A CHIMNEY SAFEGUARD FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HOUSES AND BUILDINGS FROM FIRE, ROBBERY, AND FOUL AIR
Year: 1805

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, STUART
ARNOLD, of Wakefield, in the County of York, Gentleman, sends greeting.
WHEREAS by the King's most Excellent Majesty's Letters Patent, under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-.
sixth day of March, in the forty-fifth year of His said Majesty's reign, after
reciting that the said Stuart Arnold had, by his Petition, humbly represented
unto His Majesty that he had, after much labor, study, and expence, found
out and invented "A CHIMNEY SAFEGUARD FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HOUSES AND
BUILDINGS FROM FIRE, ROBBERY, AND FOUL AIR;" that he was the first and true
Inventor thereof, and that the same had never been made or used by any other
person or persons, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the Petitioner
therefore most humbly prayed that His Majesty would be graciously pleased
to grant unto him, his exors, adññiors, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent
for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of his said Invention, within England
and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen
years according to the Statute in that case made and provided; and
that 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 the Petitioner's request; after which recitals, His Majesty,
by His said Letters Patent made known, and of His special grace, certain

page_text: knowledge and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give
and grant unto the said Stuart Arnold, his exors, adññors, and assigns, His
Majesty's special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he,
the Stuart Arnold, his exors, adiñors, and assigns, and every of them, by
himself and themselves, or by his and their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as he, the said Stuart Arnold, his exors, admors, or
assigus, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and all times thereafter, during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend his said Invention within that part
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to
the said Stuart Arnold, his exors, adññiors, and assigns, or any of them, should
in his or their discretion seem meet; and that he, the said Stuart Arnold, his
exors, adñiors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole
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 mentioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said license, powers,
privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted
unto the said Stuart Arnold, bis exors, adññors, and assigns, for and during
and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the reciting
Presents next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended
according to the Statute in such case made and provided, under and subject to
certain clauses and provisoes therein mentioned and contained; and, amongst
others, to a proviso, that if the said Stuart Arnold should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing under his hand
seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date
of the reciting 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,
reference thereto being bad, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stuart Arnold, in compliance with the
said proviso, do hereby declare that my said Invention, as far as relates to the
first object thereof (that is to say) the preservation of houses and buildings
from robbery, is described in manner following (that is to say):-
First, it consists of a square frame of cast iron, the size of the funnel of the
chimney, and from half an inch to an inch thick (except in the case of

page_text: chimnies of an extraordinary size, when the thickness must be increased in
proportion to the dimensions of the frame), which is fixed in the chimney
about six feet from the top of the fire place.
Secondly, to the centre of the front side of the frame, by means of an hinge,
is annexed a bar of cast iron, called a preventer bar, about an inch square,
with spikes on its upper side, the end of which bar being thrust up to the
opposite side of the frame by means of a small iron rod, bissects the square,
and leaves two apertures for the egress of the smoke, neither of which will
admit the body even of a child a few years old.
Thirdly, the lower end of the iron rod is placed in a ring or staple (except
when the preventer bar is to be let down for the purpose of sweeping the
chimney), and thereby prevents the preventer bar so annexed to the front side
of the square frame from dropping or being forced down by any one attempting
to get down the chimney, and is an effectual security from depredators entering
the house by such channel.
Fourthly, where, from the largeness of the funnel, the apertures would be
sufficiently large to admit the body of a boy, the preventer bar to be annexed
to the square frame must be cast in the form of a Saint George's cross, or
somewhat similar, so as to divide the space into four apertures, which will
then be too small to admit any person, even a boy, without the assistance or
permission of some person or persons in the room.
And I, the said Stuart Arnold, in further compliance with said proviso con-
tained in the said Letters Patent, do hereby declare that my said Invention, as
respects its second object (that is to say), the putting out fire, and remedying
foul air, is described in manner following (that is to say):-
First, to each of the other sides of the square frame before described is
annexed, by means of hinges, a thin plate, made either of iron, brass, copper,
or tin.
Secondly, to the lower side and edge of the plates (when hanging down,
and the apertures of course open) is annexed a small chain, which, leading
through or over a small roller fixed to the lower side of the preventer bar,
hangs down the opposite side of the funnel.
Thirdly, for the purpose extinguishing a fire in the chimney, it is only
necessary to pull each of the chains tight and the apertures will be instantly
closed, when for want of a sufficient supply of air the fire must be exhausted.
Fourthly, by closing one of the appertures and leaving the other open, the
draft of air will by that means be so much increased as in a great measure, if
not entirely, to prevent the dissagreeable effects arising from the smoking of
the chimney.

page_text: Fifthly, when a fire is not wanted in the room, by keeping both apertures
closed no soot nor dirt can fall into the room, neither can foul air generated
in the funnel of the chimney annoy any person in the apartment.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twentieth
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and five.
Bury Street, St. James's.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1805, the aforesaid Stuart Arnold 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-second day of April, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and five.