Biographical dictionary of medallists: coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, &c., ancient and modern, with references to their works B. C. 500-A. D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer ...

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Honourable Sir E.R. Fremantle. He was born in the year I834
and was educated at Eton. On leaving Eton he became a clerk in
the Treasury in I853. At the same time he acted as Private Secretary
to various officials, including Sir H.B.W. Brand, who was afterwards
Speaker of the House of Commons. When Benjamin Disraeli was
acting as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1866 Sir Charles Fremantle
was his Private Secretary. A year later he was appointed Secretary
to the Boundry Commission under the Representation of the
People Act. In i868 he was appointed Deputy to Thomas Graham
who was then Master of the Royal Mint and when Graham died
in 869, Sir Charles remained the Executive head of the Department,
but by the Coinage Act of the following year it was provided that
the Chancellor of the Exchequer should be ex officio Master of the
Royal Mint. Sir Charles was a most accomplished numismatist and
medallist and was tor some years a Member of the Numismatic
Society of London. He exhibited a splendid collection of coins at
the Royal Yorkshire Jubilee Exhibition Twhich was held at Saltaire,
near Bradford, in i887. To " Murray's Magazine ", for June, 1887,
he contributed a most interesting and instructive article on " Our
New Coins and their Pedigree" and was responsible for the issue
of twenty-four annual Reports on the Royal Mint and matters relatillg
to coinage. These are of the greatest value to students of modern
coins. He retired from his position at the Royal Mint in September,
I894, and was succeeded by Mr. Horace Alfred Damrer Seymour.
In I891, Mr. Goschen who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer
appointed a committee of six members to consider and report upon
the designs in use for the British Imperial gold and silver coinage.
Sir Charles Fremantle was a member of the committee and as a
result of their labours a new series of gold and silver coins were
issued in I893. Sir Charles was also a member of several departmental
committees on questions connected with the Civil Service. He was
one of the British Delegates to the International Monetary Conference held in Brussels in 1892 and from I896 until I903 he w\as
one of the British representatives on the board of the Suez Canal
Company. On Monday, June I4't, I897, "The Financial News'"
newspaper published a special number in commemoration of the
Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria and among the
interesting articles contributed was one on " The Queen's Coinages"
by Sir Charles Fremantle. In subsequent years he retained his association with the City or London as Vice-President of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders and director of Parr's Bank, the
Standard Bank of South Africa, the Bank of Australasia, the Eagle
Insurance Company, the Egyptian Delta Light Railways and other
undertakings. He was created a K. C B., in 1890. In i865 he married
Sophia, the youngest daughter of Mr. Abel Smith, of Woodhall Park,