of no practical utility to treat in detail of coins thus imported for temporary and outside, as well as home, convenience and necessity, but I will now give notes and extracts which will, I believe, clearly indicate the nature of currency arrangements which obtained from the days of the early kings of England.

I am indebted to Le Quesne's "History of Jersey"[E] for interesting information recorded of the coinages and currency of that island, and to the Rev. G. E. Lee for the Guernsey records. The original states documents from which these particulars were collated are still preserved. The denominations of coins officially in use at various periods appear thereby.

"An order of King John, dated 25th March, 1208, directs the Exchequer to reckon to the bailiffs of Southampton twenty sols which they paid for a ship in which Stephen de Oxford sailed to Guernsey and Jersey by order of the king."—Le Quesne, page 476.

"Orders from the English Crown in the early part of the 13th century specified coins as follows for payment in Jersey:—An order from King John of the 11th of November, 1212, directed that the Treasury should pay to Philip d'Albigny, going to the island of Jersey, of which Hasculfus de Soligny was governor, 40 marks for fortifying the island."—Le Quesne, page 476.

"In the 8th year of the reign of King Henry III., 1224, there was an order on the Treasury to deliver to the Governor of Jersey, Galpidus de Lucy, 400 livres for the payment of eight knights, each knight to receive two solidos per diem; for the pay of thirty-five cavalry soldiers, each to receive twelve deniers per diem; and for the pay of sixty foot soldiers, each to receive seven deniers per diem."—Le Quesne, page 476.

There were also similar grants in the two following years.

"The only direct tax which the Dukes of Normandy had the right to levy was called moneyage, or fouage, or hearth money. From the Extent of the Royal Revenue in Jersey, prepared by Commissioners in the year 1331, this tax was also due to the Crown in Jersey. It was to be levied every three years, and consisted of 12 deniers, or one sol, for every hearth in the Duchy."—Le Quesne, page 79.

"There is a valuable Extent of the Royal Revenues in Jersey drawn up in the year 1331 by Robert de Norton and William de la Rue, commissioners specially appointed for the purpose. In this Extent we find that William de Barentin held the manor and fief of Rozel by homage; that this fief owed sixty sols one denier relief; and that whenever the King of England paid a visit to this island, the seigneur of this fief was bound to meet his sovereign on horseback in the sea, to the depth of the girths of the saddle; and during the residence of the king in Jersey he was to be his butler, and to enjoy the known emoluments of that office. The seigneur de Rozel, as also all the other seigneurs holding in capite, owed suite de cour at the chief pleas of the Royal Court, as they do still to this day. For the fief de Meleches and other fiefs, held by Geffray de Carteret, there was due annually, by the seigneur to the Crown, the sum of forty livres one sol. The fief de Meleches reverted to the Crown as an escheat from Thomas Pinel, in the time of King John, and was granted by Edward III. to Renault de Cartaret, father of the then holder. The fief and manor of St. Ouen was held by Renault de Carteret by homage; and the relief, when due, was nine livres. The seigneur of this fief was bound to serve the king, in time of war, at Gouray Castle, at his own expense, for the term of two parts of forty days, and had to provide horses and armour. The wardship of this fief and manor, during the minority of the seigneur, was in the Crown. The manor and fief of Saumarez was held by homage by William de St. Hillaire, and owed, as relief, the sum of ten livres. The seigneur of the fief des Augrès was in the hands of William Bras de Fer; and he had to meet the king, when he arrived in Jersey, on horseback, to the girths of his saddle, in the sea; and the fief owed, as relief, the sum of seven livres. Besides the services due by the fiefs de haubert, we find that a great number of persons owed stated sums annually to the Crown for the lands held by them. The names of the persons are mentioned, together with the quantity of land, for which a fixed annual sum was due. For instance, several persons owed for a bovata of land the sum of eight sols annually. This was the usual amount; but we find that in some cases the charge was six sols, seven sols, nine sols, ten sols, and in a few cases as low as three sols. The bovata terræ is the same as an oxgauge or an oxgate of land, or as much as an ox can till; but being a compound word, it may contain meadow, pasture, and wood necessary for such tillage.

"Raulin le François owed for forty-two acres of land—twelve in Trinity parish, and thirty in that of St. Laurens—an annual dinner to the king at Michaelmas, which was, however, partaken by the bailli, the vicomte, and the clerk of the king. This dinner could be commuted for the payment of twelve deniers, which does not raise any extravagant notions of the style of living in those days. The abbot of St. Saviour's, however, for the priory of Bonnenuit, owed to the king annually an apparently better dinner, for it was estimated at eleven sols. There were also due to the Crown, as there are still to this day, by various persons, a quantity of geese, fowls, eggs, and chickens. The tenants of the Crown had various personal services to perform, such as carting the wine, hay, and wood belonging to the king, and keeping the royal mills in repair. The right of wardship, usually considered as incidental to feudal tenures, does not appear to have obtained in Jersey, except in the case of St. Ouen's manor. The right of marriage, or maritagium, which was accompanied in some cases with considerable hardships, does not appear to have prevailed or to have been exercised in this island. This claim, when admitted, was often the source of large fines paid by individuals to the Crown, and of much vexation and tyranny."—Le Quesne, page 82.

"In a grant of Sir Richard Harliston, dated 15th September, 1479, there is mention of both corn and money rents—the former to the amount of 8 qrs., 7 cabots, 2 sexrs., and the latter to 12 groats, 13 sous, 6 deniers. The grant was for services rendered during the siege for the recovery of Mount Orgueil Castle."—Le Quesne, page 125.

"On the 26th of January, 1534, the value of the current coinage was regulated, and the same thing took place about this time as regards coins in Guernsey."—Le Quesne, page 191.

"On the 20th February, 1561, the price of cider in Jersey was fixed at one Esterlin the Pot; and the brewers were ordered to make beer (servoise) for the use of the sick, the price of which was to be fixed by the constables and principal parishioners."—Le Quesne, page 192.

In the reign of King James I., under date the 20th July, 1607, a commission was appointed, under presidency of Sir Robert Gardiner, knight, for the determination of differences in Jersey; it also had scope as regards Guernsey.

"The first article of complaint by the governor was relative to the value of the French coins. At these times there was very little, if any, English coin in circulation, and there was, strictly speaking, no fixed standard of value in Jersey. The livre tournois could scarcely be called a standard of value, and