Thomas Stanley (Royal Mint)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Stanley was a goldsmith
and officer of the Royal Mint
in Tudor
England. Stanley rose to the rank of Under-Treasurer of the Mint at the Tower of London
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
..
(or Mytford), Knight. Their only daughter, Mary, married Sir Edward Herbert (1547–1593), second son of the Earl of Pembroke. Her son William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis
(1572–1655) was Lord High Steward to Elizabeth I and is a candidate for "Mr WH", the dedicatee of Shakespeare's sonnets
.
associated with a major effort to prop up the economy by debasing the currency
. The policy of debasement was continued by Lord Protector Somerset
early in the reign of Henry's son, Edward VI
, but after Somerset's fall the Earl of Warwick
implemented a plan to reform the currency in an attempt to control rampant inflation. Stanley was one of a consortium of Mint officials appointed in 1551 to advise the government on new standards for the coinage. Another general restructuring of the Mint in the spring of 1552 resulted in the appointment of Thomas Egerton
as Under-Treasurer and Stanley's promotion to Comptroller.
Egerton was dismissed from office by Mary I's
government in 1555, and from that time until 1571 control of the Tower Mint was essentially in the hands of Thomas Stanley. On the accession of Elizabeth he was confirmed as Comptroller of the Mint (August 1559) and he was formally appointed Under-Treasurer of the Mint on 14 July 1561, an office he held until his death. As head officer of the Tower Mint, Stanley supervised the great Elizabethan recoinage which was planned from the beginning of the reign and was carried out between December 1560 and October 1561.
Disputes between Stanley and his fellow officers, Comptroller John Bull and assay-master William Humfrey, broke out in a series of accusations and cross-accusations over the next few years that escalated to a 1565 attempt by the two men to discredit Stanley by stealing money under his control. The plot was discovered and Bull confessed, but questions about Stanley's management of the Mint continued. His inability to properly account for his funds during the reign of Queen Mary lead to confiscation of his properties on 2 October 1571, and he died two months later, on 15 December 1571.
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
and officer of the Royal Mint
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. The Mint originated over 1,100 years ago, but since 2009 it operates as Royal Mint Ltd, a company which has an exclusive contract with HM Treasury to supply all coinage for the UK...
in Tudor
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
England. Stanley rose to the rank of Under-Treasurer of the Mint at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
..
Family
Thomas Stanley was the third son of Thomas Stanley, of Dalgarth, Cumberland, and his wife Margaret, daughter of John Fleming. He married Joyce, daughter of John Barrett, of Aveley, Essex, and widow of Sir James WilfordJames Wilford
Sir James Wilford was an English soldier, and commander of Haddington in Scotland during its occupation in the war of the Rough Wooing....
(or Mytford), Knight. Their only daughter, Mary, married Sir Edward Herbert (1547–1593), second son of the Earl of Pembroke. Her son William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis
William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis
William Herbert, 1st Baron Powis was a British nobleman.He was born in Powis Castle, the son of Sir Edward Herbert and Mary Stanley, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley, Under-Treasurer of the Royal Mint...
(1572–1655) was Lord High Steward to Elizabeth I and is a candidate for "Mr WH", the dedicatee of Shakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets
Shakespeare's sonnets are 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare, dealing with themes such as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. Sonnets 138 and 144...
.
Career
Stanley was appointed as one of the Assay Masters of the Mint in March 1545, following a restructuring and expansion of the Royal Mint under Henry VIIIHenry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
associated with a major effort to prop up the economy by debasing the currency
Debasement
Debasement is the practice of lowering the value of currency. It is particularly used in connection with commodity money such as gold or silver coins...
. The policy of debasement was continued by Lord Protector Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
early in the reign of Henry's son, Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, but after Somerset's fall the Earl of Warwick
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
implemented a plan to reform the currency in an attempt to control rampant inflation. Stanley was one of a consortium of Mint officials appointed in 1551 to advise the government on new standards for the coinage. Another general restructuring of the Mint in the spring of 1552 resulted in the appointment of Thomas Egerton
Thomas Egerton (mercer)
Thomas Egerton was a London merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.He served as Under-Treasurer of the Royal Mint at the Tower of London from 1552 to 1555. In this capacity, he and John Godsalve issued the double-faced shillings of Philip and Mary...
as Under-Treasurer and Stanley's promotion to Comptroller.
Egerton was dismissed from office by Mary I's
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
government in 1555, and from that time until 1571 control of the Tower Mint was essentially in the hands of Thomas Stanley. On the accession of Elizabeth he was confirmed as Comptroller of the Mint (August 1559) and he was formally appointed Under-Treasurer of the Mint on 14 July 1561, an office he held until his death. As head officer of the Tower Mint, Stanley supervised the great Elizabethan recoinage which was planned from the beginning of the reign and was carried out between December 1560 and October 1561.
Disputes between Stanley and his fellow officers, Comptroller John Bull and assay-master William Humfrey, broke out in a series of accusations and cross-accusations over the next few years that escalated to a 1565 attempt by the two men to discredit Stanley by stealing money under his control. The plot was discovered and Bull confessed, but questions about Stanley's management of the Mint continued. His inability to properly account for his funds during the reign of Queen Mary lead to confiscation of his properties on 2 October 1571, and he died two months later, on 15 December 1571.