A IMPROVEMENT IN THE ART OF MAKING SADDLES
Year: 1824

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MARSH, of Charlotte Street, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex,
Sadler and Harness Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the 20th day of May, in the fifth year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Marsh, His especial licence that I, the said Thomas Marsh, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Marsh, my exors,
adfors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A
IMPROVEMENT IN THE ART OF MAKING SADDLES;" in which said Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Marsh, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describle and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Marsh, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to

page_text: consist in substituting a series of spiral spring wires in place of the canvas
and padding now used to give elasticity to the seat of a saddle; and in further
compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Thomas Marsh, do hereby describe
the manner in which I perform my said Invention by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings annexed, and to the figures
marked thereon, that is to say :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
In Fig. 1, A, A, A, A, represent four pieces of web, between which and to the
edges of which aro fastened a series of spiral springs W, made of brass wire.
These wires and the web are to be stretched lengthways from the head to the
cantle of the saddletree, nailed to the former and screwed to the latter in the
way the ordinary web is stretched as saddles are now made. Fig. 2 is a
section of a saddletree with the web and patent wires so stretched as afore-
said. It will be evident that something will be required to prevent these
brass spring wires from stretching beyond that part where reaction takes
place, and thus losing their elasticity. For this purpose a double canvas, one
above and another below the wires, is quilted across the saddletree, as shown
in section at Fig. 2, where 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, is the upper canvass, and
7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, r, r, the lower canvass, each letter showing where the stitches
run across the tree. It should be observed that this stitching also prevents
the spring wires from becoming misplaced, and riding over each other. It will
be seen by this section that the pieces of canvass both above and below are
considerably longer than the wires, and that the wires can therefore be stretched
to a considerable distance by the weight of the rider before the pieces of
canvass are drawn tight, but when they are drawn tight of course all further
nction of the wires lengthways ceases. Two points must therefore be observed
in determining the length of the upper and lower pieces of canvass, namely,
they must be as much longer than the wires as will allow the wires to stretch
to the extreme point where the reaction of the springs can take place, and
not so long as to allow the springs to stretch beyond the said point of reaction,
otherwise their elasticity would be destroyed. These two pieces of canvas
being quilted or stretched to the wires in manner aforesaid, they must be
drawn down and sewed to the sides of the saddletree, in order to give the
required form to the seat of the saddle, as is the usual practice. This being
done, the saddle is prepared, filled, and finished in the usual manner. Fig. 8
is a representation of a saddletree, fitted with the springs aforesaid, and in a
state to be finished in the usual manner. Now my said springs may be made
of any other suitable metal, besides brass, and my said springs may be made

page_text: of open spirals with wires running through them, in such manner that the
springs may compress to elongate the web, instead of opening for that
purpose, in which case the difference between the length of the spiral in its
open stato and in its compressed state will determine the quantity of elasticity
given to the seat of the saddle; and leather or canvas may be substituted for
the web to which the wires are herein-before described to be fastened. But
a saddle in the working of which elasticity has been given to the sent by
substituting a series of spiral spring wires in manner aforesaid, in place of
the canvass and padding now used, being, to the best of my knowledge and
belief, entirely new, and never before used in these kingdoms, I do hereby
declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe
this my said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve
or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right
and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second
THOMAS (L.B.) MARSH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1824, the aforesaid Thomas Marsh came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and twenty-four.