CERTAIN NEW IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARNESS
Year: 1796

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JASPER
AUGUSTUS KELLY, of the Parish of Saint Mary-le-Strand, in the City of
Westminster, and County of Middlesex, Harness Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of January, in the thirty-sixth year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said Jasper Augustus Kelly, His especial
licence that I, the said Jasper Augustus Kelly, during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN NEW IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF HARNESS;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Jasper
Augustus Kelly, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within one calendar month after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had) may
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Jasper Augustes Kelly, do hereby declare that my said Invention of Certain
New Improvements in the Construction of Harness is described in manner
following (that is to say) :-
First Improvement.-In order to render the collar and aims usually worn
by horses for drawing any carriage more easy to the animal, two, three, or

page_text: more staples, rings, or loops are to be fixed on the aims or collar, which is
generally used for drawing, through which you must pass two, three, or more
leather straps, ropes, or other strong materials, with or without buckles,
sufficient in proportion to draw the carriage or other machine, these being
from one foot to two feet long, more or less, in proportion, and so fastened
as above, must all be fixed to any ring, staple, buckle, bar, or other con-
trivance, to which the trace, tug, or other article may be buckled or otherwise
fastened. By the above improvement you have a power to ease the draft of
the horse or partial bearing of the collar, which frequently bruises and wrings
the horse, which may be effected by shortening or lengthening either of the
two, three, or more straps, ropes, or other materials, which are on each side
the collar, as above mentioned. This improvement is of infinite service to
horses drawing waggons, carts, drays, stages, coaches, mail coaches, charriots,
postebaises, phaetons, curricles, and single horse chaises, &c.
Second Improvement.-In order to make tho draft or labour yet more
casy to the horse, add to the first improvement, or any other sort of harness,
one, two, or more springs on cach side, fastened to the trace, tug, collar of
any sort, or other article by which the carriage is drawn, which springs aro
intended to expand and contract the tug, trace, collar, or other material by
which the carriage is drawn. The above springs may be either worm spring,
spiral spring, steelyard spring, check spring, flat spring, round spring, square
spring, or any sort of spring that will have the power to shorten
or lengthen
the trace, tug, collar, or any article by which the carriage is drawn. They
may be fixed at either end, or in the middle, or thereabouts, of the trace, tug,
collar, or any other article intended to draw the carriage with; or you may
fix a spring of any sort to the carriage or splinter bar to which the traces
'or other articles may be fastened to draw with, and so constructed as to
have the same effect on the horse by causing the traces, or other article for
drawing, to move forward or return back by the motion of the horse. The
above improvement may be added to all sorts of collars or harness whatever,
independent of the first improvement.
Third Improvement,-To remove the disagreeable motion of a two-wheel
carriage, &c., and save the horse from the bruises they receive by the jolting
of the shafts, take one or more springs similar to a spiral spring, steelyard
spring, check spring, or any other spring that will expand or contract, or
cause the shaft, tugs, &c., to shorten or lengthen by the motion of such springs;
put one or more on each side, by joining the one end in any manner to the
back band or strap, or to the saddle or housing, &c., and to the other end of
tho spring aforesaid let a strap be fixed that is to buckle to the tug,

page_text: and, passing under the horse, shall fasten to the other side. It is handsome
and easy to be done; and by this Invention you will effectually prevent the
disagreeable motion arising from the jolting of the carriage, and save the horso
from much labour and fatigue.
Fourth Improvement.-It is necessary to give. greater ease to the horse
in his bearing rein, to do which you must fix within the saddle or housing
a steelyard spring, check spring, or some other spring that will draw out and
return back, according to the motion of the horse's head. When the bearing
rein is hooked, which may be fastened to such spring so passing in and out of
the front of the saddle, housing, &c., the above Invention will give much
advantage to the horse, and prevent his falling down.
Fifth Improvement.-To give further elegance to harness, and greater easo
to horses in general, take a large fin of whalebone, the thickest that can
be procured; cut it in breadths of one inch or more; boil it in a long kettle
for one hour, then dry it by a fire and bend it to the usual form of the aims.
When cold and dry you may work it like wood, and it will polish like glass.
For heavy carriages the whalebone must be lined with steel, iron, or other
metal. Fasten to the whalebone aims aforesaid one, two, or more rings or
loops, &c., of iron or metal, through which you may pass the straps or other
materials, as above mentioned in the first improvement. At both ends of the
whalebone aims put rings, loops, screws, or other materials to fasten them
together by straps, chains, or any other material as is usual. This Invention
adds a degree of neatness to the whole harness.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jasper Augustus Kelly, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, the Sixteenth day of February, in the year
One thousand coven hundred and ninete-sis
J. A. KELLY. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Sixteenth day of February,
in the year above written, the aforesaid Jasper Augustus Kelly came before
0 our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Sixteenth day of February. in the year above written.