AN IMPROVED WRENCH OR SPANNER
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Henry Hurst, of Victoria Terrace, Royal
Road, Kennington Park, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED WRENCH OR SPANNER.”
Sealed the 31st August 1859, and dated the 14th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Henry Hurst
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th March 1859.
I, CHARLES HENRY HURST, of Victoria Terrace, Royal Road, Kennington
Park, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED WRENCH OR SPANNER," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in so constructing a wrench or spanner that when
in use it shall not maul or damage the article to which it is applied, and for
certain articles, such as taps or cocks, it shall be self-adjusting.
Another important feature in this Invention consists in making the jaws of
a wrench or spanner somewhat similar in their configuration to the article
to which they are to be applied; for example, suppose it is required to con-
struct a wrench or spanner for taking taps or cocks out of casks or
other vessels, the jaws or jaw of the spanner is made in one entire piece of

page_text: metal, hollow at one part to pass over the under side of the tap, an upright
piece is formed thereon, as also a handle, by which to move the wrench or
spanner. The jaw is lined with either leather, gutta percha, cloth, or other
suitable substance or material; and for the sake of convenience it is proposed
that the handle of the wrench or spanner should fit into a hole formed in a
piece of wood, serving as à mallet for driving taps into vessels, one end of
said mallet being shod with a piece of iron to be used for driving bungs or
corks into vessels in the act of tapping them, or the handle of the mallet thus
formed may fit into a hole formed in the upright part of the jaw of the wrench
or spanner, and thus form the handle or lever thereof.
In adapting this Invention to wrenches or spanners of the ordinary con-
struction, it is proposed to affix to the jaws thereof the improved jaws lined
as above stated, and in this case formed in two parts to admit of the said
wrench or spanner being adapted to articles varying much in size.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Henry Hurst in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HENRY HURST, of Victoria Terrace, Royal Road, Kennington Park, in the
County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine; in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Henry Hurst, Her special licence that I, the, said Charles
Henry Hurst, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said 'Charles 'Henry Hurst, my executors, administrators, and
assigus, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to timo
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 Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED WRENCH OR SPANNER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Henry Hurst, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what inanner the same was to be performed, and cause the same

page_text: 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 Charles. Henry Hurst, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in so constructing a wrench or spanner that when in
use it shall not maul or damage the article to which it is applied, and for
certain articles, such as taps or cocks, it shall be self-adjusting.
Another important feature in my said Invention consists in making the jaws
of a wrench or spanner somewhat similar in their configuration to the article
to which they are to be applied; for example, suppose it is required to
construct a wrench or spanner for taking taps or cocks out of casks or other
vessels, the jaws or jaw of the spanner is made in one entire piece of metal,
hollow. at one part to pass over the under side of the tap. An upright piece
is formed thereon, as also a handle by which to move the wrench or spauner.
The jaw is lined with either leather, gutta percha, cloth, or other suitablo
substance or material, and for the sake of convenience it is proposed that the
handle of the wrench or spanner should fit into a hole formed in a piece of
wood, serving as a mallet to be used for driving bungs or cocks into vessels
in the act of tapping them, or the handle of the mallet thus formed may fit
into a hole formed in the upright part of the jaw of the wrench or spanner,
and thus form the handle or lever thereof.
In adapting my said Invention to wrenches or spanners of the ordinary
construction, I propose to affix to the jaws thereof the improved jaws lined as
above stated, and in this case formed in two parts to admit of the wrench or
spanner being adapted to articles varying much in size.
In order to explain, my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceeed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of.
Drawings bereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of
reference marked thereon respectively, as follows:→
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 exhibits a side elevation of one form of wrench or spanner con-
structed according to my said Invention, and specially adapted for withdrawing
taps or cocks from casks and other vessels, and for inserting the same thereinto;
Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a modification of the
wrench or spanner exhibited at Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 exhibits another

page_text: form of wrench or spanner, also adapted for withdrawing taps or cocks from
casks and other vessels, and as a key or spanner for opening and closing
cocks; Figure 5 is a side elevation of an ordinary coach wrench or
spanner, shewing the adaptation thereto of my improved jaws; Figure 6,
a detached plan view of one of such said jaws. At cach of the foregoing
Figures I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts
in so far as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said
Figures respectively. A is a round piece of wood serving as a handle; B, a
mallet fixed on one end thereof; C, a piece of metal let into the mallet, and
intended to be used in tapping casks for driving in the cocks or bungs; D, a
hollow piece of metal lined at the part d thereof, either with cloth, gutta
percha, or other suitable material or substance; e, a socket formed on the
piece D, into which said socket the handle A of the mallet is to be placed
when it is required to withdraw a tap or cock from a cask or other vessel, to
effect which the operator has simply to adjust the part D of the wrench or
spanner to the tap from the under side thereof, and apply power to the
handle A in an upward direction. By the modified' form of construction
exhibited at Figure 3, the piece D may be permanently affixed to the mallet,
as exhibited, thus preventing the possibility of such part from being lost or
misplaced. Another convenient form of construction of wrench or spanner is
exhibited at Figure 4, where the socket picce D, herein-before described and
represented, has a bandle E formed thereon, at the other end whereof a square
hole or spanner at is formed to be used as a key for fitting on to the plugs of
taps or cocks for opening and closing the same. I now proceed to describe
the construction of the wrench or spanner exhibited at Figures 5 and 6 as
follows:-The Drawing at Figure 5 exhibits an ordinary coach wrench, and my
Invention consists in adapting to the ordinary jaws G, G, thereof, other jaws
H, one of which is shewn detached at Figure 6. These improved jaws are
formed of metal lined at the part g thereof either with cloth, gutta percha, or
other suitable material or substance, and said part may be formed of a
somewhat similar shape to the article to which it is to be applied. These
improved jaws fit on to the jaws G, G, of the coach wrench by the part h
being passed over the same, the screw I firmly connecting them thereto. It
will be obvious that different shaped jaws lined as aforesaid may be kept for
<lifferent purposes, and may be readily adjusted to and detached from the jaws
of the coach wrench by the means above described or otherwise.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my
Faid Invention of an improved wrench or spanner, together with the best-
means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I

page_text: hereby declare my Invention to consist in, and I claim, the constructing of a
wrench or spanner in the manner above particularly described, set forth, and
represented by the illustrative Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed for the
purposes above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Henry Hurst, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
CHARLES HENRY HURST. (L.S.)