IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN HOUSEHOLD UTENSILS OR ARTICLES OF HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE CALLED A TOAST STAND (FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOLDING A PLATE BEFORE THE FIRE), A HEARTH BRUSH OR DUST BRUSH, AND TOASTING FORK, AND OCCASIONALLY IN COMBINING OR UNITING THE SAID BRUSH AND TOASTING FORK IN ONE UTENSIL OR ARTICLE
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
AGER DAY, of IIandsworth, in the County of Stafford, Brass Founder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Benjamin Ager Day, did, by my petition, humbly
represent to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
that I had invented "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN HOUSEHOLD
UTENSILS OR ARTICLES OF HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE CALLED A TOAST STAND (FOR THE
PURPOSE OF HOLDING A PLATE BEFORE THE FIRE), A HEARTH BRUSH OR DUST BRUSH,
AND TOASTING FORK, AND OCCASIONALLY IN COMBINING OR UNITING THE SAID BRUSH
AND TOASTING FORK IN ONE UTENSIL OR ARTICLE;" that I was the first and true
Inventor thereof, and that the same had not been practised by any other
person or persons whomsoever, to my knowledge or belief: I humbly prayed
Ilis said Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
Ilis Royal Letters Patent under His Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole
use, benefit, and advantage of my said Invention, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, pursuant to.
the Statute in that case made and provided: His said Majesty, being willing
to give encouragement to all arts and inventions that might be for the public
good, was graciously pleased to condescend to my request; and therefore, by
His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of

page_text: July, in the fiftieth year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge,
and meer motion, did give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Ager Day,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of us, by myself or them-
selves, or by mine and our deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said Benjamin Ager Day, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and
at all times hereafter, 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 said United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Eerwick-upon-Tweed, in such
manner as to me, the said Benjamin Ager Day, my exccutors, administrators,
and assigns, or any of us, should in my or our discretion seem meet, and that
I, the said Benjamin Ager Day, 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 the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein men-
tioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, power, privileges,
and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the
said Benjamin Ager Day, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for and
during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the
said Presents then next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be complete and
ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Benjamin Ager
Day, 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 enrolled in His
said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-before
contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the
said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with and agreeably to the true
intent and meaning of the said proviso in the said Letters Patent contained,
I, the said Benjamin Ager Day, do hereby declare that the following is a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and methods, and
improvements in the mechanism cf my combined comforts for a fire-side, con-

page_text: sisting of a toasting fork and hearth brush united, which I call the union, and
a portable toast stand, which is conveniently attached to the fender, both with
respect to principle and the way and manner in which the same may be per-
formed (that is to say) :-
With respect to the principle, I cause the toasting fork to be hid or con-
cealed within the handle of the hearth brush, by which means the two are
rendered more portable and compact than any heretofore made; and I cause
the toast stand to be so contrived that it is attached by means of a screw or
spring to the fender, so that the same is more compact, convenient, and portable
than any heretofore made.
Now I do declare the above-mentioned principles comprehend the real
objects of my Inventions; and in order for the better comprehending and
understanding how the said Invention may be reduced to practical use, I do
hereby further declare that although I vary the mode of construction by a
variation of circumstances to produce the same effects and obtain the main
purpose intended, yet I principally adhere to the method or methods herein
described, as being fully answerable for the purposes intended, which are de-
scribed in the Drawings and sections in the margin of these. Presents (that is
to say) :-
-
No. 1, a portable toast stand; section A, a slide acting on the screw B,
which screw works into the box or centre C. The slide A moving along the
bottom of the centre C is (by turning the screw) the means by which the
toast stand is attached to the fender. D, D, D, three stretchers, which may
either be made in one piece with the centre C, or fixed thereto by screws,
rivets, or any other method that may be found most convenient; E, the rim,
which is attached to D, D, D, by rivets, screws, or any other method that may
be found most convenient; F is the centre C reversed, which shows by what
means the slide A is introduced and moves on the bottom.
No. 2, a hearth brush or dust brush and toasting fork; section G, the tube
or handle of the brush; II, the sliding toasting fork extended, the tines of
which fork being made to spring, is slided into the tube in which it acts, and
which consequently confines the spring or fork, as represented by Drawing
No. 3, by which means it is put into the handle of the brush, and answers the
purpose of lengthening the same at pleasure.
And I do hereby further declare that these combined comforts for a fire-side
may be made of any kinds of metals, such as iron, steel, copper, brass, tin, or
of wood, bone, ivory, or any other kind of metal, or composition of metals, or
any substance or composition of substances which may be found sufficiently

page_text: In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Ager Day, do hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth Day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and ten.
THO LANE PARKER, his Clerk.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of September, in
the fiftieth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the said
Benjamin Ager Day came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery,
and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the forty-
eighth year of His said Maiesty's reign.