NEW INVENTED MILL, MACHINE OR MACHINERY CALCULATED TO PREVENT MILLS AND ALL KINDS OF WORKS DROVE BY WATER FROM BEING FLOODED OR IMPEDED BY BACK OR TAIL WATER, THROUGH THE OPPERATION AND EFFECT OF DOUBLE POWER OVERSHOT WHEELS AND FLOODGATES AND FOR GRINDING, &C. OF EVERY SPECIES OF GRAIN, FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC PRODUCE, AND THE
Year: 1791

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, WILLIAM
SHORLAND, of the City of Bristol, Milwright and Engineer, sends greeting.
and
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty, by Letters Patent under the Great
Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the Third day of March, in the thirty-first
year of His reign, gave and granted unto me, the said William Shorland, my
exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Shorland, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns.
every of them, by myself or themselves, or by mine or their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said William Shorland,
my exors, adiiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others.
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
ascertained, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
that part of Great Britain called England, Our Dominion of Wales. and Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said William Shorland,
my exors, adiñors, or assigns, or any of them, shall in my or their discretions
seem meet, my "NEW INVENTED MILL, MACHINE OR MACHINERY CALCULATED TO
PREVENT MILLS AND ALL KINDS OF WORKS DROVE BY WATER FROM BEING FLOODED OR
IMPEDED BY BACK OR TAIL WATER, THROUGH THE OPPERATION AND EFFECT OF DOUBLE
POWER OVERSHOT WHEELS AND FLOODGATES, AND FOR GRINDING, &C. OF EVERY SPECIES OF
GRAIN, FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC PRODUCE, AND THE POWDERING AND WHITENING OF EVERY
SORT OF SUGAR; SUCH MILL, MACHINE, OR MACHINERY TO BE WORKED EITHER BY WATER,
WIND, MANUAL LABOUR, STEAM, HORSES, OR ANY OTHER CATTLE;" in which said

page_text: Letters Patent there is a proviso that if I, the said William Shorland, should not
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and scal, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one month next and immediately after the date of such Letters
Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages
whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Shorland, in compliance with
the said proviso, do by this Instrument declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described
in the words following (viz'):-
My method of making or constructing my New Invented Mill, Machine or
Machinery, constructed to Prevent Mills, and all kinds of Works drove by Water,
from being Flooded or Impeded by Back or Tail Water, through the Operation
and Effect of Double Power Overshot Wheels and Floodgates, and for Grinding.
&c. of every Species of Grain, Foreign or Domestic Produce, and the Powdering
and Whitening of every sort of Sugar; such Mill, Machine, or Machinery to bu
worked either by Water, Wind, Manual Labour, Steam, Horses, or any other
Cattle, consists of the following principles:-First, the overshott wheels to
be made of any heighth or width the power of the work may require, viz: the
wheels to be from one foot high to fifty feet high, the width to be from one inch
wide to one thousand inches wide, and made or put together with wood, iron,
brass, copper, or any composition of metals, and fixed upon bearing as is most
suitable to the work, over or in a thorough or water course prepared for the
purpose of receiving the overshott wheels and shafts; over or in the above-
mentioned thorough or water course will be fixed two, three, or four of the
before-mentioned water wheels, as the nature of the work may require them, with
spur or cog wheels to be fixed one on each side of each of the above-mentioned
water wheels, to work in each other in the usual way of wheel turning another,
or working one in the other as cog and cog, or as cog and round, work in and
turn each other in the common way of driving each other when forced or drove
by a superior power, such as water, wind, steam, horses, other cattle, weight,
or manual labour. The above water wheels to be made and fixed upon
bearings to work in thoroughs or water courses prepared for that purpose, as
above mentioned, with a flood hatch or flood hatches, floodgate or floodgates,
to be fixed at the head of the thorough or millpond, to let off' or discharge the
overflow or waste water. This water to run down the same thorough as the
water wheels turn or work in, to drive the back or tail water from under the water
wheels when at work, to prevent the tail or back water from flooding the over-

page_text: shott wheels. This flood hatch or hatches, floodgate or floodgates, to be drawn
up at any time when there is too much flow of water, to stop the work or
works, or to impede the progress of the work or works, by the overflow of the
back or tail water; two out of three of these water wheels turn one way when
at work, and the back or tail water the reverse, by the superior force or power
of the waste or overflow of water in the pond head, commonly called mill head
or mill pond. This water or waste water is let to run under the overshott.
wheels by means of drawing up the flood hatch or flood hatches, floodgate or
floodgates, that is fixed at the head of the thorough or mill pond. The floodgate
or floodgates to be the width of the thorough or the width of the water
wheels, to be any length or heighth the head and fall may require, or the
work or works stand in need of.
The other half or second part of the new invented works or machine,
and the most principle part, is the grinding of all and every sort of corn,
grain, pulse, and seeds, as well English as foreign production; likewise kelp,
Sturbridge clay, calamine, barilla, calcine flints, alabaster, white lead, and all
colours for painting, particularly for powdering all sorts of sugars in the common
way, of grinding all sorts of corn, grain, and all the above-mentioned articles
to be manufactured in this new-invented mill, machine, or machinery, to be
made and fixed as following, and to go or be drove by water, wind, steam,
horses and other cattle, or manual labour, and consists of the undermentioned
materials. If stones to grind corn, grain, or seeds, or any of the articles above
mentioned, the stones to be English, Welch, or foreign ones. If metal to grind
with, to be iron, steel, brass, copper, or lead, or any composition of metal
or metals, wood, and stone put together in the form of stones. These stones,
metals, wood, or metals and stone put together for grinding, are to be made,
shaped, and fixed upon bearing in the same manner, form, and usual way as the
grinding stones are shaped and fixed, hanged, and put to go for grinding all
sorts of edge tools. My method is to grind corn, seeds, and the articles above:
mentioned with the edge of the stones to be made use of, or greatest diameter
of stones, metal, or composition, or metal, stones, and wood put together, in a
circular form or shape of a stone. These stones, metal, or wood is to perform
all that great work of grinding corn, grain, pulse, or seeds, when shaped and
fixed upon bearings as above mentioned with the edge of the stone, metal, or
wood, instead of the flat part or face, that is made use of in the common way
of grinding corn. The next or second part of this mill, to compleat the grinding
of corn, grain, pulse, or seeds, is the ledgers helpmate or bed stone to be
made of the same materials as above mentioned; and before we can perform
this great and useful work of grinding corn, the bed stone or ledger must be

page_text: made or shaped in a concavo form to fit the edge of the runner all round,
or any part of the edge or circle of the stone as before mentioned, as the
grinding part may want or require to make it into meal. These stones, metal,
or wood, to be made of any size, in thickness or leighth, the power of the work
may require. This runner for grinding on the edge, instead of the flat or
face, is to be made solid or hollow; if hollow, in the form or shape of un-
shrouded water wheel, with a ball or globo of iron, or any sort of metal to be
put in the inside, between the arins, to help and accellerate the notion of the
machine.
In witness wheroof, I, the said William Shorland, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, One thousand seven
hundred and ninety-one.