SEVERALL ENGINES OF EXTRAORDINARY VSE FOR DISCHARGING WATER OUT OF MINES AND SHIPPS, WETTING OF SAYLES, QUENCHING OF FIRE, & SUCH OTHER VSES, WHEREBY HEE CAN RAISE GREATE QUANTITYES OF WATER HIGHER AND WITH FARRE LESS PORCON OF STRENGTH THEN CAN BEE PERFORMED BY ANY OTHER ENGINE YETT EXTANT
Year: 1678

page_text: WHEREAS ROBERT LEDGINGHAM, of our Citty of London, Merchant,
hath by his humble peticon informed vs that hec hath newly invented
"SEVERALL ENGINES OF EXTRAORDINARY VSE FOR DISCHARGING WATER OUT OF
MINES AND SHIPPS, WETTING OF SAYLES, QUENCHING OF FIRE, & SUCH OTHER
VSES, WHEREBY HEE CAN RAISE GREATE QUANTITYES OF WATER HIGHER AND WITH
FARRE LESS PORCON OF STRENGTH THEN CAN BEE PERFORMED BY ANY OTHER ENGINE
YETT EXTANT;" in which regard hee hath humbly besought vs to grant him
our royall licence and priviledge for the sole vse & benefitt of the said
Invenčon.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, out of our princely inclinacon to
pmote and encourag such invenčons as may bee of publicke vse and advantage,
of our especiall grace, certaine knowledge, and mere močon, have given and
granted, and by these psente, for vs, our heires and successors, doe give and
grant vnto the said Robert Ledingham, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, especiall lycence, full and sole power, priviledge, and authority that
hee & they, and his and theire servante and workemen, and noe others, shall
and may, during the terme of fowerteene yeares next ensueing the date of
these Pesente, vse, practice, exercise, and enioy the said Invenčon and engines
within our Kingdome of England, Dominion of Wales, and Towne of Barwick-
vpon-Tweede, in such manner as to him or them shall seeme meete, and shall
have and enioy the sole vse and benefitt thereof, or by reason thereof, to have,

page_text: hold, and enioy the said licence, powers, priviledges, authorityes, and other the
Pmisses hereby granted or intended to bee granted, and the sole vse of the
said Invenĉon and engines, to the said Robert Ledingham, his executors,
administrators, & assignes, from the date of these psente, for and during
the tearme of fowerteene yeares from thence next ensueing, and fully to bec
compleate and ended, according to the statute in that case made and provided;
and to the ende the said Robert Ledgingham, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, and every of them, may the better enioy the full and wholo
benefitt, and the sole vse and exercise of his said Invencon and engines aswell
within libertyes as without, wee doe by these psente, for vs, our heires and
successors, require, phibitt, and streightly charge and comand all and every
pson and persons whatsoever, and all bodyes politique and corporate, of
whatosever degree, name, or addičon they bee, that neither they nor any
of them during the terme of fowerteene yeares hereby granted, directly or
indirectly, doe or shall vse or putt in practice the said Invencon or engines, or
any of them, or any of the principall partes thereof, nor doe or shall coun-
tefeite, imitate or resemble the same, nor doe or shall make any addicon
thereunto or substraccon from the same, whereby to ptend themselves the
inventors or Jevisors thereof, without the licence, consent, or agrcent of
the said Robert Ledingham, his executors, administrators, and assignes, in
writeing vnder his or theire hande and seales first had and obteyned in that
behalfe, vnder such paines and penaltyes as can or may bee inflicted on such
offenders for the contempt of this our comand in that behalfe, and further to
bee answearable to the said Robert Ledingham, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, according to law and justice, for his and theire damages
thereby susteyned. And further, wee doe by these psente, for vs, our heires
and successors, give and grant vnto the said Robert Ledingham, bis executors,
administrators, and assignes, full power and authority that hee, they, and
every of them, his, theire, & every of theire deputyes, servante, or agente,
or any of them, haveing first. obteyned a warrant in this behalfe from the
Lord Cheife Justice of the Courte of Kinge Bench for the time being, may,
with the assistance of a constable or any other lawfull officer, aswell within
libertyes as without, vpon request, att convenient times in the day during
the time aforesaid, and in lawful manner, enter and make search in any
houses or other places where there shall bee iust cause of suspicon, for
discovering and findeing out of all such engines, and all manner of persons
as within the aforesaid tearme of fowertecne yeares shall imitate or cause to
bee imitated, or shall vse or putt in practice the said Invencon or engines,
or any of them, or any of the principall partes thereof, that soc such offenders

page_text: may bee pceeded against and punished according to theire demeritte. And
further, wee doe by these psente, for vs, our heires and successors, will,
authorize, and require all & singuler justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffes,
bayliffes, headburroughs, and all other officers and ministers of vs, our heires
and successors, for the time being, that they and every of them respectively,
from time to time during the said tearme hereby granted, in theire respective
places, be favouring, aydeing, helpeing, and assisting vnto the said Robert
Ledgingham, bis executors, administrators, & assignes, and to his and theire
deputy and deputyes, servante, and agente, in and by all thinge in and aboute
the accomplishm of our will and pleasure herein declared, and the exerciso
and execučon of the powers and priviledges herein and hereby granted or
menconed to bee granted as aforesaid. And, moreover, wee will and comand
by these sente, for vs, our heires and successors, that our said officers, or
any of them, doe not molest, trouble, or interrupt the said Robert Ledgingham,
his executors, administrators, or assignes, or his or theire deputyes, servante,
or agent, or any of them, in or aboute the vse or exercise of the said
Invenčon or engines, or in any matter or thing concerning the same.
Provided alwayes, that if att any time during the said tearme of fowerteeno
yeares itt shall bec made appeare to vs, our heires or successors, or any six
or more of our or theire Privy Councell, that this grant is Piudicall or incon-
venient to our comon weale, or that the said Invenĉon is not a new invencon
of the said Robert Ledingham, as to the vse and practice thereof, within our
kingdome of England, then vpon significacon and declararacon to bee mado
by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or theire signett or privy scale,
or by the lorde and others of our Privy Councell, or six or more of them,
for the time beinge, in writeing vnder theire hande of such preiudice and incon-
venience, these our Letters Patente, and all thing therein conteyned, shall
forthwith cease, determine; & bec vtterly voyd to all intente and purposes,
any thing herein-before conteyned to the contrary notwitstanding. Provided
alsoc, that these our Letters Patente, or any thinge herein conteyned, shall
not extend or bee construed to extend to give priviledge to the said Robert
Ledgingham, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or
imitate any invenĉon or worke found out or invented by any other pson or
psons and publiquely exercised in this our kingdome of England, vnto whome
wee have already granted our like Letters Patente of priviledge for the sole
vse, exercise, and benefitt thereof, itt being our will & pleasure that the
said Robert Ledgingham, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all
and singuler other person and persons to whome wee have already granted
our like Letters Patent or priviledges as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and

page_text: practice theire, severall invenčons by them invented and found out according
to the true intent and meaneing of the said severall and respective Letters
Patent and of these presente. And wee doe further by these psente, for vs,
our heires and successors, grant vnto the said Robert Ledgingham, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patente, and
the inrollment thereof, shall bee in and by all thing good, valid, sufficient,
and effectuall in the law according to the true intent and meaneing of these
psente, and shall bee taken, construed, and adiudged most favourably and
beneficially for the best benefitt and advantage of the said Robert Ledgingham,
his executors, administrators, & assignes, aswell in all our Courte of Record
as elsewhere, notwithstanding the not full and certaine discribeing of the
said Inventon or engines, or of the mannor or quality thereof, or of the
materiall, way of vseing or exerciseing of the said Invenĉon or engines, or of
the certaine vse or benefitt thereof; and notwithstanding any other defecte,
incertaintyes, or imperfeccons in these sente conteyned, or any act, statute,
ordinance, pvision, pelamacon, or restraint to the contrary in any wise
notwithstanding.
In wittnesse, Sec. Wittmesse our selfe att Westminster the Feworth of
October.
P privatu sigill.