A NEW OR IMPROVED OMNIBUS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Townsend Ward, of Swansea, in the County of
Glamorgan, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
OMNIBUS."
Sealed the 22nd July 1856, and dated the 2nd February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Townsend Ward
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd February 1856.
I, JAMES TOWNSEND WARD, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW OR IMPROVED OMNIBUS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consist of a new or improved omnibus, in which the parts and
seats are arranged as follows:-The posterior part, that is to say, the part at
which the passengers enter, is of less diameter than the anterior portion, and
the seats in the two portions are arranged differently. The seats in the
anterior portion are arranged as in the ordinary omnibus, that is to say, the
passengers sit with their backs to the sides of the omnibus, those situated at
the opposite sides facing each other. The end of the anterior portion is semi-
circular, and in this portion the passengers sit with their backs to the sides of
the omnibus. In the posterior, or narrow part of the omnibus, the seats
are differently arranged. The passengers sit as in an ordinary carriage, that
is to say, the seats are situated transversely, there being two seats on the

page_text: right and two on the left of the door. The persons occupying these seats sit
face to face, as in an ordináry carriage, and there is a clear space up the
middle, giving access to the anterior portion of the omnibus, which space is not
interfered with by the occupation of the seats near the door. On the roof the
seats are arranged in two rows, the occupants being back to back; but between
the two rows of seats on the anterior portion of the omnibus, a considerable
amount of unoccupied room is left, which may be used for luggage and other
purposes. For gaining access to the top, I place a step against the projecting
part of the body, a second at the side, and a third at the side, and partly at
the back, and I place a guard over the wheels to prevent accidents in getting
up and down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Townsend Ward in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TOWNSEND WARD, of Swansea, in the County of Glamorgan, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by IIer Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Townsend Ward, Her special licence that I, the, said James
Townsend Ward, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said James Townsend Ward, 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 "A NEW
OR IMPROVED OMNIBUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Townsend Ward, 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 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 James Townsend Ward, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
My Invention consists of a new or improved omnibus, in which the parts
and seats are arranged in the manner herein-after described, and represented in
the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 represents a side view of an omnibus constructed according to my
Invention; Figure 2 represents a front view of the same; Figure 3 represents
an end view; Figure 4, a side view of the interior of the same; and Figure 5,
a plan of the interior, showing the disposition of the seats. The posterior
part a, that is to say, the part at which the passengers enter, is of less diameter
than the anterior portion b, and the seats in the two portions a and b are
arranged differently. The seats in the anterior portion 6 are arranged as in
the ordinary omnibus, that is to say, the passengers sit on the seats c, d, with
their backs to the sides of the omnibus, those situated at the opposite sides
facing one another. The end of the anterior portion is made either square, as
represented in Figure 5, or semicircular, as indicated by the dotted line in
Figure 5. In the posterior or narrow part a of the omnibus the seats are
differently arranged; the passengers sit as in an ordinary carriage, that is to
say, there are two seats e, f, on the right, and two g, h, on the left of the door.
The persons occupying the seats g, h, sit face to face, as in an ordinary carriage,
and the persons occupying the seats e, f, also sit face to face. There is a
clear space i up the middle, giving access to the anterior part 6 of the omnibus,
which space is not interferred with by the occupation of the seats e, f, g, h,
near the door. On the roof the seats may be arranged in two rows, the
occupants being back to back, but between the two rows of seats on the
anterior portion 6 of the omnibus a considerable amount of unoccupied room
is left, which may be used for luggage and other purposes.
Access to the top
may be gained by the arrangement of steps represented in the Drawing; but
various other arrangements of the steps may be adopted for that purpose, and
I do not limit myself to any particular arrangement. A. guard may be
placed over the wheels, to prevent accidents in getting up and down.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I
claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, making the fore part of an omnibus of greater diameter than the
hind part, as herein described, and represented in the accompanying Drawing.

page_text: Secondly, arranging the seats in the interior of an omnibus as herein-before
described, and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said, James Townsend Ward, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES TOWNSEND WARD. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES GEORGE TOWNSEND.