NEW-INVENTED ART OF MAKING PLOUGHSHARES OF CAST IRON, WHICH IS TEMPERED AFTER A PECULIAR MANNER, SO AS TO STAND THE STRICTEST PROOF
Year: 1785

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, ROBERT RAN
SOME, of the City of Norwich, Iron Founder, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by His Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the Eighteenth day
of March, One thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, gave and granted unto
the said Robert Ransome, his exors, adñors, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he, the said Robert
Ransome, his exors, adñiors, and assigns,.by himself or themselves, or by his
or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such other person or
persons as he, the said Robert Ransome, should at any time agree with, and
no other, from time to time, and at all times thereafter during the term
of years therein and herein-after expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend his "NEW-INVENTED ART OF MAKING PLOUGHSHARES OF
CAST IRON, WHICH IS TEMPERED AFTER A PECULIAR MANNER, SO AS TO STAND THE
STRICTEST PROOF," within that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the
said Robert Ransome, his exors, admors, and assigns, or any of them, should in
their discretion seem meet, and that he, the said Robert Ransome, his exors,
admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole
profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, accruing,
and arising by reason of the said new Invention for and during the term of years
therein and herein-after mentioned, to have and to hold, exercise, and enjoy the
said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages herein-before mentioned to be
granted unto the said Robert Ransome, his exors, adñiors, and assigns, of the sole

page_text: use, exercise, and vending of his said Art of Making Ploughshares of Cast Iron,
which is Tempered after a Peculiar Manner, so as to Stand the strictest Proof,
for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of
the said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be com-
pleat and ended, according to the Statute in that case made and provided;
His Majesty in such Letters Patent thereby strictly commanding all and
every person or persons, bodies politic and corporate, and all other His
Majesty's subjects whatsoever, of what estate, quality, degree, name, or
condition soever they be, within that part of His Majesty's said Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, that neither they or any of them, at any time during
the continuance of the said term of fourteen years thereby granted, either
directly or indirectly, do make, use, or put in practice the said Invention, or
any part of the same, so attained unto the said Robert Ransome, his exors,
adiñors, and assigns, as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or
resemble the same, nor make or cause 'to be made any addition thereunto
or subtraction from the same, whereby to pretend himself or themselves
the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the licence,
consent, or agreement of the said Robert Ransome, his exors, admors, or
assigns, in writing under his or their hands or seals first had and obtained in
that behalf, upon such pains or penalties as can or may be justly inflicted on
such offender and offenders, for their contempt of His Majesty's said Royal
Command, and further to be answerable to the said Robert Ransome, his
exors, admors, and assigns, according to law, for his or their damages occasioned
thereby; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the said
Robert Ransome, his exors, admors, or assigns, or any other person or persons
which shall or may at any time hereafter during the continuance of the said
grant have or claim any right, title, or interest, at law or in equity; of, in, or to
the power, privilege, and authority of the sole use and benefit of the said
Invention, should make any transfer or assignment, or any pretended transfer
or assignment, of the said liberty or privilege, or any share or shares of the
benefits or profits thereof, to or for any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, and also that if the said Robert Ransome should not parti
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of his said Art of Making Plough-
shares of Cast Iron, which is Tempered after a Peculiar Manner, so as to Stand
the strictest Proof, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month
next and iminediately after the date of the said Royal Letters Patent,

page_text: that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever
thereby granted, should cease, determine, and become void, anything therein
contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Ransome, in pursuance of and
in compliance with the said proviso in the said recited Royal Letters Patent
contained, do, by this present Instrument, declare that the nature of my said
Invention of the Art of Making Ploughshares of Cast Iron, which is Tempered
after a Peculiar Manner, so as to Stand the strictest Proof, and the manner in
which the same is to be used and performed, is described and ascertained in
the manner following (that is to say) :-
My said ploughshares are moulded in flasks of sand, and the pattern being
taken out of the flask, leaving a fair cavity of the form of the share, those
parts of the sand coming in contact with the cutting edge of the share are
wetted by means of sponge steeped in water saturated with common sea salt,
which gives the edge its proper temper. When this operation is over the
mould is finished, and then, closing the flasks, the metal, being brought into
fusion, is poured into the mould, and the share is compleated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Ransome, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of April, in the twenty-fifth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the Grace of God
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
and eighty-five.
ROBERT (L.S.) RANSOME.
Signed and sealed (being first duly
stampt) in the presence of us,
STEPHEN DANSER.
J. N. MOTTRAM.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of April, in the
year of our Lord 1785, the aforesaid Robert Ransome came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand