IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE TABLETS, LETTERS, AND FIGURES FOR INDICATING THE NAMES, DESIGNATIONS, OR NUMBERS OF STREETS, HOUSES, BUILD- INGS, AND OTHER PLACES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Motley, of the City and County of
Bristol, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING THE TABLETS, LETTERS, AND FIGURES FOR INDICATING
THE NAMES, DESIGNATIONS, OR NUMBERS OF STREETS, HOUSES, BUILD-
INGS, AND OTHER PLACES."
Sealed the 16th June 1858, and dated the 16th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Motley at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th December 1852.
I, THOMAS MOTLEY, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE TABLETS, LETTERS, AND
FIGURES FOR INDICATING THE NAMES, DESIGNATIONS, OR NUMBERS OF STREETS,
HOUSES, BUILDINGS, AND OTHER PLACES," to be as follows, viz. :-
My Invention consists in constructing the tablets, letters, and figures
above named, when such tablets are made of metal, all in one piece,
my principal object being to facilitate and cheapen the casting or form-
ing of such tablets by making a mould frame to be fitted & refitted
from time to time with different moveable letters or figures, or both;
and thus one frame, and a sufficient supply of such moveable letters or
figures, or both, will serve for casting different tablets.

page_text: Thus I make a frame of wood, or other analogous material, of such
dimensions and thickness as may be deemed requisite to contain a
given number of letters or figures, or both, of a given size. For a
single line inscription I make a frame with a single opening to receive
patterns of letters made in separate plates or blocks; and the said letters
I prefer to be perfectly hollow or open, and to place them in such
opening in the manner of setting up type; and when the required
number of letters, &c. are not sufficient to fill up the opening in the
frame, the same to be filled with blank plates or blocks similarly to
blank spacing, as adopted in type setting. If two or more lines of
letters, &c. are required, then there must be a corresponding number of
openings in the mould frame. The pattern letters, &c. to be fixed in the
openings of the frame with plaster of Paris or coment. The fronts of
the letters may be ornamented instead of being perfectly open (which
ornamental fronts may be applied to separate projecting letters or
figures). This being done, I place the mould or frame so as to project
from the ground or resting place inch and upwards, and for hollow or
partially hollow letters or figures fill in moulding sand, so as not only
to fill the hollow letters, &c., and the space beneath the frame, forming
raised letters; and having thus completed the mould I run in the metal,
and thus cast a tablet in which the letters, &c. will be hollow or par-
tially hollow, as the case may be, and the other parts solid; or by
proper arrangement of the moulding sand, as will be well understood
by moulders, the tablet may be made with projecting letters or figures,
or both.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Motley in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 16th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, 3
THOMAS MOTLEY, of the City and County of Bristol, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her

page_text: Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Motley, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Motley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Motley, 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 lawfully 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING THE TABLETS, LETTERS, AND FIGURES FOR INDICATING THE
NAMES, DESIGNATIONS, OR NUMBERS OF STREETS, HOUSES, BUILDINGS, AND
OTHER PLACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Motley, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was 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 Thomas Motley, 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:-
My Invention consists in constructing the tablets, letters, and figures
above named for the designation of streets, squares, avenues, and other
places, and separate letters for shop fronts, &c.
The tables above mentioned are to be made in metal as hereafter
set forth, my principal object herein being to facilitate and cheapen the
casting or forming of such tablets by making a mould or frame to be
fitted and refitted from time to time with moveable letters or figures, or
both, so that one frame will serve for casting many different tablets.
Thus I make a frame of wood or other analogous material of such
dimensions and thickness as may be deemed requisite to contain a
given number of letters or figures, or both, of a given size. For a

page_text: single line inscription I make a frame with a single opening to receive
patterns of letters made in separate plates or blocks, with a letter,
figure, or device executed on each block; the said letters, figures, or
devices I prefer to be perfectly hollow or open, and to place them in such
opening in the manner of setting up of type; and when the required
number of letters, &c. are not sufficient to fill up the opening in the
frame, the same to be filled with blank plates or blocks similar to blank
spacing as adopted in type setting. If two or more lines of letters, &c.
are required, then there must be a corresponding number of openings in
the mould frame. The pattern letters, &c. to be fixed in the openings
of the frame with plaster of Paris or cement. Instead of the block or
plate having executed therein a plain and perfectly hollow letter, figure,
or device, tlie same may consist of a number of small perforations of
an ornamental character. This being done, I place the mould or
frame so as to project from the ground or resting place half inch and
upwards, and fill in moulding sand or composition, so as not only to fill
the hollow letters, &c., and the space beneath the frame, but be raised
above the top of the hollow of such letter, forming, as it were, raised
letters; and having thus completed the mould I run in the metal, and
thus cast a tablet in which the letters will be hollow or partially hollow,
as the case may be, and the other parts solid; or by proper arrangement
of the moulding sand, as will be readily understood by moulders, the
tablet may be cast with projecting letters or figures, or both.
Instead of these tablets, letters, figures, or devices being formed of
plain hollow letters, they may, when desired, have a very agreeable
ornamental effect given to them by placing before them a plate per-
forated with trellis work, consisting of circular openings, cross bars, or
any perforations of suitable character. When the letters are hollow this
ornamental plate must be so formed as to render an ornamental open
work letter, figure, or device; and when the letters, figures, or devices
are raised the plate must be so formed as to leave the ornamental open
work between the letters, figures, or devices.'
A tablet having hollow or perforated letters, figures, or devices, I
should prefer to place against a wall or back ground of a different color
to the parts of the tablet surrounding the letters, figures, or devices.

page_text: With regard to single letters, figures, or devices for shop fronts, &c.,
I cut or form a piece of wood or any suitable material into a plain flat
letter, figure, or device, and secure thereto a border or borders or up-
right edge or edges of metal around the same, and this I use as the
matrix wherein to cast in the ordinary manner such single letters.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, I declare that I claim as my
Invention the improvements in the construction of tablets, letters, and
figures herein-before set forth; it being understood that I do not confine
myself to any form, proportion, or device of letter, or the frame, nor to
any specific material of which the letters, frames, or tablets are made,
though I prefer the use of hollow letters, which being placed against a
wall or back ground of a different color to the letter, the tablet will
produce a boldness of relief and distinctness of color unattainable by
the use of two colours on either sunk, raised, or flat letters. I also
prefer the use of cast iron in the usual way of making iron castings, for
the sake of economy, facility of manufacture, and durability, though I
use brass, zinc, or other suitable material for ornamental letters or
tablets for shop windows, &c., &c.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Motley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Signed & scaled in my presence,
THOMAS MOTLEY. (L.S.)
F. W. CAMPIN,
Patent Agent, 156, Strand.