IMPROVEMENTS IN GRATES AND FIRE-PLACES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Samuel Kendrick, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GRATES AND FIRE-PLACES."
Sealed the 28th May 1858, and dated the 29th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Samuel
Kendrick at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 29th November 1852.
I, MATTHEW SAMUEL KENDRICK, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRATES AND FIRE-PLACES" to
be as follows, that is to say :-
That my Invention consists,―
Firstly, in making a grate separate and detached from the back
of the fire-place.
Secondly, in making such grates portable, and to rotate.
Thirdly, in making the back of the fire-place immediately behind the
grate of a concave form, and with a reflecting surface. And,
Fourthly, in fitting such grates in suitable stands, to be used with
portable chimnies or pipes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Matthew Samuel Kendrick in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 28th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
MATTHEW SAMUEL KENDRICK, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November,
Anno Domini One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Matthew Samuel Kendrick, Her
special license that I, the. said Matthew Samuel Kendrick, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as J, the said
Matthew Samuel Kendrick, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for certain "IMPROVEMENTS IN GRATES AND FIRE-PLACES,"
upon the condition, amongst others, that I, the said Matthew Samuel
Kendrick, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
.NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Matthew Samuel Kendrick, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement (that is to say):
My Invention consists,
"Firstloy, in-making a grate seperate and detached from the back o
"the fire-place.
"Secondly, in making such grates portable, and to rotate.

page_text: "Thirdly, in making the back of the fire-place immediately behind
"the grate of a concave form, and with a reflecting surface.
"And, fourthly, in fitting such grates in suitable stands, to be used
"with portable chimnies or pipes."
I.
This being a recital of my Provisional Specification, I will now
proceed to describe the manner in which I propose to carry the
several parts of my Invention into effect as comprehended by the
title. Taking the first head of my Provisional Specification which
relates to that part of my improvements used for holding the coals
or other combustable matter of which house fires may be composed,
and which part I call the grate, (to be as follows,) that is to say :-
propose to make this part of open fret work, or of bars safely
united and put into any desired form, such as a bason or vase shape,
having a pin projecting downward from the neck or bottom. This
grate may be easily made of cast iron or other metal, or it may be
made of partly cast and partly wrought metal, the bars or open work
being sufficiently close to prevent the fuel from falling through in an
unburnt state. The grate so made may be fitted to a suitable stand,
and made permanent or portable, as it may be desired, or it can also
be made to revolve, as stated in the second part of my Provisional
Specification, by means of the pin before described fitting in to a suit-
able socket or stand. The third part of my Invention relates to the fire-
places or backs necessary for such grates, and which I propose to make
of a concave form, the focal distance of which should be in or about
the top of the grate, and which concave may be made with any addi-
tions in front, so as to make it suitable and easy of being set in the
brick work commonly left for the reception of grates now in use, and
may be made in one or more pieces of fire clay, terra cotta, earthen-
ware, or of cast irons or other metal; but if fire clay or terra cotta is
used, it may be necessary to glaze the surface of the concave, in order
that it may reflect the heat as much as possible. The smoke is allowed
to pass away through a hole formed in the back of the concave towards
the top, which hole may be fitted witli a damper, if necessary. This
arrangement will entirely obviate. a common defect (viz.), that of the
smoke coming out into the room from an imperfect draft, as the
great rarefaction of the atmosphere. in and. around the grate will so

page_text: increase the draft that all smoke and sulphur arising from the fire will
be driven up the chimney. The fifth part of my Invention simply
relates to the adaptation of the grate (described in the first part of my
Invention) to suitable stands, that they may be used as stoves in
churches, chaples, offices, &c.; but as my description will be much
aided by reference to the Drawings hereunto annexed, will now pro-
cced to describe the same, first observing that my Drawing represents
the articles as made of cast iron, which perhaps will be found the best
material, and have used the same letters to denote the same parts in
each Figure. Fig. 1, is a front view, and A, A, A, A, represents the
square of the brick work. B, a moulding, surrounding the concave C.
D, is the damper, which may be fitted to the concave by an hinge joint,
as shown at E, Fig. 2; and F, F, F, are slots at the bottom of the
concave to allow the ashes to fall through, but those slots may be
omitted, if desired, as the ashes would naturally fall down the incline
surface of the concave, and may be received in a suitable receptacle in
front. G, is a boss, formed at the front edge of the concave at the
bottom, having a hole through it vertically for receiving the grate
H, H, which rest upon it, and is further supported by the pin I, which
boing round admits of the grate being turned around, or, if desirable,
removed all together; the opening at J, J, is for receiving a suitable
drawer to catch or hold the ashes in; and Fig. 8, represents one of my
grates fitted up for a stove, as described under the last head of my Pro-
visional Specification; K, being the chimney attached to the cast iron
top L, which rest on a screen M, M, M, M, which pass around the
back, and rest on a suitable stand, shown partly in section at N, N.
An additional circular screen O, is fitted at the top, working in the
grove P, P; this screen O, is shewn open, exhibiting the upper part
of the grate II, FI, but when necessary the screen can be pulled over
by the nob Q, to R. The grate II, also rest on a suitable stand T, T,
partly shewn in sections, exhibiting the pin S, fitting into a correspond-
ing hole in the before-mentioned stand, the bottom of which stal is
cast with open work or radiating slots to allow the ashes to fall
through into the drawer U, which may be easily removed for the
convenience of emptying.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner

page_text: in which the same may be carried into effect, I wish to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the form of the grate as described
or exhibited in the Drawing, nor to the fire-place as there exhibited, as
the grate will admit of divers shapes, and of being ornamented in any
way desirable, as also the face of the concave back, which may be cor-
rogated, reeded, or fluted in a radiating direction to increase its
reflecting surface. But what I do claim is, Firstly, the making of
grates that they may stand seperate and detached from the back, such
grates being fitted to suitable stands which admits of their being turned
around or removed at pleasure. Secondly, in the making of fire-places
for receiving such grates of a concave form, whether made of fire
bricks and built into the form, or of fire clay moulded into the form, or
of terra cotta, earthenware, cast iron, or other metal. And, lastly, I
claim the application of the grate before described as exhibited at
Fig. 3, without any regard to the ornamentation or to the design that
may be given to the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Samuel Kendrick, have
heretofore set my hand and scal, this Twenty-eight day of
May, A.D. One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
MATTHEW SAMUEL KENDRICK. (L.S.)