A DYE OF A NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR STAMPING AND ORNAMENTING THE HAPTS OR HANDLES OF KNIVES AND FORKS MADE OF SILVER, SILVER PLATED, OR OTHER METAL
Year: 1785

page_text: TO ALL. TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
SUTCLIFF, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Cutler, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of November instant, hath been graciously
pleased to give and grant unto me, the said Robert Sutcliff, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that
I, the said Robert Sutcliff, my exors, admors, and assigns, and every of them,
by myself and themselves, or by my and their deputy and deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said Robert Sutcliff, my exors, adñors, 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, excrcise, and vend, my Invention of
"A DYE OF A NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR STAMPING AND ORNAMENTING THE HAPTS OR
HANDLES OF KNIVES AND FORKS MADE OF SILVER, SILVER PLATED, OR OTHER METAL,"
within that part of his Majestie's Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner
as to me, the said Robert Sutcliff, my exors, admors, and assigns, or any of
them, should in my or their discretion seem meet; and that I, the said
Robert Sutcliff, my exors, admors, 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 the said Invention,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges and
advantages therein granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said
Robert Sutcliff, my exors, adñors, and assigns, for and during and unto the

page_text: full end and term of fourteen years from 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..
AND WHEREAS, in the said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
or condition, that if I, the said Robert Sutcliff, should not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and
cause the same to be inrolled in His Majestie's High Court of Chancery
within one calendar month next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent, then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages
whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void,
as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more
fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in obedience to the said Letters Patent, and to the
aforesaid proviso or condition therein contained, I, the said Robert Sutcliff,
do by these Presents particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and do declare that the same is to be performed in manner
following, that is to sa:-.
A piece of steel is to be reduced into the form in which the handles of the
knives or forks are intended to be made, having the moulding at the bolster of
the dye filed in the usual manner. The dye in this state is ready to receive the
ornaments or embelishments, which are performed by chasing or egraving the
figure or pattern upon the dye; this dye having received the figure or pattern
in the above manner, the handles made therefrom have this distinguishing mark,
that all the ornaments or embelishments (excepting the moulding at the bolster)
lay below the surface of the handles as in engravings, and are thereby unexposed
to the wear; and in which consists the chief excellency of this Invention.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-
third day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven
hundred and eighty-five, and in the twenty-sixth 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, and so
forth
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named Robert Sutcliff, being
first duly stampt in the presence
of
ROBERT (L.S.) SUTCLIFF.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1785, the aforesaid Robert Sutcliff' 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 written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according
to the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and eighty-five.