Mints of Scotland

Penny of Henry of Scotland
hENRICVS •[F RE?], crowned bust right, sceptre before	+EREBALD: ON [C]OREB:, cross moline with fleur in each angle within tressure
AR 1,18 gm, 10h. Corbridge mint; moneyer: (H)erebald

There were a number of mints in Scotland, for the production of the Scottish coinage. The most important mint was in the capital, Edinburgh, which was active from the reign of David I (1124–1153), and was the last to close, in the 19th century.

Carlisle was probably the first Scottish mint in 1136. According to Bateson, David I began to mint coins after capturing the city.^[1] Mints at Bamburgh and Corbridge in Northumberland, under the control of David's son Henry, Earl of Northumberland, later returned to English control. Under Alexander III (1249–1286) there were 16 mints. In the reign of James IV (1488–1513), the sole mint was located at Edinburgh. After this time, the only other active mint was at Stirling, where bawbees, or halfpennies, were minted under Queen Mary.

Minting ceased in Scotland in 1709 when the Edinburgh Mint produced its last batch of coins at the end of the 1707–1710 Scottish recoinage, although it retained its permanent officials (though not other staff) for a further hundred years, until 1814. The mint was finally abolished in 1817 and sold in 1830.^[2] The title of 'Governor of the Mint of Scotland', which passed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer under the Coinage Act 1870, was finally abolished with the passing of the Coinage Act 1971.^[2]

Mints

Scottish mints

David I

earl Henry

Malcom IV

William

Alexander II

Alexander III

John Baliol

Robert Bruce

David II

Robert II

Robert III

James I

James II

James III

James IV

James V

Mary I

Aberdeen

x

x

x

x

x

x

Ayr

x

Bamborough

x

Berwick

x

x

x

x

[3]

x

Carlisle

x

x

Corbridge

x

Dumbarton

x

Dunbar

x

x

Dundee

x

Edinburgh

x

x

x

[3]

[3]

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Forfar

x

Forres

x

Glasgow

x

Hamer

x

Inverness

x

x

Jedburgh

x

Kelso

x

Kinghorn

x

Lanark

x

Linlithgow

x

x

Montrose

x

Perth

x

x

x

x

x

x

Roxburgh

x

x

x

x

x

St Andrews

x

x

[4]

Stirling

x

x

x

x

x

References

1. Bateson: Scottish Coins
2. The Scottish Mint after the recoinage, 1709–1836, Athol L Murray, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1999
3. Unsigned coins. cfr. Stewart p. 167
4. Ecclesiastical coins

Bibliography

• Adam De Cardonnel (1786). Numismata Scotiæ Or, A Series of the Scottish Coinage, from the Reign of William the Lion to the Union. George Nicol, Edinburgh.
• Donald Bateson. Scottish Coins. Shire Publications Ltd., Bucks, 1987, ISBN 0-85263-847-7
• James Mackay – John Mussel (eds.): Coin Price Guide to British coins, Token Publishing Ltd, Axminster, Devon
• Ian Halley Stewart. The Scottish Coinage, Spink & Son, London, 1955