AN IMPROVED METHOD OF MAKING SHOE BUCKLES AND CHAPES
Year: 1790

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
LAW, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Plater, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty, in and by His certain Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster the
Twenty-third day of January, in the thirtieth year of His reign, did for Himself,
His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Richard Law, my
exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Richard Law, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and
every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy.or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Richard Law, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein
éxpressed, should and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend my Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF MAKING SHOE BUCKLES AND CHAPES," therein
mentioned, within that part of the Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as
to me, the said Richard Law, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or any of them,
should seem meet; and that I, the said Richard Law, my exors, admors,

page_text: and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit,
commodity, and advantage, from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and
arising by reason of the. said Invention, for and during the term of years
therein mentioned, to hold, exercise, and enjoy the licence, powers, priviledges,
and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me,
the said Richard Law, my exors, admors, and assigns, for and during and unto
the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters
Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended
In which said
according to the Statute in such case made and provided.
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that the same should be void unless I,
the said Richard Law, should particularly.describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Law, in pursuance of the said
proviso in the said Letters Patent, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed (that
is to say):-
A chape is made of iron, or it may be made of steel, brass, or any other
metal, as may be seen in those parts of the several Drawings, No. 1, 4, 5,
hereunto annexed, marked with the letters (A, A, G), by or which the shoe is
buckled or fastened, separate and detached from the buckle rim, rosette, or
ornament. Upon such chape there is a piece of steel, which I call a bridge,
see (B, B, B) in the annexed Drawings, and which bridge may be made of
iron, brass, or any other metal, and is fixed or secured upon the aforesaid
chape by means of iron or steel pillars or rivets, or it may be fixed or secured
as aforesaid by means of a screw or screws, or any other fastening; the said
bridge leaves a vacancy to admit the inside strap of a shoe between the chape
and bridge; upon such bridge there is a spring (see the letters C, C, C, in the
said Drawings) fixed or secured by means of one or more rivet or rivets; or
it may be fixed or secured by means of one or more screw or screws, or any
other fastening. A slide or plate made of iron, or it may be made of steel,
brass, or any other metal (see the letter D in Drawing. No. 2), is fixed or
secured in or near the center of the buckle rim, rosette, or ornament, in
manner following:-
:-
.:
.
Two holes are drilled in the buckle rim, rosette, or ornament, or in the
bridge of the said buckle rim, rosette, or ornament, which admits one end of

page_text: the said slide or piece of iron. The said slide or piece of iron is placed across
the buckle rim, rosette, or ornament, to the opposite side or bridge thereof,
.and there fixed or secured by means of a screw or screws, or it may be fixed
or.secured by any other fastening. The said slide or piece of iron may be made
to act with a joint or swivel at one, end thereof. In such slide or piece of iron
a groove is made in the under side of the part, marked with the letter. D, and
is also expressed in the dark part of the annexed Drawing, No. 3, and a hole
drilled or pierced at the end of the groove (marked with the letters E, E),
which groove admits the spring (C, C, C) to slide along till the end of such
spring drops into the said hole (E), which effectually fastens or secures the
buckle rim, rosette, or ornament, and which said buckle rim, rosette, or
ornament may be slided on and off at the pleasure of the wearer.
My said Invention has also this further improvement:-A spring (see
letter F) is fixed or secured to the said slide or piece of iron D by means
of a rivet, or it may be fixed or secured by a screw or any other fastening,
at the end of which spring there is a pillar or spike, as described in
Drawing No. 6, that secures a leather or any other strap by means of the top
part of the bridge B, B, B, sliding upon such spring and pressing the said
pillar or spike against the strap, which confines it against the under part of the
buckle rim, rosette, or ornament; the strap may likewise be secured by means
of a screw passing through the slide or piece of iron D.
My Invention has also this further advantage:-The mechanism described
in Drawings B, B, B, and C, C, C, being fixed or secured upon a chape
made of steel, or it may be made of iron, brass, or any other metal,
with or without joints, and with one or more spike or spikes (see
Drawing G), by or which the shoe is fastened or buckled, separate from the
buckle rim, rosette, or ornament; and the said mechanism may be fixed or
secured upon clasps made of steel, iron, brass, or any other metal. No. 1
represents the upper side of the buckle rim, and No. 2 represents the under
side of it.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Law, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Seventeenth day of February, in the thirtieth year of the
reign of His Majesty King George the Third, by the grace of God of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and
so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and
ninety

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1790, the aforesaid Richard Law 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 stampt according to the tenor of the
Statutes made for that purpose..
"DNYT UND