IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTER'S TYPE, AND OTHER ARTICLES USED IN LETTER PRESS PRINTING
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Urquhart, of Great Queen Street,
Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTER'S TYPE,
AND OTHER ARTICLES USED IN LETTER PRESS PRINTING."
Sealed the 6th October 1853, and dated the 11th April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Urquhart
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th April 1853.
I, WILLIAM URQUHART, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTERS
TYPE, AND OTHER ARTICLES USED IN LETTER PRESS PRINTING," to be
as follows:-
This Invention consists in cutting or forming words, or parts of

page_text: words, in punches composed of one and the same piece of metal, instead
of cutting or forming such punches with a single letter only, as com-
monly practised. The matrix from punches constructed according
to this Invention is obtained, and the type cast therefrom in the
manner usually practised. And further, this Invention consists in
the use of a single case, constructed with compartments arranged
alphabetically, in words, syllables, and single letters, thereby super-
seding the use of two cases, as now practised in the construction
of such articles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Urquhart, in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 11th October 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM URQUHART, of Great Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Urquhart, Her special
licence that I, the said William Urquhart, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Urquhart, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PRINTERS TYPE, AND OTHER AR-
TICLES USED IN LETTER PRESS PRINTING," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said William Urquhart, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Sea
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Urquhart, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
My Invention relates, firstly, to punches employed in the manufacture
of printers type, and consists in cutting and forming such said punches
with whole words, or parts of words, instead of with single letters
only as hitherto practised; and, secondly, in a new mode of constructing
and arranging the case to be employed for containing such said type.
The mode hitherto practised in the construction of printers cases has
been to form them double, that is to say, in two parts, an upper
and a lower one, and to employ two of such cases, placed side by
side, the one case containing Roman characters, and the other case
Italics;
and the object and intention of my said Invention is to simplify
the construction of such said cases by arranging the compartments
thereof, and disposing the type therein in the manner herein-after
described, whereby I dispense with the necessity for employing double
cases, as hitherto practised, and thereby economize a considerable saving
in time occupied by the compositor in the selecting of the type
during, the operation of " setting up" the forms. And, in order to
explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now proceed to
describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying my said
invention into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative
drawing hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of
reference marked thereon, as follows:-

page_text: my said Invention.
Figure 2, is a transverse and vertical section
thereof, taken through the line A, B, at Figure 1.
From A to Z, inclusive, mark compartments for containing type,
formed, according to my said Invention, in words and parts of words,
I
which I arrange and dispose in alphabetical order, that is to say,
place in the compartment marked A, a word, the first letter of which
is A, and in the compartment B, a word beginning with that letter,
and so on throughout the alphabet; and in the compartments which
are immediately underneath, and in a vertical line with cach of
those marked with the above-mentioned alphabetical letters, I arrange,
dispose, and place type formed in parts of words or terminations of
words, such as ent, int, ant, er, and so on, selecting such terminations
as are in most frequent use; and the lowest row of compartments, and
that nearest to the compositor, I appropriate to the reception of Italic
characters and single Roman characters, arranged and disposed in
alphabetical order, as before mentioned with respect to the Roman
And I
words or parts of words before mentioned and referred to.
construct such said type in the form of words or parts of words in the
following manner, that is to say, I first cut or form punches with
words or parts of words, after which I form a copper matrix therefrom,
and cast the type therein in the manner usually practised by type
founders.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be and may be performed, I desire it to be dis-
tinctly understood, that I do not claim, as of my Invention, any new
mode of casting or forming type in single letters or characters. But
what I claim is, firstly, the cutting of punches to be used in the manu-
facture of type by forming such said punches with whole words or parts
of words or terminations in the manner herein-before particularly
described and set forth; and, secondly, the mode set forth of constructing
cases intended to contain such said type, and the arranging and
disposing of such said type in alphabetical order, as herein-before
particularly described, set forth, and represented by the illustrative
drawing hereunto annexed, as constituting "improvements in the

page_text: manufacture of printers type, and other articles used in letter-press
printing."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Urquhart, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
Witness, ALEX. PRINCE, Patent Agent,
4, Trafalgar Square.
WM. URQUHART. (L.S.)