The Anglo-Saxon mint in Rochester

Many people don't realise that there was once a mint in Rochester. It is a forgotten part of the history of Rochester. This post will go over what we know about the mint and what sources tell us about it.

There is evidence of the creation of multiple mints in Rochester in the year 810 A.D. Two were for the King and one for the Bishop. While we do know that there was a mint in Rochester, evidence is very scarce, and so the number of mints could differ. 

The mints have been referenced in a few historical sources, including the Textus Roffensis, which was written in Rochester Priory during the time the mint was still in use. The Textus Roffensis mentions two men who could possibly have had connections with the mint. These men went by the names Geldewine the Moneyer and Robert the Moneyer. The reason we believe they had connections with the mint is that they had 'the Moneyer' in their name, and a moneyer is a person who strikes or mints coins. The last King to have a coin minted in Rochester was King John of England. After this, no more coins were minted in Rochester. Because of this, it is fair to assume that, by the early 1200s, all mints in Rochester had been closed.