BISH LYRE
Year: 1784

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JACKSON, late of Vine Street, Lambeth Marsh, in the Parish of Saint Mary,
Lambeth, in the County of Surry, Musician, but now of Oxford Street, in
the Parish of Saint Ann, Soho, in the City and Liberty of Westminster,
Musician and Musical Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS, by His Majesty's Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal
of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of August
now last past, after reciting that I, the said William Jackson, had by Petition,
humbly represented to His said Majesty, that I, the said William Jackson,
had, after much study, found out and invented a certain new musical instru-
ment, which I, the said William Jackson, call "THE BRITISH LYRE," and that
I, the said William Jackson, was the first and true Inventor thereof, and that
the same was not known to any other person, to the best of my knowledge and
belief, His said Majesty was, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and
meer motion, pleased to give and grant, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
unto me, the said William Jackson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said
William Jackson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of
them, by myself and themselves, and by his and their deputy and deputies,
or servants or agents, or such other as I, the said William Jackson, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, shall at any time agree with, and no
other, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the term of
years in the said Letters Patent expressed, shall and may lawfully make, use,

page_text: exercise, and vend my said Invention within that part of Great Britain
called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
in such manner as to me, the said William Jackson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, or assigns, or any of them, shall in his or their discretion seem meet,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and
advantages in the said Letters Patent granted unto me, the said William
Jackson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, unto the full end and
term of fourteen years from the day of the date of the said Letters Patent
fully to be compleat and ended; and His said Majesty did, by His said
Letters Patent, for Himself, His heirs and successors, require and strictly
command all and every person and persons, bodies politic and corporate, and
all other His subjects whatsoever within that part of Great Britain called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, that
neither they nor any of them, within the said term of fourteen years in the said
Letters Patent granted, either directly or indirectly, do make, use, exercise, or
put in practice the said Invention so attained unto by me, the said William
Jackson, or in anywise counterfeit or resemble the same, nor should make or
cause to be made any addition thereto, or substraction from the same, whereby
to pretend himself or themselves the Inventor or Inventors, Devisor or Devisors
thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of me, the said William
Jackson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, in writing first had and
obtained: And whereas the said Letters Patent contained, amongst things, a
proviso that if I, the said William Jackson, 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 the High Court of Chancery within
four calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all the liberties and
advantages thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void.
NOW KNOW YE, that my said Invention, which I call the British Lyre,
is a musical instrument, the body whereof is about twenty inches in length,
thirteen inches in breadth, and 'four inches in depth, and the neck whereof is
about fifteen inches in length, and three inches in breadth, but the size whereof
may be increased or decreased at pleasure. The form of the front of this
instrument is described in the annexed 'Drawing 'by the 'Figure marked A,
and the Figure marked 'B in the said Drawing is a side view of the same
instrument. It hath seven strings, as expressed in the Drawing, all of wire,
the names and qualities of which are G, C, E, G, C, E, G, the sound of
which strings is produced by the strings being struck by certain mechanism

page_text: e..
contained in a box, of which there are two, either of which may be made,
used, or applied to the instrument at pleasure. This mechanism is in cach
box put in motion by seven keys affixed on the top thereof, and which are to.
be struck by the fingers. These boxes are exactly similar in the outward
form, and that which is intended to be made use of is: affixed on the belly of
the instrument in the manner described in the Figure marked A, in which the
box itself is marked C, and the keys are thereon expressed and marked
a, a, a, a, a, a, a. The Figure marked D is a larger view of the outside of
the same box. The Figure marked E describes the mechanism in the inside
of one of the boxes, which consists of hammers, each of which hath two heads,
the one of wood only, the other of wood covered with leather. These
hammers are supported by strings, and put in motion by the keys on the top
of the box. The hammers are in this Figure b, b; b, b, b, b, b, the springs®
are marked d, d, d, d, d, d, d, and these are also dampers' marked c, c, c, c, c, c, c.
The Figure marked F is a side view of the same machinery. On the outside
of this box is a slider, which is marked in both the Drawings thereof: .the.
moving of which strengthens or weakens the tone of the instrument. The other.
box, which is of the same outward form, and which may be also affixed on the.
belly of the instrument, in the like manner as expressed by the Figure C
in the Drawing A, contains both jacks and hammers, that is to say, seven
jacks and seven hammers. By the use of which last-mentioned box the
instrument will have a lute stop and a pianoforte stop, which are to be changed
by the same kind of slider as is on the other box. The Figure marked G
describes the internal machinery of this second box, in which the jacks
are marked f, ff, ff, ff, the hammers are marked 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, and
the springs are marked h, h, h, h, h, h, h. The Figure marked H is a side
view of the same machinery. These boxes containing the machinery being
moveable afford an easy opportunity of repairing the same without being
under the necessity of taking the instrument to peices, and thereby en-
dangering an alteration of the tone thereof. The manner of stopping the
British Lyre is also totally new, and peculiar to the instrument, which, instead
of being stopped by the fingers, the placing of which exactly behind the frets
so as to stop in time is matter of great difficulty, is stopped and the tone
given by small keys, which are affixed on a plate screwed over the neck of the
instrument, and each of which, when pressed by the fingers, is certain always
to fall on the strings in a determinate place behind the frets. The Figure
marked I expresses this place nearly of the actual size, and distinguishing the
several keys thereon, which are marked with their respective names. At the
top of the last Figure are also expressed the several strings of the instrument,

page_text: The front view of the Instrument.
The side view.
The Box with the keys aaaaaaae The slider or stop
The inside work of the Box Cbbbbbbb The hamme
ddddddd The Springs which supports the hamm
ccccccc The Dampers i the stope or slider
The side view of the inside work
The inside work of the box with Jacks and hammers
FFFFFFF The Jacks.
9999999 The Hammers
hhhhhhh The Springs.
The Profile or side view of the Jacks and hammers.
The Finger Board at large where every Key is
properly specified with its name. &c
The side view FN IThe
key which strikes the
strings 2 the spring
which supports the
Key 33 the damper 4
the hammer 5 the
spring which supports
71
which being moved
increases the sound
considerably
The Profile H
N7 The Jack
8 The Hammer
9 The Spring