IMPROVEMENTS IN KNAPSACKS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BERINGTON, of Charles Place, Shoreditch, in the County of Middlesex, Vete-
rinary Surgeon of Cavalry, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Third day of November, in the second year of Her reign, did, for Her-
self, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Bering-
ton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the
said James Berington, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Berington, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KNAPSACKS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said James Berington, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chan-
cery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Berington, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
(that is to say):
The object of my Invention relates to a mode of constructing. knapsacks;

page_text: whereby they will be found more easy and convenient of carriage by the men
than those heretofore made and used, and are so arranged that the knapsacks
and cloak will be so secured to the body that the weight thereof will be in a
position better arranged for convenience of carriage; and further, the articles
packed therein will not have that tendency of sliding towards the bottom of
the knapsack as those "now in use, owing to the curved figure given to the
frame thereof, in order better to be adapted to the back and shoulders of the
man. It is well known that knapsacks of the present construction consists of
a frame or box, seventeen inches long, twelve inches wide, and three and a half
or four deep, covered with canvas, which gives it a canvas top and bottom. In
this box the man's necessaries are packed so as to stuff out the canvas lid and
bottom, that the underside may press against the back, and keep off the edge
of the frame. To this frame there are two straps to the underside next the
back, coming over the shoulders, turning under the arms, again meeting near
the bottom of the knapsack, so that the knapsack, with all its contents, is
merely hung on the shoulders, and necessarily confining the arms and shoulders,
and the two-shoulder straps are combined together by a short: strap buckle
across the man's breast from one. shoulder strap to the other; and this strap
causes great inconvenience, and is greatly complained of in a march; this
however, according to the present arrangement, cannot be avoided, for without
it the shoulder straps would slip under the arms, and cut and injure the arms.
The old. knapsack is held fast to the back at the bottom thereof, while the top
part and the cloak have a tendency to fall off from the shoulders, which is very
injurious to the man's comfort in marching. The old knapsack being square,
and the front and back vertical when packed, the things within of course keep
sinking from the top; and in order to prevent such slipping it is necessary to
put in props, if I may so term them, as is well known. Now, according to my
Invention, I have a leather back, seventeen inches by twelve, to the top of
which I have two long ears that come over the shoulders down to about a
line with the last rib, or not so low, and are cut out so as to fit up to the neck,
and of a width to rest on the shoulders within the shoulder point, so as not to
interfere with the joint or working of the arms. These when, sown on to the
leather, across the back of the shoulders, form a complete yoke. The ears that
come down from the shoulders in front are lined with thin steel plates. some
distance up, and a steel clasp raised off the chest confines them; directly oppo-
site I have buckles to receive two straps; these straps come. from two loops
about two inches from the bottom of the leather back, and four from the sides,
and between these two straps is a steel plate spring that, as the straps are
buckled up, it comes to the back. Now, it should be borne in mind that these
side straps give me a line of draught at the yoke; this line is of the greatest

page_text: moment, so much so that I have made arrangements to raise or lower the
clasp and buckles, in order that the man may fix it as most agreeable to him-
self, as much depends on his own shape. I have a frame of wood, but the
sides or ends about half way up curve over towards the shoulders, and over
and off them at the top. This frame is covered like the old frame, and
stiched firmly to the leather back. The inner curve is twelve inches, the
outer fifteen; hence, things packed in this circular manner have not a tendency
to descend; on the contrary, every article keeps its place. I have said that the
outer fifteen inches on the twelve gives me a slope of the top board, so that
the cloak would fall on the neck or against the head were it not held up by the
straps. The cloak should be rolled thinner in the centre than at the ends,
and the centre strap is placed as far back as possible, the two end straps as
forward, thereby form a curve of the cloak to admit the head. I have two
check straps coming from the butt of the yoke to the side or end straps, which
draw the ends of the cloak forward, and hold them steady. By this I have the
weight of the cloak going in a perpendicular line through the man's centre.
The yoke is made in two parts, so that by taking a piece off each in the centre
you can bring it to fit up to any man's neck.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would remark that I
have been particular in giving exact proportions, and have shown the same
in the Drawing as is described. I do not confine myself thereto, as the same
may be varied, so long as the principle of my Invention be retained, as herein
described,
In witness whereof, I, the said James Berington, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.