IMPROVEMENTS. IN SADDLES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clay, of Yardley, in the County of Worcester,,
Saddler, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN SADDLES."
Sealed the 8th May 1868; and dated the 19th December 1867..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clay at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
December 1867..
I, JOHN CLAY, of Yardley,, in the County of Worcester; Saddler, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," to
be as follows:
My Invention has for its object to give to the seats of saddles a greater
elasticity than is obtained by the ordinary method of manufacturing saddles..
In constructing a saddle, according to my Invention I fix a spring at the
back of the head of the saddle tree, the said spring being situated in nearly
the same plane as the said head of the saddle tree and parallel or nearly
parallel therewith. The said spring is fixed by its ends to the sides of the
saddle tree. The web or webs which form the foundation of the scat are
attached at their fore ends to the said spring or are passed round the said
spring. Their rear-ends are, attached to the back of the saddle tree in the

page_text: usual manner; or instead of fixing the spring described at the fore part of
the saddle tree it may be fixed at the rear end; or springs of the kind
described may be fixed at the fore and rear parts of the saddle tree, but I
prefer the arrangement first described. The saddle is finished in the usual
manner. By the method of construction described the seat of the saddle
acquires such an amount of elasticity as to make it an easy and agreeable
seat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Clay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th June
1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLAY, of Yardley, in the County of Worcester, Saddler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Clay, Her special licence that I, the said John Clay, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Clay, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SADDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Clay,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hand 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 John Clay, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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, referenco being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-

page_text: My Invention bas for its object to give to the seat of saddles a greater
elasticity than is obtained by the ordinary method of manufacturing saddles.
In constructing a saddle according to my Invention I fix a spring at the
back of the head of the saddle tree, the said spring being situated in nearly
the same plane as the said head of the saddle tree, and parallel or nearly
parallel therewith. The said spring is fixed by its ends to the sides of the
saddle tree. The web or webs which form the foundation of the seat are
attached at their fore ends to the said spring, or are passed round the said
spring; their rear ends are attached to the back of the saddle tree in the
usual manner. Or instead of fixing the spring described at the fore part of the
saddle tree it may be fixed at the rear part. Or springs of the kind described
may be fixed at the fore and rear parts of the saddle tree, but I prefer the
arrangement first described. The saddle is finished in the usual manner.. By
the method of construction described the seat of the saddle acquires such an
amount of elasticity as to make it an easy and agreeable seat.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation the foundation of a saddle constructed
according to my Invention, and Figure 2 is a plan of the same; Figure 3 is
a portion of the same on a larger scale. The same letters of reference indicate
the same parts in each Figure of the Drawing.
a is the saddle tree of the ordinary kind, and a is the head of the said saddle
tree; c is a spring fixed at the back of the head a³, and nearly in the same
plane. The ends c³, c³, of the said spring c are bent or coiled in the manner
represented, and the said ends are fixed to the sides of the saddle tree. I
prefer to fix the said ends c³, c, of the spring c to the sides of the saddle tree
in the following manner :-On the sides of the saddle tree a I fix by screwing
plates d, d, (shown separately in Figure 3), the said plates having in the
middle a socket e provided with a slot or opening on one side. On the
ends c, c, of the spring c circular plates are made of a size proper to fit in
the sockets e of the plates d. The circular plates on the ends of the
spring c being dropped into the sockets e in the manner represented in the
Drawing; the said ends are fastened in the said sockets by screws. f is the
web which forms the foundation of the seat of the saddle. The said web f is
passed round the spring c and its ends are attached to the rear of the saddle
tree a in the manner represented. Instead of passing the web f round the
spring c two webs may be used. In this case one end of each web is attached
to the spring c and the other end to the rear of the saddle tree.
By the

page_text: coiled or bent figure of the ends, c, of the spring c great elasticity is given
to the spring. The foundation of the saddle is finished in the ordinary
way.
In using a saddle the seat of which is constructed according to my Invention
the spring c yields in the direction indicated by the arrow, and thereby imparts
great elasticity to the said seat.
Although I find the position of the spring c represented in the Drawing
answer satisfactorily, and is.I believe the best way of carrying my Invention
into effect, yet the said spring c instead of being fixed at the front of the
saddle tree may be fixed at the back; or a spring similar to the spring c may
be fixed both at the front and back of the saddle tree. In the latter case
both ends of the web or webs are made capable of yielding when the saddle is
in use..
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is. to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I
claim as my Invention the improvements in saddles herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, making the seats
of saddles highly elastic or capable of yielding by connecting the web or webs
constituting the foundation of the seat to a spring or springs, the said spring
or springs being constructed and fixed to the saddle tree, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clay, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT;
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JOHN CLAY. (L.S.)