Mint Yard was the name given to the space near and around the present King's School and it has been argued that it takes its name by association with one of a number of authorities licensed to mint money by Royal authority. Certainly coins have been minted in Canterbury since the early 7th century and throughout the Saxon period it retained its status as one of the most important mints in England. The first Archbishop that is known to have had licence to mint by Royal authority was Jaenberht (766-790). One source mentions the presence in Canterbury of "7 moneyers, four of the King's, two of the bishop's and one of the abbot". There may have been a mint in the Almonry that belonged to the King which at another time served the Archbishops. Whatever the truth of the matter it is considered likely that there was the site of a mint near to the space now known as Mint Yard but it is not clear to whom this mint actually belonged.