CERTAIN IMPROVE- Dima DAD DE »
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hawkins, of Lisle Street, London, in the
County of Middlesex, and of Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Bit,
Spur, and Stirrup Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
Dima DAD DE »
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hawkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
November 1861.
I, JOHN HAWKINS, of Lisle Street, London, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Walsall, in, the County of Stafford, Bit, Spur, and Stirrup Manufac-
turer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN BITS FOR RIDING AND DRIVING," to be as follows (that is
to say)-
My improvements in bits have for their object the better control of the
horse or horses under management, whether ridden or driven, and consist in
forming a slot in each cheek of the bit intended to be made, and into these"
slots the ends of the mouthpiece fit, the outer ends of which are enlarged so
as to prevent the cheeks separating from the mouthpiece, but allow the
mouthpiece to freely revolve and work up and down in the slots; but when
the mouthpiece has an eccentric projection on one side for pressing on the
*

page_text: horses' tongue during the time of holding in or restraining the horse, the
mouthpiece descends to the bottom of the slot, and the eccentric or projecting
portion of it which before was parallel with the length way of the cheeks will
now stand at right angles with them, causing pressure more or less on the
tongue of the horse; but when the strain is relieved from the mouth of the
horse by slackening the rein or bridle the mouthpiece will return by the
action or working of the horses' mouth to its former position, when double
mouthpieces are applied, one I make a fixture, and the other to revolve and
slide up and down, as before described, or slide up and down only, as above
mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Hawkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAWKINS, of Lisle Street, London, in the County of Middlesex, and of
Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Bit, Spur, and Stirrup Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of. Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Hawkins, Her special license that I, the said John Hawkins,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Hawkins, my executors, administrators, or 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVE
MENTS IN BITS FOR RIDING AND DRIVING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Hawkins, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
-ment-in-writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of
them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed: in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Hawkins, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
My improvements in bits have for their object the better control of the
horse or horses under management, whether ridden or driven, and consist in
forming a slot in each cheek of the bit intended to be made, and into these
slots the ends of the-mouthpieces-fit, the outer ends of which are enlarged, so
as to prevent the cheeks separating from the mouthpiece, but allow the
mouthpiece to freely revolve and work up and down in the slots, but when
the mouthpiece has an eccentric projection on one side for pressing on the
horses' tongue during the time of holding in or restraining the horse, the
mouthpiece passes to the end of the slot, and the eccentric or projecting
portion of it, which before was parallel with the lengthway of the cheeks will
now stand at right angles with them, causing pressure more or less on the
tongue of the horse; but when the strain is relieved from the mouth of the
horse, by slackening the rein or bridle, the mouthpiece will return by the
action or working of the horse's mouth to its former position. When double
mouthpieces are applied, one I make a fixture, and the other to revolve and
slide up and down, as before described, or slide up and down only, as above
mentioned.
But as my Invention will be best understood by referring to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, I will proceed to describe the same, reference being made
to the figures and letters marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a front view of a bit, constructed according to my
improvements; as suitable for driving harness. A, A, and B, B, are the cheeks,
and C, the mouthpiece, which may be of any desired shape, so fitted that a
neck is formed at.each end that works in a vertical slot formed in the cheeks,
as indicated by the dotted lines marked a, a, and b, b. The mouthpiece.is
secured to the cheeks by two projecting. ends marked c and d, which may.be
spread out, as here shown, by hammering, or may be applied by forming these
parts with shanks, tapping and screwing them into the centre part or other-
wise, if preferred, so as to preserve the object and quality of my improvements,
which is to so construct bits that the mouthpiece shall freely revolve and slide
up and down through the range of the slots formed in the cheeks to be here-
after referred to. The object of this compound action is, first, to give the

page_text: driver full control over the horse in hand, for, by this construction, suppose
the horse should attempt to hold the mouthpiece of his bit fast between his
teeth, it would not for a moment affect or prevent the curb being applied,
besides affording to the horse relief and agreeableness from his being able to
turn and move the mouthpiece around by the ever-working action of his
tongue while in harness; and, secondly, from the mouthpiece working in the side
slots of the bit additional leverage and control is afforded, as the mouthpiece,
which may be considered as the fulcrum, will be elevated in the mouth or
drawn nearer the head gear the more the reins applied to the lower end of
the cheeks are pulled, thereby increasing the leverage and power of con-
straint, but which when frced affords the horse immediate relief, as the common
action of the mouth and tongue, and the gravitation of the mouthpiece of
the bit will cause it to descend until each end rests on the bottom ends of the
slots in the bit cheeks, as exhibited at e, e, Fig. 2, which is a sectional view of
Figure 1, taken through the dotted line marked f and g, exhibiting the
check A, Figure 1, in a flat or side view, the slot being partly shown in dotted
lines extending up from e to h; the contraction of the neck of the mouth
piece C, here shown in section, is indicated by the concentric dotted circle.
Fig. 3 represents a bit constructed, as far as my improvements are concerned,
identical with Figure 1, but intended for hackney or bridle bits for riding.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of Figure 3, taken through the dotted line marked
i, j, and representing, as at Fig. 2, the cheek, with the slot k and
in a flat view; the mouthpiece marked D, I have here represented as con-
tracted in the middle, simply to show that this part may be varied in shape,
as desired, with this exception, that when constructed with a bow, as at E,
Fig. 5, it is not desirable that such formed mouthpieces should revolve or
make more than one-quarter turn or revolution, and yet possess the advan-
tages of the sliding action, as exhibited at Figures 2 and 4. Fig. 6 is a side
view of Figure 5, showing the true form of the slot marked m and n; as also
the neck of the mouthpiece that works in the same; likewise the form of the
mouthpiece at that part where it shoulders against the inside of the cheek, as
at-o-and-p, Figure 5,-but the screw or projecting head or end marked q is
omitted at Figure 6; the concentric dark circle, representing the hole through
which the shank of q passes in uniting the cheek and mouthpiece together;
the dotted quadrant extending from r to s indicates the position of the month-
piece when the horse is under great restraint, as in that case the mouthpiece
will be pulled up to the top of the slot at m, and in that position will make a
quarter turn, the bow of the mouthpiece being placed exactly at right

page_text: angles to its proper position. Fig. 7. also represents a flat view of a bit cheek,
as at Figure 6,-with the action of the mouthpiece reversed and altered, as,
for instance, the effect of elevating the mouthpiece (as in this view), is to
carry the bow of the mouthpiece marked t up to u in a parallel direction,
when further force will carry the bow t around to v, where it will stop by the
angle w of the neck of the mouthpiece falling into the angle x of the cheek,
and so when the mouthpiece is resting on the bottom of the slot the angle-y-
of the mouthpiece will fall into the lower angle of the cheek marked ; but
the general effect of the combined action of sliding and revolving, may be
obtained otherwise, as, for instance, Fig. 8 represents as much of a cheek of
a bit necessary to illustrate the application of my improvements; in this case
eyes are fastened on the cheeks, as at F, and which eyes slide up and down on
the portion of the cheek marked a' and b', and which eyes are formed with pins
for entering the ends of the mouthpiece marked G, and which part being thus
formed allows a pin to be tapped into the mouthpiece G, which entering the
neck or sunken groove of the pin prevents the eyes and mouthpiece from sepa
rating, and yet allows the part G to freely revolve. Fig. 9 represents a reverse
view of the eye marked F, in Figure 8, as also the mouthpiece G, drawn
merely to show the head of the screw that holds in union the parts together;
also the circular hole d, for receiving the part of the bit cheek, extending
from a to b' in the above Figure. Fig. 10 simply represents another mode
of constructing a revolving mouthpiece, partly in section, and uniting it to the
that encompass and work up and down the bit cheek, in like manner as
at Figure 8; in this case the mouthpiece is made hollow, in the manner in
which gun barrels are made or otherwise, or may be made of ordinary gas
tubing and case-hardened for the purpose of preserving a good surface.
Fig: 11 represents another modification of my improvements; in this case the
eyes or parts marked K, L, are: united at any convenient part, as at M, by
tapping and screwing, by which means a loose tube, here shown in section,
marked N, O, and N, O, may be held between them, and, fitting so loose as to
allow it freely to revolve.
eyes
I do not think it necessary to further elaborate or exhibit other means by
which the object of my Invention may be realized, as it will readily occur to
any practical mechanic that other means may be adopted to give effect to
my Invention, still preserving or obtaining the object of novelty, which is that
of applying to the construction of bits, whether used for riding or driving, the
combined actions which permit the mouthpiece of bits to wholly or partially
revolve and to slide on or in the bit cheeks for the purpose of increasing the

page_text: power and control that the driver or rider may require over the horse or
horses in hand, and these actions in connection with riding and driving bits I
declare to be new, and by virtue of these my in part recited Letter Patent,
claim the same as of my Invention, without purposing to confine myself to any
particular form of mouthpiece or cheeks as the same may be altered or diver-
sified without effecting the object and character of my improvements.
"In witness whereof, I, the said John Hawkins, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS,
Patent Agent,
Birmingham.
JOHN HAWKINS. (L.S.)