The struggle for control of the Irish mint, 1460-c. 1506

Abstract

Correlation of archaeological evidence with that from administrative records provides a comparatively large body of information about the operation of the Irish mint under the Yorkists and Henry VII. This period was one in which the king's control over his Irish lordship was particularly slack and when, in contrast with previous policy, a distinctive coinage was minted especially for the lordship to a lower standard than that in England. The mint's survival depended on the maintenance of a difficult balance between the economic interests of the colonists and the king's fear that lack of proper control might undermine confidence generally in the royal mint or, worse, constitute a political risk. The relations between the king and his Irish government with regard to this one aspect of administration thus provide a useful guide to Anglo-Irish relations more generally in the late medieval period.