and certainly to explain why coins previous to Henry the Third are so scarce compared with those of Henry the Third and his successors.

To these, "my poore, rude, and slender conceipts," I have to add a communication, with which I have been enriched by Dr. Smith, on the subject of Punches; and which (more Grantley Berkeley) will give the opposing theory "a good punch on the head."

"There is a fact, which I think is of some value, in relation to the subject you propose to write the paper on; it has just occurred to me, and I make you a present of it. I mean the difference between the workmanship of the Irish coins of Dom John and Rex John. The letters on the former have been cut with a graver, on the latter they have been formed by punches. The letters on your Exeter penny of Stephen have been cut.

"It appears that it was in John's time that the use of punches was revived, and I think you may fairly challenge your opponents to produce a coin of Henry the Third with incised letters.

"I remain, my dear Sir,

"Dublin, 6th July, 1846.

"Sincerely yours,

A. SMITH."

Since writing the foregoing I have more carefully considered my drawers of short and long-cross pennies of Henry the Third, and, as I cannot incorporate my remarks with what I have written, I add them, though it will occasion some repetition.

The short-cross pennies of Henry the Third, coined before his thirty-second year, have three distinct varieties of bust, and I have no doubt are coinages at different and successive periods.

The first I think are those with the largest or most spread surface, the king's face proportionally so, coarse features and older looking; the sceptre usually cuts away part of the inner circle; two locks or curls on its right, but a cluster of four or five on its left. The best preserved coin I have of this type weighs 23 grains.—See Plate 17, coin No. 44, and Plate 18, coin No. 9.

The next variety is less in circumference, a much smaller face, with three almost annulets on each side of it, to represent curls; and the sceptre clear of and outside the inner circle. My best preserved penny of this type weighs 23 grains.

The third type has a sharper and more life-like aspect, longer and less expanded in breadth, a sort of bristle as beard, from the ear to the tip of the chin, the chin being represented by a pellet; two locks right and left of the face, and in each lock a pellet. My heaviest penny of this sort weighs 23 grains.-See Plate 18, coins Nos. 6

and 10.

The long-cross coinage of Henry the Third connects itself immediately with this last-mentioned type of the short-cross, by having two similar curls, with the annulet in each, on both sides of the face, and a beard from the ears to the chin, indicated by two rows of pellets. The whole face seems to have been put in with punches; and the sceptre cuts away part of the inner circle, as in what I deem the earliest of the short-crosses. My best specimen of this type weighs nearly 234 grains.

The next coinage probably was that omitting the sceptre, but same inscription, "HENRICUS REX III.," with the Star mint-mark ;* succeeded by the Henricus Rex Terci and Star mint-mark; and this followed by the Henricus Rex Ang., and Henricus Rex only, on the obverse,-mint-mark of both varieties, a star over a crescent.

I may remark that the beard on the Henricus Rex penny is not indicated by dots, but by the same kind of bristles or lines as on the short-cross pennies.

PENNIES OF HENRY THE THIRD, SHORT CROSS, WITH INITIALS OF MONEYERS' SURNAMES.

1st. (supposed) Coinage; large bust :

2nd. (supposed) Coinage; three curls on each side of bust:

JOAN CHIC—

ROGER OF R. ON CA

3rd. (supposed) Coinage; pellets in curls:

ALISAN ON ROF.

WILLELM L. ON LUN.

WILLELM T. ON LU.

RICARD B. ON LU.

* I have one penny of this type, Stephe on Ivel, that weighs 26 grains; usually 23,

some 23 grains; Rex Terci, 23 grains; Rex Ang. 22.

THREE CROWNS THE ANCIENT ARMORIAL

BEARING OF IRELAND.

AT page 166 of the Olla Podrida, is a paper on the Ancient Arms of Ireland, in which I brought together the Rev. Mr. Butler's discovery, and my remarks in support of it. In the Gentleman's Magazine for June 1845, appeared a paper from my very valued and respected friend, John Gough Nichols, Esq., entitled "Were Three Crowns the Ancient Arms of Ireland ?" in which, as on all subjects that engage his pen, he pours out the profuse riches of his antiquarian researches and acquirements in illustration of the matter under consideration; but, to our mortification, he states that we have come to a conclusion not entirely to his satisfaction. It was impossible to leave a subject so interesting to the numismatists on this side of the water under the stigma of a doubt, from an opinion so deservedly valued as that of Mr. Nichols; and, as Ruding had only given an extract from Edward the Fourth's Indenture with Galmole, A.D. 1483, for an Irish Coinage, which led to the Rev. Mr. Butler's making a discovery, of which the Heralds' College and all our numismatic writers were equally unacquainted, and which escaped even the observation of Ruding, (who learned the existence of this Indenture after the publication of his first edition, and refers to it in his second,) I thought it would be better to refer to the fountain-head and obtain a copy of the whole Indenture, at least of all that remains of it. I therefore wrote to my friend, Nicholas Carlisle, Esq., requesting that he would obtain the requisite permission, allowing me to have a copy taken of the Indenture. And I had the pleasure, very shortly, to receive the following letter from Mr. Carlisle, and subsequently the copy of the Indenture, transmitted by Mr. William Long, from whose letters I make extracts.

"Somerset Place, London, 19 June, 1845.

"MY DEAR SIR, -I have received your two letters upon the subject of the coinage of money for Ireland, as stated by Ruding. I have examined the original manuscript; and I find his description quite accurate. This deed is in English, and appears to have been made in the twenty-third of Edward the Fourth, 1483. It is much injured and imperfect; but at the top is the king's monogram, and at the side is an impressed representation of the Irish penny ordained to be made in the Indenture.* I hope this examination will be satisfactory, and I assure you that it has given me great pleasure to execute your little commission, being ever,

"My dear Sir,

"Most faithfully yours,

"NICHS. CARLISLE."

Richard Sainthill, Esq.

66

Agreeably to your instructions I have made a clear transcript of the Indenture of the twenty-third of Edward the Fourth, with a facsimile of the king's monogram, also the coin.

"The date of the deed is not given, but a pencil-mark above states An°. 23 E. 4.' without giving any authority, The instrument is so mutilated, that it is pasted down, to prevent further injury, so that I cannot get at the indorsement, if there be one.

Rd. Sainthill, Esq.

"WM. LONG."

NOTE.-The Indenture measures 133 inches in length by 9 inches in width. The dotted lines show that the instrument is destroyed by decay in several parts.

• From a careful examination on the part of my friends Mr. Leonard Wyon and Mr. J. G. Nichols, and also from the opinion of Mr. Cleghorn, the engraver of the accompanying accurate facsimiles, I have ascertained that the supposed impressions are really drawings, of which the groundwork has turned black, and the devices remain in partial relief. I may, however, notice that a standard-piece of silver remaining in the Exchequer is "impressed imperfectly with the dies of a coin of Henry the Third." See Archæological Journal, 1845, p. 137.

INDENTURE OF KING EDWARD THE FOURTH FOR THE COINAGE OF A PENNY AND HALFPENNY FOR IRELAND.

[MS. &c. Num. 116, Society of Antiquaries.]

Ano. 23 E. 4.

TRACING OF THE SIGNATURE OF EDWARD IV.

RE

r

DOMI

SAN

This Indenture, made bitwene Edward, by the grace of God kyng of Englond and of Fraunce and lord of

Irlond, on that oon ptie, and Thomas Galmole, Gentilman, on that other ptie, Witnesseth that our seid souaigne lord the kyng, by his tres patente, hath made ↑ ordeyned the seid Thomas maister werker of his money of Siluer and keper of his Exchaunge in his Citees of Develyn Waterford. The which maister hath vndertake afore our seid souaigne lord the kyng in his Chauncery, and there hath made bodely othe vppon the holy Evangelist to make the same money vnder the parelle & fourme that foloweth, that is to sey, to make two man' moneyes of Siluer, wherof oon shall be called a peny, wt the kynge Armes on the oon side, vppon a Crosse treyfoyled on euy ende, and wt this scripture, (Rex Anglie ↑ Francie,) and on the other side the Armes of Irelond vppon a like crosse, wt. this scripture (Dñs Hibernie). And there shalbe of such penyes in the pounde weight of the towre iiijcl. peces, which is in nombre xxxvijs. vjd. And the other money of siluer shall be called an half peny wt. the kynge Armes on the oon side, vppon a crosse treyfoyled on euy ende, and wt this scripture (Rex Anglie & Frauncie), and on the other side the Armes of Irelond, vppon a like crosse wt this scripture (Dñs Hibernie). And there shalbe of such half penyes in the pounde weight in the towre ix. peices. And all the forseid penyes and half penyes so to be made shall be of the goodnes of the olde sterling, that is to sey, ely pounde of silu of this money shall holde the weight of xj. ounce and ij d. weight of the weight of fyne siluer, and xviij d. weight of allay, euery peny weight contenyng xxiiij. graynes, Of which money of siluer