1691, they were hired by, and swore

to, the ''Cour des Monnaies'' of the

. Their remuneration amounted to 1,333

, 6 sols and 8 deniers per year.

Maître Général

On 25 October 1497,

Catherine of Navarre Catherine ( eu, Katalina, oc, Catarina; 1468 – 12 February 1517), Queen of Navarre, reigned from 1483 until 1517. She was also Duchess of Gandia, Montblanc, and Peñafiel, Countess of Foix, Bigorre, and Ribagorza, and Viscountess of Béarn. ...

named ''Jean, Seigneur de Candau'', Maître Général of the Mint of Morlàas, to replace ''Gaston de Saint-Jean'', who had died. One sees from this document that the Maître Général received the oaths of office from the ''maîtres particuliers'', ''gardes'', ''essayeurs'', '' prévôts'', and ''

'' and '' unskilled laborers''. But, this title seems to have been purely honorary and other documents show that the management of the mints belonged to the ''maître particulier'' who leased the mints and produced coins under

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Maître Particulier / Fermier

The Maître Particulier ''(English: Individual Master)'' leased a

or mints under a renewable six-year contract from the

, later the ''Cour des Monnaies'' of the

, and produced coins, medals and tokens under the

granted with this lease. The Maître Particulier is often referred to as the ''Fermier'', a word that has its root and meaning in the fact that the ''fermier'' was the individual ''"…qui affermait la fabrication…"''Blanchet (1893), p.
(in French)
/ref> (who leased the production). ''Fermier'', in this sense, means

, the one who ''affermer'' (present tense) or ''affermait'' (past tense). The

was the

lessor Lessor may refer to: * Lessor (leasing), the owner of leased property or the agent authorized on the owner's behalf * Lessor, Wisconsin, a town in U.S.A. * Lessor Township, Minnesota, U.S.A. See also * Lesser {{disambig, geo ...

of the mints. At the end of his lease, the

was required to present a detailed

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

of the entire production made under his lease, the seigneurial duties paid, the allowances for weight and for law recorded during production, the remuneration of the various

and, in general, all of the expenses incurred.Blanchet (1893), pp. 11–1
(in French)
/ref> This accounting was subject to a strict verification.Blanchet (1893), p. 1
(in French)
/ref> The lease was paid to the ''Treasurer of Béarn'' in three installments annually: at

Candlemas Candlemas (also spelled Candlemass), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentati ...

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

and

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, a ...

. New mints leases were originally announced by the sounding of trumpets. Later, it was announced throughout the kingdom by

posters A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. ...

printed in Lescar.

Directeur

Towards the end of the 17th century, the ''Maître Particulier'', a

, was replaced with a ''Director'', an employee. The

office An office is a space where an Organization, organization's employees perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize objects and Goals, plans, action theory, goals of the organizati ...

of Director of the Mint cost 13,200

and offered 1,200

in remuneration. The office holder was also entitled to a bonus, calculated as 5 sols per

marc Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

and

coins minted.

Garde / Juge-Garde

The garde ''(English: guardian)'' of the mints were responsible for policing the workshops and for preventing the entry of persons other than those who were duly sworn and employed at the

.Blanchet (1893), p. 1
(in French)
/ref> Their responsibilities included ensuring the accuracy of weights, being present at pre-production trials, post-production tests and when weights were measured, as well as during the delivery and crating of finished coins. They were required to keep registers of raw materials used in production and of production delays by laborers and moneyers, as well as for giving of the workers the ''dénéraux'', the monetary weights used to check the weight of coins minted, especially those from

, to facilitate correct

age. When the

planchet A planchet is a round metal disk that is ready to be struck as a coin. An older word for planchet is flan. They are also referred to as blanks. History The preparation of the flan or planchet has varied over the years. In ancient times, the f ...

were not perfectly round or otherwise not well worked, the ''garde'' was responsible to have them remelted and recast at the expense of the employees involved, as well as to inflicted fines or other penalties on them, including the suspension from work. The ''gardes'' were also responsible for removing the stamping tools and instruments used in striking coins and medals from the workshop, when they were not being used. Prior to the end of the 16th century, the ''Gardes des Monnaies'' of Béarn were not required to post a

bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...

, but the ''Prosecutor General'' complained to ''Madame la Gouvernante'' that their responsibility was so important, yet they were not required to post any

made a

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

on 6 December 1590, ordering that no one could be hired as a ''garde'' without posting a

of 1,000

écu The term ''écu'' () or crown may refer to one of several French coins. The first ''écu'' was a gold coin (the ''écu d'or'') minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. ''Écu'' (from Latin ''scutum'') means shield, and the coin ...

sols.Laussat (1871), p. 25
(in French)
/ref> At the end of the 17th century, there were two ''juges-gardes'' in the ''Mint of Pau'' of which

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

disputed their qualities as ''juges-gardes'', given to them by

by the king.Manuscrit of l'Intendant Le Bret, published by Mr. J.–E. Picot, in the lndicateur de Pau, dated 27 April 1867 Their

offices An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...

cost 4,000

each and offered 125

of remuneration. The ''juges-gardes'' were also entitled to a bonus, calculated as 1 sols per

of newly minted

coins, 6 denier per

coins, and 6 deniers per

and

coins sent back to the

to be remelted and minted a second time (as a result of quality issues).

Contre-Garde / Contrôleur Contre-Garde

On 23 November 1606, :fr:Maître ''Pierre de Day'' was hired as the first contre-garde, and because this

was new,

the King In the British English-speaking world, The King refers to: * Charles III (born 1948), King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since 2022 As a nickname * Michael Jackson (1958–2009), American singer and pop icon, nicknamed "T ...

fixed the remuneration at 125

, in other words, the same as for the ''gardes'' at the time. This amount was to be taken out of funds of ''Chambre des Poids et Alois (English: Chamber of Weights and Values)'', after the remuneration of the other

and all other expenses were paid. The new ''contre-garde'' was required to post a

.SSLAP (1886), p. 15
(in French)
/ref> The ''contre-garde'' was an officer responsible for the inspection of the work in the monetary workshop and for keeping a register of the

and billon metals used in the production of coins. He checked the financial accounts submitted by clerks and exchange dealers, and ensured that they were paid in cash according to the current exchange rate. The ''contre-garde'' was ranked organizationally one level lower than the ''garde'' or ''juge-garde'', but they replaced each other in their functions in case of absence. The

of ''contre-garde'' cost 8,800

, offered 800

of remuneration, and entitled the holder to a bonus of 6 deniers per

and

brought to the exchange. With an edict in June 1696,

replaced the ''contre-gardes'' with ''contrôlers contre-gardes'', whose duties remained the same and whose remuneration amounted to 1,066

, 13 sols and 4 deniers. The salary was increased by 200

in 1700. In addition, each ''contrôleur contre-garde'' was allotted housing, inside the

itself.

Monnayeur

A mint worker responsible for coinage (striking coins.) There were four monnayeurs that had no fixed compensation. Instead, they earned 1

per

minted, 6 deniers per

, and 6 deniers per

remelted and reminted.Blanchet (1893), p. 1
(in French)
/ref>

Essayeur

The essayeur ''(English: quality controller, tester)'' in each

had varying rights depending on the period.Blanchet (1893), pp. 14–1
(in French)
/ref> This section, unlike the preceding sections, summarizes the position of the ''essayeur'' in French Mints during the 16th century. The situation in

and

would have been the same. The ''essayeur'' was responsible for performing

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach places ...

by testing the

and billon delivered to the ''maître particulier'' of the

as raw materials for production, as well as the

finished products Finished may refer to: * ''Finished'' (novel), a 1917 novel by H. Rider Haggard * ''Finished'' (film), a 1923 British silent romance film * "Finished" (short story), a science fiction short story by L. Sprague de Camp See also *Finishing (disa ...

. He was present for all deliveries. As a bonus, he was entitled to keep one half of the ''peuilles'' from all the ''monnaie blanche'' (i.e. gold and silver coins) and ''monnaie noire'' (i.e. coins of little value, with little precious metal content, such as billon and copper) and the ''garde'' the other half. The ''essayeur'' and the ''maître particulier'' were responsible for measuring value, and the ''garde'' was responsible for measuring weight. It was forbidden for the ''essayeur'' to be associated with the ''maître particulier'' or his clerk, but if he had taken the oath customarily sworn by the laborers and or the minters, he could labor and or mint alongside of them. In 1723, the ''essayeurs'' were ordered to mark

and

bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...

that were brought to them for testing with their unique stamps and to maintain individual registers. At the end of the 17th century, the

of the ''essayeur'' in the ''Mint of Pau'' cost 3,000

, offered 125

of remuneration, and entitled the holder to a bonus of 8 deniers per

and 4 deniers per

currency produced.

GraveurBlanchet (1888), pp. 189–20
(in French)
/ref> / Tailleur

At the end of the 17th century the tailleur ''(English: sizer)'', or graveur ''(English: engraver)'', had 200

of remuneration, and a bonus of 16 deniers per

and 8 deniers per

coins remelted.

Other Officers

The ''Mint of Pau'' also had four tireurs de barre,definition: tireur de barre / barrier
/ref> without fixed compensation, who shared the bonus with the '' monnayeurs''. The :fr:ajusteurs, eight in number, earned 2 sols per

and 1

per sols of

Table Footnotes

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mint of Navarre and Bearn Mints (currency)