A PARTICULAR SORT OF CLOGS FOR THE USE AND WEARING OF LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHICH ARE SUPERIOR IN UTILITY TO THOSE NOW USED
Year: 1785

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
GILLIES, of Little Suffolk Street, in the Parish of Saint Martin's-in-the-Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Shoemaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-second day of March, in the twenty-fifth year of His
reign, upon the humble Petition of me, the said Alexander Gillies, did give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Gillies, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority,
that I, the said Alexander Gillies, my executors, administrators, 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 Alexander Gillies,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with and no
other, 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,
within that part of Great Britain called England, Dominion of Wales, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A PARTICULAR SORT OF CLOGS
FOR THE USE AND WEARING OF LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHICH ARE SUPERIOR IN
UTILITY TO THOSE NOW USED," in such manner, as I, the said Alexander Gillies,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should in my or
their discretions see meet; and that I, the said Alexander Gillies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and
enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity and advantage from time to time
coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of my 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, the said Alexander Gillies, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of
fourteen years from the day of the date of the said Letters Patent next and
immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
Statute in such case made and provided; in which said recited Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Alexander Gillies, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause such instrument in writing to be inrolled in the High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date of
the said. Letters Patent, otherwise the said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine,
and become void, as in and by the same Letters Patent, relation being there-
unto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alexander Gillies, do hereby declare that my said Invention of the Art of
making Clogs for the Use and Wearing of Ladies and Gentlemen, which are
superior in Utility to those now used, is made and performed in the following
manner, that is to say :-
'
In the first place, the last or block in which the clog is made, is made and
prepared according to the shape and form in which the clog is intended to be
made, namely, either for a man's or woman's boot, shoe, pump, or slipper; when
this is done, and the uppers, cheeks, and bottom stuff are also prepared, then
a main spring, of the shape as particularly delineated or drawn in the margin
of this Specification (markt No. 1), varying only as to the diferent sizes
wanted, is placed between the outer and inner soles, or above or under the
outer and inner soles, reaching from the heel to the toe of the clog. This
main spring is made of thin plate steel, or such other elastic metal or material
as will make it bend or give way to the motion of the foot in walking, and
which motion is much facilitated by the main spring being made narrow in
the waist. It is perforated or pierced through in different places, in order (if
occasion requires) that it may be stitched, tacked, fastened, or skrewed to the

page_text: outer or inner soles. In the back or hindermost part of the main spring,
where it bends down to the heel, a piece is cut out of the middle, forming a
slit; into which the lock (hereafter described) is introduced, and to which it is
exactly fitted and fastened by tacks, screws, or any other fastenings. Those
main springs are the same in all sorts of this new-invented clog, but they are
necessarily to be varied as to the size and bend of the pattern, which must
depend on the shape and size of the boot, shoe, pump, or slipper, which they
are intended to fit. There are different kinds of locks, and they are made of
silver, brass, steel, iron, or any other material, according to the size of the boot,
shoe, pump, or slipper. The semicircular part of the lock (more particularly
delineated, drawn, and described in the margin of this Specification, marked
N° 2) is flat on the surface, and being placed in the box or hcel-seat of the
clog, the heel of the boot, shoe, pump, or slipper rests therein. Under this
semicircular part is a groove, with proper guards of metal through which the
shank of the bolt is to pass to open the same. The narrow part of the lock
which stands upwards is bent to fit exactly the slit of the main spring before
mentioned, and behind this narrow part of the lock, where it bends towards the
main spring, near the top, is fixed a small spring which reaches downward and
presses upon the bolt, keeping it always shut. Exactly opposite to this bolt an
opening is made in the lower part of the upright (or narrow part of the lock
which projects upwards), which permits the said bolt to pass freely through.
The clog being made to the form of the last or block, as above mentioned, and
the main spring and lock fixed thereon,-there-is nothing else to be done but to
make a small hole in the inside of the heel of the shoe, exactly facing the bolt
(which hole may be secured by a thin plate of silver, brass, steel, iron, or any
other metal); and when the shoe is. put into the clog, the bolt immediately
springs into the hole and fixes it firm and steady upon the foot. There is
another kind of lock (also particularly delineated and described in the margin
of this Specification, marked N° 3) which answers the same purpose as the
other lock above mentioned, and the only variations between that lock and this
are as follow:-The bolt is placed within the surface of the lock, and is kept
always shut by means of a small spring behind it; an opening is made in this
lock exactly facing the bolt, and into this opening a small ketch, which is
fastened to the inside of the heel of the boot, shoe, or pump, or slipper, is
pressed. The bolt gives way till the head of the ketch is passed, and then
shuts upon it, and fixes the boot, shoe, pump, or slipper and clog together.
The one of those methods is nearly only. an inversion of the other. In the
former the bolt of the lock springs into the opening which is made in the heel
of the boot, shoe, pump, or slipper on purpose, and in the latter a ketch is

page_text: pump, or slipper, which passes into the
When the clog is to be taken off, the
necessary only to give a slight stroke
fastened to the heel of the boot, shoe,
opening made in the lock to receive it.
method in both cases is the same; it is
or pressure to that part of the shank of the bolt which projects beyond the
back part of the heel, and the clog instantly comes off, leaving the boot,
shoe, pump, or slipper perfectly clear, without the smallest trouble or incon-
venience to the wearer. This clog is made either with or without the boxes, as
best suits the fancy of the wearer. The cheeks of the boxes in some of those
clogs are made loose and free, in others they may be brought tight and
close by means of a spring which is fastened to the back part of the main
spring, approaching to the shape of a circle, but open behind. This spring
being sewed in betwixt the cheeks, naturally compresses them together, and
incloses the heel of the boot, shoe, pump, or slipper within them.
same.
Although what is mentioned above relates chiefly to the woman's clog, yet
it is almost equally descriptive of the men's clog. The main spring is the
The lock is opened and shut in the same manner, and the principle
throughout is the same. The only difference, as before mentioned, is in the
size and shape, which must of necessity depend upon the size and shape of
the boot, shoe, pump, or slipper, which is intended to be fitted; and as the
length of the shank of the bolt is greater in the man's clog, it may be screwed
into the lower part of the bolt, which in this case will form two small pieces of
metal screwed together as aforesaid, to give the greater strength and energy;
and in both men's and women's clogs the shank which opens the bolt may be
made to project either from behind, as in the Drawing No. 2, or from either of
the sides of the heel, as required by the wearer; and it is evident, from the
Drawing No. 4 annexed hereunto, that no more of the bottom rests upon the
ground than if the lady wore the shoe only, and the heel scat or box being
made to project a little way beyond the plinth on which it presses, the dirt
cannot be thrown up in walking; and this clog has the further advantage in
case a greater degree of elevation from the ground is required by the wearer,
that it may be constructed upon an additional bottom of leather, cork, wood,
iron, or other material or mettal.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Seventh
day of April, in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign
Lord George the Third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain,
France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c., and in the
year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-five.
ALEXANDER (L.S.) GILLIES.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the Eighth day of April, in the
year above mentioned, the said Alexander Gillies came before our said Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above mentioned.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of
the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of Their Majesties King
William and Queen Mary of England, and so forth.
Tnrolled the Eighth dox of