Eloy Mestrelle facts for kids

Eloy Mestrelle, sometimes spelled Eloye, was a clever French inventor. He lived in the 1500s and is famous for bringing a new way of making coins to England. This new method used machines, making coins much better than before.

Eloy Mestrelle's Journey and New Coin Ideas

Eloy Mestrelle was born in Paris, France. By the late 1550s, he worked at the French Mint, where coins were made. In 1559, he left France with his family and moved to London, England. We don't know exactly why he left. Some people think he had disagreements with his bosses. It's also possible he had some problems with making coins in France. Queen Elizabeth I even gave him a special pardon in 1561 for any past mistakes he might have made with coins.

Bringing New Coin Technology to England

Mestrelle offered his skills to the English court. Queen Elizabeth I allowed him to set up the very first coin press in England. Before this, all English coins were made by hand, using hammers. This was called hammered coinage. Mestrelle's new method used machines to strike coins. This was called milled coinage.

By June 1560, Mestrelle started gathering the parts for his machines. Soon, he began working at the Royal Mint inside the Tower of London. He worked with a mint official named William Blunt. Their goal was to make coins that were perfect and met all the rules. Mestrelle's machines started making coins after November 8, 1560. At first, they made shillings, groats, and half-groats. In 1561, they also made some gold coins like half-pounds and crowns. These might have been special test coins or coins for everyday use. Some think they were made when the Queen visited the mint.

Success and Royal Approval

On October 24, 1561, a special quality check happened. It was called the Trial of the Pyx. After this, new silver coins were decided upon. These included 6d, 3d, 11⁄2d, and 3⁄4d coins. The new coins were officially announced on November 15, 1561. Mestrelle was given an annual payment of £25. This showed that the Queen was very happy with his work.

The next year and a half was Mestrelle's busiest time at the Tower mint. He made hundreds of thousands of silver coins. Most of these were sixpences, making up over three-quarters of his work. He also made silver threepences and three-farthings pieces. A small number of gold coins were also made, including half-pounds, crowns, and halfcrowns.

Challenges and Setbacks

In 1563, a serious illness, the plague, came to London. The mint had to close from that summer until the next spring. When it reopened, they continued making silver sixpences and threepences. However, not much silver came to the Mint, so fewer coins were made. This was true for both Mestrelle's machines and the older hammered methods. 1564 was even harder. Mestrelle's machinery broke down. Even though more hammered coins were made, Mestrelle didn't start making coins again until late 1566.

Mestrelle made a small number of coins for the next two years. But on September 1, 1568, his relative, Philip Mestrelle, got into trouble. Philip was accused of making four fake Burgundian crowns. Philip was found guilty on January 12, 1569. Eloy was also linked to this problem. However, his part was probably small. He asked for, and received, a special pardon for his actions.

Mestrelle was allowed to return to work at the mint in late 1570. But he had to work under many rules. He was even made to use tools and dies that were not very good. During this time, Mestrelle made a special medal. People believe it was a plea to the Queen. One side of the medal said "QUID NOS SINE TE" (what are we without thee?). The other side said "QUID HOC SINE ARMIS" (what is this without tools?).

End of His Work at the Mint

In 1572, the mint was reorganized. Warden of the Mint Richard Martin became in charge of most of the mint's work. This included its money matters. Martin did not want to spend money on what he saw as costly experiments. Tests showed that Mestrelle's press was not as efficient as the traditional coin hammerers. So, Martin shut down Mestrelle's machinery. He also stopped Mestrelle from going into the mint.

Mestrelle still had rooms in the Tower, but he never worked there again. A letter from Martin to Lord Treasurer Burghley in 1572 listed many problems with Mestrelle. These included not paying debts and issues with people visiting his workshop.

We don't know what Mestrelle did after losing his job until October 1577. At that time, he faced serious accusations related to making unauthorized coins. After his arrest, his belongings were taken, and his family had to leave their house. It became clear he would be found guilty. Mestrelle tried to save himself by naming others who he said were involved. But the Crown was not satisfied. He faced severe consequences for these actions in the spring of 1578.