CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON WHEELED CARRIAGES
Year: 1821

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HENRY MARSH; of Chenies Street, Tottenham Court Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Coachmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of April, in the first year of His reign,
give and grant unto me, the said James Henry Marsh, my exors, adñiors,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said James Henry Marsh, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON WHEELED CARRIAGES;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said James
Henry Marsh, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in
His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the same
(relation being thereunto had), will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Henry Marsh, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be perfornied, are particularly

page_text: Transverse or cross section of my metal
pipes, tubes, or boxes for axles, described
in my Specification. a shews the edge of a
pipe or box baving 4 sides, B the axle-
treo cut through.
Cave is supped
it touches the arm only at a few
places, by this means lessening the
friction, leaving the hollow spaces in
the corners to hold the greese. The corners or angles in the inside or interior
of the boxes, tubes, or pipes may be either acute or sharp, or obtuse, or blunt,
or inclining to a round form for some carriages. I intend to lessen the fric-
tion by having the pipes, tubes, or boxes like a common round pipe with a
number of ribs on the inside lengthways. These longitudinal ribs may be
either square or of a round form, and the hollow spaces between the axles and
the inner sides of the pipes, tubes, or boxes will contain the grease. The body
part of the carriage, whether coach or chariot, I improve thus:-Instead of
boarding up the roof or boarding or- pannelling up the back and upper quarters,
as is usual, I leave them open until I fill them up in this manner. I make a
door or shutter of one piece, or composed of two or more flaps nearly like the
flap shutters made by joiners for the interior of a: window in a dwelling house;
rabbetted on the edges.by means of hinges, pivots, or any other means
answering that purpose. I affix them either to the corner pillar, to the top
rail of the roof, to the standing door pillar, or to the elbow rail, so that
they can,, when so fixed or attached to the body timber be moved to swing
upwards, downwards, or sideways, according to the part they are affixed to.
Sometimes. I affix a light frame of wood into the quarters and back; and screw
it or affix it to the main timbers of the back and upper quarters to strengthen
them, and to which frame I affix my folding doors or shutters, or instead of a
frame I only affix pieces of wood on to the back and quarters as lining pieces

page_text: to strengthen the pillars and elbow rail, and to which I affix my folding doors
or shutters. The roof of the body'I make as nearly to the likeness of the
back and quarters ás can be made; (that is to say,) I make my roof to be fitted'
up by covering it with a large flap shutter in as many flaps or parts ás fancy
may dictate; around the surface and near to the edges of my folding shutter
that covers the roof, I screw on thin plates of iron lapping over the extremities
about an inch to cover the crevice around the shutter and to keep out the
weather. I also make the edges of the aperture or opening spaces of the
upper quarters and back to be a rabbet corresponding with the rabbet edges
of my swinging doors or shutters, so that when the doors or shutters are closed
they make an even surface, and by this means keep out the weather. To keep
my folding doors or shutters in their places when closed, I make use of any of
the usual fastenings used by joiners and coachmakers to fasten doors and
shutters. I apply my principles of improvement to old landaus and landaulets,
by taking off the upper part that forms the roof, back, and sides, and by
splicing out the pillars and affixing a frame of timber on the top of the
pillars to form the outside roof timbers, by this means, assimilating it to the
form of a coach or chariot, I proceed to put in my folding doors or shutters
before described. I also apply my improvements to old coaches and chariots
by taking off the roof and quarters and back boarding, and filling in the spaces.
with my afore-mentioned doors or shutters. I also improve the perch and
wheels of my carriages by using bent timbers instead of cutting or sawing
them out, and my transom plate I reverse by making it stand upright instead
of flat. To the forepart of the body I affix two or three pieces of timber
about two or three inches square or round, and from two to four or five feet
long, the lower ends fastened to the bottom part of the body, the upper ends
rising in a diagonal line. I make fast to the fore body loops by means of an
iron stay bolted on to the upper part of these timbers, and connected or
fastened to the loops in any way a coachmaker thinks best for strength and
beauty. On the top of these timbers, which may be supported by an'iron
branch worked out the solid part of the body loop, I affix a square board, or
in its place a strong timber frame, about three feet long and two feet wide;' to
each end of this frame or board I affix, by means of hinges or metal joints,
a frame of wood or iron, or made, of both, which I make as nearly as I can'
in form of the sides or back of a coach or sofa, or arm chair; these I cover
with leather or cloth, or both, and stuff them with horsehair or some soft
material, as they are intended to answer the purpose of the sides of an easy
chair or seat, the back of which I make in like manner to the sides, and
affix to the back part of the frame or board, before described, by hinges or

page_text: joints of metal; when so fastened they will fold down in the frame or board,
and lay in a smaller compass if wanted: when raised up I fasten them together
by hooks, bolts, or any of the means of fastening a coachmaker may think
best. I intend also to join the sides and back of this seat together by hinges
or joints of metal or leather, for some carriages; in that case they will fold
altogether, when not wanted, instead of folding in detached parts, as in the
former part described. I next improve a carriage by the addition of a
folding seat or chair, which I affix to any part of the body or carriage a
customer may please to order, and which I shall describe as follows:-
I make a square box (regular or irregular) of wood or any other substance
that can be used for that purpose, about two feet wide and three feet long,
the border or sides from about two inches to eight or nine inches deep, having
a lid or cover to correspond in extent and shape with the lower part of the
box; to each side of this lid or cover I affix with hinges a folding door or
flap made of wood or any other strong substance, and to the inward side of
the lid or cover I affix a board by means of hinges or pivots; this board I call
the seatboard, and when the seat or chair is not wanted for use the seat and
flaps can be folded inwards, and the lid or cover when shut down will conceal
the flaps or doors and seatboard, which will then be received into the hollow:
part of the box when opened, and the sides or flaps are expanded outwards,
it will be proper to connect the lower parts or sides of the box to the folding
part above, by means of bolts, or screws, or hooks, or any of those fastenings
that a workman deems most secure.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Henry Marsh (party hereto),
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-one.