Isaac Newton in a 1702 portrait by Godfrey Kneller

Sir Isaac Newton, Master of the Royal Mint (1699-1727)

Introduction: Sir Isaac Newton is, perhaps, best known as an English physicist and mathematician who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution.   His book “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”, first published in 1687, laid the foundations for classical mechanics Newton made…

James II, King of England, Scotland & Ireland

Monetary Crisis (1689), as James II Fixes Exchange Rates for Foreign Coins in Ireland

Introduction When James II succeeded his father in 1685, he continued to issue copper halfpennies, albeit via a ‘patent’ like his father did before him. This maintained the flow of small change but the same ‘decades old’ problem persisted with the large proportion of under-weight ‘clipped’ silver in circulation. This might have sufficed for transactions…