Two INSTRUMENTS OF IRON, TO BE VSED IN THE SAID TRADE OF WOOLL KEMBING AND PRESSING, WHICH ARE CAST IN SUCH A FORME AND CONTRIVED IN SUCH A MANNER, THAT F GOOD, THE GREAT LOSS FREQUENTLY SUSTAINED BY THE TRADERS IN THE WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE THEREBY
Year: 1723

page_text: come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved ISAAC MILLS, of Belluton als Belton,
in the parish of Staunton Drew, in the county of Somerset, hath, by his
peticon, humbly represented vnto vs that he hath been bred vp in and followed
the trade of wooll kembing and pressing for twenty-five years last past. The
vsuall way or method for kembing of wooll is by a fire made in a clay pot; the
fire being open to the kembs does often neal the kembs and burn the wooll;
for the pressing the planks or iron plates are heat by a fire open to them,
which often burns the planks and heats the iron plates so vnequally that it
frequently burns the goode, to the great loss of the tradesman and discredit
of the woollen manufacturer; that he hath, with great labour, pains, and
expences, invented "Two INSTRUMENTS OF IRON, TO BE VSED IN THE SAID TRADE
OF WOOLL KEMBING AND PRESSING, WHICH ARE CAST IN SUCH A FORME AND CONTRIVED
IN SUCH A MANNER, THAT A FIRE BEING MADE IN THE BODY OF THE INSTRUMENT OF
IRON FOR KEMBING, THE KEMBS RECEIVE THE HEAT FROM THE SAME IN SUCH AN
EQUAL PROPORCON AS NEITHER TO NEAL THE KEMES OR BURN THE WOOLL; AND THAT
POR THE PRESSING, THE PLANKS OR PLATES BEING PLACED IN THE BODY OF THE
OTHER IRON INSTRUMENT, AND A FIRE BEING MADE TO ENCOMPASS OR SURROUND
THE SAME, WILL HEAT THE PLANES OR PLATES IN SO TRUE A DEGREE AS WHOLLY TO
PREVENT THE BURNING OF THE GOOD, AND THE GREAT LOSS FREQUENTLY SUSTAINED
BY THE TRADERS IN THE WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE THEREBY," which he doubts not
will prove of publick vse and benefit to this our kingdom by the great

page_text: consumption of iron the said Invenčon will occasion, and to all persons
concerned in the woollen manufacture; and having prayed vs to grant him
him our Royal Letters Patents for the sole making, vsing, and vending of
the said two iron instruments for wooll kembing and pressing for the term
of fourteen years, wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and
inventions which may be of publick service and benefit, are gratiously pleased
to gratify him in his request,-
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain know-
ledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these presents, for vs,
our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the said Isaac Mills, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, especial lycence, full power, sole privi-
ledge and authority, that he, the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, and every of them, by himself or themselves, or by his or their
deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or such others as he, the said Isanc
Mills, his executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term herein
expressed, shall and lawfully may make, vse, exercise, and vend his said
two instruments of iron by him invented to be vsed in the trade of wool
kembing and pressing, as above described, in that part of our kingdom of
Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
vpon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said Isaac Mills, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discrečons seem
meet; and that hee, the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enioy the whole profit, benefit,
comodity, and advantage, from time to time comeing, growing, accrewing, and
ariseing by reason of the said Invenĉon, for and during the term of years
herein menconed, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers,
priviledges and advantages herein-before granted, or menconed to be granted,
vnto the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for and
during and vnto the full end and term of fourteen yeares from the date of these
presents next and imediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended,
according to the statute in such case made and provided. And to the end
that the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every
of them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse and exercise of
the said Invencon, according to our gratious intencon herein-before declared, wee
do by these presente, for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly com-
mand all and every person and persons, bodies politick and corporate, and all other
our subiecte whatsoever, of what estate, quality, or degree, name or condicon,
soever they be, within that said part of our kingdom of Great Britain called

page_text: England, our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid,
that neither they or any of them, at any time during the continuance of the said
terme of fourteen yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly, do make,
vse, or put in practice the said Invencon, or any part of the same, so attained
vnto by the said Isaac Mills as aforesaid; nor nor in anywise counterfeit,
imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make, or cause to be made, any addi-
tion thereunto or substracčon from the same, whereby to pretend himself or
themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors, thereof, without the
lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Isaac Mills, his executors, adminis-
trators, or assignes, in writing vnder his or their hande and seales first had and
obtained in that behalf, vpon such pains and penalties as can or may be iustly
inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal command; and
further, to be answerable to the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, according to law, for his and their damages thereby occasioned.
And moreover, wee do by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, will
and comand all and singular the justices of the peace, mayors, sheriff's, bayliffes,
constables, head boroughs, and all other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs,
our heires and successors, for the time being, that they or any of them do not,
nor shall at any time hereafter during the said term hereby granted, in any.
wise molest, trouble, or hinder the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators,
or asignes, or any of them, or his or their deputies, servants, or agente, in or
about the due and lawfull vse or exercise of the aforesaid Invenčon, or any thing
relating thereto. Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shall
be vpon this condičon, that if at any time during the said term hereby granted
it shall be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of
our or their Privy Council, that this our grant is contrary to law, or preiudicial
or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invenčon is not a
new invenčon as to the publick vse and exercise thereof in that said part of
our kingdome of Great Britain called England, onr dominion of Wales, or
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or not invented and found out by the said Isanc
Mills as aforesaid, then, vpon signification or declaration thereof, to be made
by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signet or privy seal, or by
the lorde and others of our or their Privy Council, or any six or more of them
vnder their handf, these our Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, determin,
and be vtterly void to all intent and purposes, any thing herein-before contained
to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding. Provided also, that these our
Letters Patents, or anything herein contained, shall not extend, or be construed
to extend, to give priviledge vnto the said Isaac Mills, his executors, adminis
trators or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any invenĉon or work

page_text: whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or invented by any other of
our subiect whatsoever, and publickly vsed or exercised in that said part
of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, or
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, vnto whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have
been already granted for the sole vse, exercise, and benefit thereof, it being our
will and pleasure that the said Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, and all and every other person and persons to whom liko Letters
Patent or priviledges have been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly
vse and practice their severall invenčons by them invented and found out,
according to the true intent and meaning of the same respective Letters
Patent and of these presents. Provided likewise, nevertheless, and these our
Letters Patent are vpon this express condiĉon, that if the said Isaac Mills,
bis executors or administrators, or any person or persons which shall or may
at any time or times hereafter, during the continuance of this grant, have or
claim any right, title, or interest, in law or equity, of, in, or to the power,
priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and benefit of the said Invenčon
hereby granted, shall make any transferr or assignment, or any pretended trans-
ferr or assignement, of "the said liberty and priviledge, or any share or shares
of the benefit or profit thereof, or shall declare any trust thereof to or for any
number of persons exceeding the number of five, or shall open, or cause to be
opened, any book or books for publick subscripcons to be made by any number
of persons exceeding the november of five, in order to the raising any sume or
sums of money vnder pretence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge
hereby granted, or shall by him or themselves, or his or their agents or servante,
receive any sume or sumes of money whatsoever of any number of persons
exceeding in the whole the number of five, for such or the like intent or pur-
poses, or shall presume to act as a corporate body, or shall divide the benefit
of these our Letters Patents, or the liberty and priviledges hereby by vs
granted, into any number of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall
comitt or do, or procure to be cōmitted or done, any act, matter, or thing
whatsoever during such time as such person or persons shall have any right or
title, either in law or equity, in or to the said premisses which will be contrary
to the true intent and meaning of a certain Act of Parliament made in the
sixth year of our reign, intituled (An Act for the better securing certain powers
and priviledges intended to be granted by His Maiestie, by two charters for
assurance of ships and merchandizes at sea and for lending moncy vpon
bottomry, and for restraining severall extravagant and vnwarrantable practices
therein menconed), if these our Letters Patente had not been granted, or in
case the said power, priviledge, or authority shall at any time hereafter

page_text: become vested in or in trust for more than the number of five persons, or
their representatives, at any one time (reckoning executors or administrators
as and for the single person whom they represent as to such interest as
they are or shall be intitled to in right of such their testator or intestate),
that then, and in any of the said cases, these our Letters Patents, and all
liberties, priviledges, and advantages whatsoever hereby granted, shall vtterly
cease, determine, and become void, any thing herein-before contained to the
contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding. And lastly, wee do by these
presents, for vs, our heirs and successors, grant vnto the said Isaac Mills,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patents,
or the inrollment or exemplificačon thereof, shall be in and by all thing
good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectual in the law, according to the true
intent and meaning thereof, and shall be taken, construed, and adiudged in
the most favourable and beneficial sense for the best advantage of the said
Isaac Mills, his executors, administrators, and assignes, as well in all our
courts of record as elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers and
ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, in that part of our
said kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales,
and town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and amongst all every the subiecte of
vs, our heires and successors, whatsoever and wheresoever (and wheresoever),
notwithstanding the not full and certain describing the nature or quality
of the said Invenčon, or of the materials thereto conducing and belonging.
In witness, &c. Witness William, Archbishof of Canterbury, &c. at
Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of June.
By Writt of Prive Seal