A METHOD OF COVERING HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS WITH SLATE ON A FAR MORE ELIGIBLE AND SECURE PLAN THAN HAD HITHERTO BEEN ADOPTED, WHEREBY ONE HALF OF THE COMMON EXPENCE MIGHT BE SAVED, AND THE WORK MUCH NEATER AND BETTER PERFORMED AND NOT 80 LIABLE TO BE DAMAGED BY STORMS OR FROSTS AS BY THE METHOD THEN IN USE
Year: 1781

page_text: TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
RICHARD ELLIOTT, of Padstow, in the County of Cornwall, Joiner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty, by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing
date the Ninth day of March last, in the twenty-first year of His reign, therein
reciting that whereas I had, by my Petition, humbly represented to His said
Majesty, that after much study, labour, and expence in making experiments,
I had at last found out and brought to perfection "A METHOD OF COVERING
HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS WITH SLATE ON A FAR MORE ELIGIBLE AND SECURE
PLAN THAN HAD HITHERTO BEEN ADOPTED, WHEREBY ONE HALF OF THE COMMON
EXPENCE MIGHT BE SAVED, AND THE WORK MUCH NEATER AND BETTER PERFORMED
AND NOT 80 LIABLE TO BE DAMAGED BY STORMS OR FROSTS AS BY THE METHOD THEN
IN USE;" that in regard the Petitioner was the first and true Inventor thereof,
and that the same had never been made or used by any person or persons
except myself and those employed by me, I therefore humbly prayed that
His Majesty would be graciously pleased to grant to me His Royal Letters
Patent, under His Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole use, benefit, and
advantage of me, within that part of His Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for
the term of fourteen years, according to the Statute in that case made and
provided; and His Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all arts
and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously pleased to
condescend to my request, therefore of His special grace, certain knowledge,

page_text: and mere motion, had given and granted, and by the said Patent, for Himself,
His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority,
I, the said Richard Elliot, my executors, admors, and assigns, and every of
them, by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Richard Elliott, my executors,
adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention
within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, in such
manner as to the said Richard Elliot, my exccutors, admiors, and assigns, or
any of them, should in my or their discretions seem meet, and that I, the
said Richard Elliot, my executors, adññiors, and assigns, should and lawfully
might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage
from time to time coming, growing, accrewing, and arising, by reason of the said
Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned, to have, hold,
exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and advantages therein-
before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, my executors, admors,
and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years
from the date of the said Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Elliot, in compliance with and
performance of a proviso or condition in such Letters Patent contained, do
hereby describe and ascertain the nature and use of my said Invention, which
is delineated in the margin of this Instrument in manner following (that is to
say):-
Fig. 1 reprents part of a roof covered with large slate rags, cut nearly in
the form of a rombus, and laps over each other, as expressed by the dotted
lines; are laid in lime or putty, and nailed or screwed to the rafters, or may be
fixed, with wooden pins, screws, or nails, on boards. A, the ridge pole, covered
either with common crease or sheet lead; B, B, B, the rafters to which the
slate rags are nailed or screwed These dots represent the nails or screws
by which the slates are fixed to the rafters.
Fig. 2 represents a large slate rag.
Fig. 3 shews part of a roof or other building, covered with smaller slates,
commonly called scantle slates, and may be laid either in lime or putty, on
rafters screwed or nailed, or on boards with lime or putty, nailed or screwed,
or fixed with wooden pins.
The dotted lines shew the lapping of
..
the stones over each other, as afore mentioned.

page_text: 4 shews a scantle state.
And I, the said Richard Elliot, do hereby aver and affirm, that the particular
above set forth, together with the shape, form, and parts of a roof of a building
covered with slate according to my new-invented method, and of a large slate
rag, and a scantle slate, so delineated in the said margin, contain a full, true,
and perfect description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Elliot, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and eighty-one.
AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the same Eighteenth day of June, in
the year above mentioned, the said Richard Elliott came before our said Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
5 all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the
Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen
William and Mary of England, and so forth.