CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS: IN A PLOUGH
Year: 1814

page_text: PHILLIPS SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
PHILLIPS, of Newbury, in the County of Berks, Engineer, do send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of October, in the fifty-fourth year of His reign, did
give and. grant. unto me, the said Richard Phillips, my exors, admors, and
assigns, His. special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, during
the term of years therein expressed, that I, the said Richard Phillips, my exors;
admňors, and assigns, should. and might lawfully make, use, exercise, and vend,
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called:
England, His said Majesty's Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and also in all His said. Majesty's. Colonies and Plantations abroad,
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS: IN A PLOUGH;" in which Letters Patent is contained a
proviso: that, if I, the said Richard Phillips, should not particularly describe
and ascertain. the. nature: of: my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument 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 recited
Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advan-
tages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and becomė
void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had; may more fully and
at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Phillips, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said In-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as follows (that is
to say):-
My said Invention consists in a new means or manner of regulating the
depth of the plough in the ground by placing the beam on a centre or fulcrum
so as to be moveable as a lever by any mechanical means or power whereby
the ploughman is enabled to alter the depth of his plough at pleasure without
stopping his team. One means (amongst others) of moving the beam on the
centre or fulcrum, so as to produce the effect before described, and which I use,
is by the machinery described in the herein-after written or following Plan, in
which No. 1, Figure 1, is a segment rack, which is fastened to the end of the
beam No. 11 by a bolt shewn by two views at No. 13, 13, (Figure 6.) The
nut of this bolt screws the beam and rack tight together without the head con-
fining the body of the plough No. 10, otherwise than to guide the beam up
and down in the mortice No. 14, at pleasure, when the ploughman thinks
proper to alter the depth of his plough, which is effected by his turning the
handle No. 6, which turns the shaft No. 5, with a wheel on the end No. 4,
which works in another wheel No. 4, on the end of the shaft No. 3, which also
has a screw near the bottom end working in the segment rack No. 1. The
beam No. 11, may be made of wood or iron at pleasure, and is moveable on a
centre or fulcrum, No. 17, which centre or fulcrum goes through the body of
the body of the plough No. 10. No. 11 is the beam with holes in its head,
whereby the head geer, Figure 5, may be pinned backwarder or forwarder on the
beam as occasion may require, or the common bridle chain may be used instead
of the pins. The shaft No. 5 turns on two bearings on the spreaders of the
handles No. 32 and 32. The shaft No. 3 is worked in two brackets, No. 16,
16, cast to the body No. 10, with a boss large enough to have the hole cast in it
to receive the shaft No. 3, which passes through it, then through a collar
No. 36, and the screw No. 2. Under the collar, No. 36, is a keyhole in the
shaft No. 3, to admit a key to confine the shaft in its place. The hole in the
bottom bracket, No. 16, for the step of the shaft should be drilled. . No. 7 is
the chuck, cast or fastened to the body that forms the mortice that the beam
moves in, on the centre or fulcrum No. 17. No. 12, in Figures 1, 2, and 3, is
a casting to fasten on the end of the body No. 10, as shewn at No. 15, 15
(Figure 3). At each end of the casting No. 12 is an open socket to receive the
handles of the plough No. 28, as shewn at No. 12, Figure 3, with the bolts
through them. No. 13, Figure 3, is the head of the bolt that has a flat shank
to move in the mortice No. 14, of the body No. 10, and shews how the bolt is

page_text: passed through the beam No. 11, and the segment rack No. 1. It also shews
how the rack is fastened on the beam. No. 31 (Figure 3), is a brace that
receives the screw No. 30, with two nuts on it that are fastened to the turn
furrow No. 26, and to the ground rest No. 27. No. 29 is the shoe. No. 17,
Figure 2, shews how the centre or fulcrum is passed through the handles, body,
and beam, and screwed altogether. No. 24, Figure 2, shews how the coulter,
No. 24, is fastened by a bolt with a nut that hath a handle to it, as shewn in
the Drawing No. 22. The bolt is not passed through the beam, but is fitted
into the bottom of the plough, No. 10, with a countersunk head, as shewn by
the dotted lines No. 24. No. 23, Figure 1, is the socket of the share.
No. 25, Figure 1, is the share that the socket fits on. At the end of the arm
of the share No. 9, (Figure 1,) is a round hole to receive the bolt No. 9,
(Figure 4,) which hath a flat head with a hole punched in it, which is a female
screw, and fitted to the collar bolt, No. 18, which collar is placed between the
two studs or sturts, No. 18, cast to the body No. 10, with the bolt No. 9, passed
through the hole in the share and through the mortice in the body, with the nut.
screws all tight together. If it is required to throw the point of the socket more
into the ground, slacken or unscrew the nut No. 9, then turn the collar bolt or
pin, No. 18, which hath a square head to it, so as to draw the arm of the share up
nearer to the collar of the bolt or pin, which will lower the point. When you
have moved it sufficiently screw the nut tight again. If required to throw the
point more to land, slacken the nut on the pin No. 9, and put a thin wedge
between the arm of the share, No. 25, and the body No. 10, then tighten the
nut again, and the point will be more to land. Figure 5, No. 19, is the bow
to go on the head of the beam No. 11, and turns in the circular head No. 20,
and in the brace No. 21, where it is fastened in by a spring key that it should
not lift out. No. 33 is the geer plate. No. 34 and 34 the wheels. No. 35
and 35 the linch pins in the ends of the axle arms. No. 24, Figure 1, is the
coulter. No. 23 is the socket. No. 25 is the share where the bolt goes
through that screws the body share and turn-furrow together. No. 29 is the
shoe. The dotted lines 26 and 26 shew the turn-furrow, &c.
No. 27 is the ground rest. Nos. 8, 8, and 8, are holes in the body, (No. 10),
to admit a bolt or dowl chain, which bolt or dowl chain is fastened to the geer
plate in the usual manner. I by no means desire to be understood that the
machinery above described is the only species of machinery by which the effect
may be produced, nor do I consider any particular species of machinery as the
subject of my Invention. On the contrary, my Invention consists, as I have
before stated, in the placing the beam on a centre or fulcrum, so as to be
moveable as a lever, whereby the ploughman is enabled to regulate the depth
The dotted line

page_text: of his plough in the ground at his pleasure without stopping his team. This
may be carried into effect by various species of machinery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Phillips, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fourteen.