IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GATES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Peters Moody, of Corton Denham, in the
County of Somerset, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF GATES."
Sealed the 7th June 1861, and dated. the 12th December 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Peters Moody at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th December 1860.
I, CHARLES PETERS MOODY, of Corton Denham, in the County of Somerset,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GATES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing gates in manner hereafter explained,
whereby gates may be put together and repaired without the necessity for the
employment of skilled labor.
The Invention is intended to apply chiefly to field gates. I form the
horizontal bars of wood or metal, and I will instance the nature of my
Invention and the manner in which I perform the same; by describing the
construction of a five-barred gate. .
I connect the horizontal bars to the uprights by shoes of iron or sockets..

page_text: formed of double angle iron, that is to say, of a plate of iron with a flange
on each side at right angles to the plate. The uprights are formed of square
pieces of timber two opposite sides of which fit between the two flanges of
the metal sockets which are placed horizontally, one such piece of timber is
placed between every two bars and rests at top between the flanges of the
socket, while at bottom it rests upon the top of the socket on the bar next
beneath it. Every such piece of timber is bored through, and a hole is formed
through every socket. An iron rod is carried from the top bar through every
bar socket and upright between the bars, and is fastened by nuts or otherwise
under the bottom bar. In every case I prefer to place the flanges of my
sockets downwards to prevent wet entering between the bars and sockets, but
I do not limit my Invention to so placing them. The top bar rests upon a
row of four sockets, the next three bars are each received between a row of
eight sockets, and the bottom bar is received between the flanges of the lower
row of four sockets. In my five-barred gate there are four lines of uprights.
In some cases I form the uprights and the sockets in one piece. I also some-
times dispense with some or all of the sockets and form the uprights sufficiently
broad to enable two rods to be passed-through-each-of them to hold the bars
and uprights together. I prefer also to form the uprights to which the
gate hangings are to be fixed of two or more pieces, and instead of the gates.
being made partly of wood and partly of iron, they may for some purposes be
made wholly of iron.
I
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Peter Moody in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
PETERS MOODY, of Corton Denham, in the County of Somerset, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty.
year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Peters Moody, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Peters Moody, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said. Charles Peters Moody, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: .
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 CONSTRUCTION OF GATES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Peters Moody, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Peters Moody, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in constructing gates in manner hereafter explained,
whereby gates may be put together and repaired without the necessity for the
employment of skilled labor.
The Invention is intended to apply chiefly to field gates. I form the
horizontal bars of wood or metal, and I will instance the nature of my
Invention and the manner in which I perform the same, by describing the
construction of a five-barred gate.
I connect the horizontal bars to the uprights by shoes of iron or sockets
formed of double angle iron, that is to say, of a plate of iron with a flange on
each side at right angles to the plate. The uprights are formed of square
pieces of timber, two opposite sides of which fit between the two flanges of
the metal sockets, which are placed horizontally. One such piece of timber is
placed between every two bars, and rests at top between the flanges of the
socket, while at bottom it rests upon the top of the socket on the bar next
beneath it. Every such piece of timber is bored through, and a hole is formed
through every socket. An iron rod is carried from the top bar through every
bar socket and upright between the bars, and is fastened by nuts ar otherwise
under the bottom bar. In every case I prefer to place the flanges of my
sockets downwards to prevent wet entering between the bars and sockets, but
I do not limit my.Invention to so placing them. The top bar rests upon a row
of four sockets, the next three bars are each received between a row of eight

page_text: sockets, and the bottom bar is received between the flanges of the lower row
of four sockets. In my five-barred gate there are four lines of uprights: In
some cases I form the uprights and the sockets in one piece. I also sometimes
dispense with some or all of the sockets and form the uprights sufficiently
broad to enable two rods to be passed through each of them to hold the bars
and uprights together. I prefer also to form the uprights to which the gate
hangings are to be fixed of two or more pieces, and instead of the gates being
made partly of wood and partly of iron they may for some purposes be made
wholly of iron.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings illustrates my Invention in side
elevation, and Figure 2 in top view, as applied to a five-barred gate in which
most of the sockets are dispensed with.
a, a', a, a, a, are the horizontal bars, say, two inches and a half in width.
The rear end of the bar a carries an iron shoe or socket b, fitting on the top
and overhanging the two sides of the bar a, as shown; b' is a flat iron plate,
of equal length with the socket b, placed under the bar a; c is another socket
fitted to the bar a', and in which one end of the bar rests; d, d, are blocks of
wood placed between the horizontal bars and forming the uprights of the gate;
e, e, are holes in the sockets b and c, formed to correspond with holes bored
through the horizontal bars as well as in the sides of the uprights d, d; ff, are
iron rods passing through the holes in the socket b, through the horizontal bars
and uprights, and through the socket c, below which they are secured and
tightened up by nuts g,g, as shown; h is an iron plate the whole length of and
resting on the top bar a, and formed with holes to correspond with those bored
in the horizontal bars; all the other uprights d, d, are secured and the bars
bolted together in a similar manner, except that sockets are not shown applied
to them. For greater simplicity I sometimes dispense with the head and
nut on the bolts f', f, and use plain rods which do not protrude beyond the
bars a and a. The gate is hung in the ordinary manner and may be kept
closed by the arrangement shown in the Drawing, but any other plan may be
adopted. To put the parts of the gate together, let the holes formed in the.
uprights correspond with those in the horizontal bars, insert the rods f, f',
through the iron plate h and the horizontal bar a, adding the rods f', the
uprights, and remaining bars in the order shown, then screw up tightly with
the nuts g, g. To take the gate to pieces, unscrew the nuts g, g, the horizontal
bars and uprights are then released, and may be removed from the rods f and f..
The horizontal bars are all duplicates as well as the uprights. A gate can be
put together, taken to pieces, and repaired, or it may be repaired by one part

page_text: being substituted by a corresponding new part, all without the necessity for
skilled labor.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the construction
of gates capable of being put together and taken to pieces or repaired, sub-
stantially in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Peters Moody, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
D
Witness,
HENRY COGAN.
CHARLES PETERS MOODY. (L.S.)