CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN CARRIAGES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bagster Lyall, of Castle Frome, in the
County of Hereford, Gentleman, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 27th May 1856, and dated the 3rd January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bagster Lyall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd January 1856.
I, JAMES BAGSTER LYALL, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the following improvements in carriages, being
further improvements upon my Invention for which Her Majesty's Letters
Patent were granted to me on 26th April 1851 :-
Instead of the longitudinal seat divided into two by a back. or partition, so
as to seat the passengers back to back in the middle of the omnibus, such seat
extending the whole length thereof, which is the case when my former
Invention is adopted, I now by this Invention make such seat much shorter,
and beyond the same I have a commodious and curved space with suitable
sent, which I' term a saloon. By this arrangement I am also: enabled to give
the front of the carriage (at the sides) the form of a barouch, by which I
obtain a high front wheel with considerable "lock," and consequently much.

page_text: diminish the draught and improve the appearance. For the ascent to the
roof I use steps crossing the panelled 'space between the two doors (there
being two, as in my former Invention,) with a hand rail. I arrange the
outside roof seats in accordance with my former Invention, in so far as to seat
the outside passengers face to face, with their feet in a trough; but I do not
now extend this the whole length of the omnibus, in order to give greater
head room in the saloon part. I construct the roof of the omnibus by taking
the roof supports from 'the side pillars and fastening them to the centro plank,
which plank is supported by a column, whereby any collapse of the sides is
prevented, thus securing great strength combined with lightness. To facilitate
stopping the omnibus I use a cord in connection with a knocker.
As regards the new improvements in the Invention of my two-wheeled
carriages, patented as aforesaid, I arrange the springs by placing them
beneath the carriage, making them of suitable shape, so that the loss of space
between the wheels and body of the carriage is obviated, and the space added
to the interior, rendering the carriage more commodious and comfortable. I
remove the square box behind, now resting upon the hind spring and sup-
porting the driver's seat, and attach the said scat to the body of the carriage,
thereby removing the leverage to the axle and lessening the pressuro on the
horse's back, and shortening the length. I construct the front of the carriage
of a concave form, by which the horse is brought nearer to his work, and the
pressure on his back thrown more upon the axle, and the draught diminished.
The doors are skewed, being arranged so as to afford greater facility of
entrance.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bagster Lyall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BAGSTER LYALL, of Castle Frome, in the County of Hereford, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our.
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Bagster Lyall, Her special licence that I, the said
James Bagster Lyall, my executors,' administrators, and assigns, or such.

page_text: others as. I, the said James Bagster Lyall, 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 Inven-
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Bagster Lyall, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
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 James Bagster Lyall, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, viz. :-
The after described improvements in carriages have reference primarily to
certain carriages which have two (at the least) splayed or skewed doors for
entrance and exit, but some points or portions thereof may be found applicable
to carriages not having such like doors. The same being in some respects
further improvements upon the improvements for which (inter alia) Her
Majesty's Letters Patent were granted to me, under the Great Seal of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on the 26th day of Aprit
1851.
(I.) The nature of the present Invention is this, viz. :-
(First). As to carriages of that class termed omnibuses.-Instead of the
longitudinal seat divided into two, by a back or partition, so as to seat the
passengers back to back along the middle line of the omnibus, such seat
extending the whole length thereof, which is the case when my former
Invention is adopted, I now, according to the present Invention, have a
much shorter seat or seats of the character hereafter described, and beyond
the same I have a commodious and curved space with suitable seats or scat,
which I term the "saloon" part. I also give the front and sides at the fore
part of the carriage the form of a step-piece barouche, by which I am enabled
to adopt a high front wheel with considerable "lock" (or turning space), and
consequently much diminish the draught and improve the appearance. For
the ascent to the roof I have steps or step-pieces secured to the panelled space
between the two doors (there being two,.as in my former Invention,) with a
hand rail or rails to assist persons in ascending to the roof scats. I arrange.

page_text: the roof seats in accordance with my former Invention, in so far as I seat the
passengers outside face to face, with their feet in a trough or depression in:
the roof; but in order to give greater 'head room in the saloon part of the:
omnibus I do not now extend.such "trough" or depression the whole length'
of the omnibus. I further support the roof by taking the roof supports from:
the side pillars and fastening them to the centre plank which forms the
bottom of the said trough or depression, which plank is supported by a
column, whereby any collapse of the sides is prevented, thus securing great
strength combined with lightness: It will be seen that only a portion of this
statement applies to the three-wheeled omnibus, hereafter described.
.
(Second). As regards the new improvements in the two-wheeled carriages;
-I arrange the springs by placing them beneath tho carriage, making them
of suitable shape, so that the loss of space between the wheels and the body
of the carriage is obviated, and this space added to the interior, rendering
the carriage more commodious and comfortable: I remove the squaro box
behind, now resting on the hind spring, and supporting the driver's seat, and
attach the said seat to the body of the carriage, thereby removing the leverage
to the axle, and lessening the pressure on the horse's back, and shortening..the
length. As under my former Patent aforesaid; I construct the front of this
carriage of a concave shape, by which the horse is brought nearer to his work,
and pressure on his back thrown more upon the axle, and the draught
diminished. As before mentioned, the doors are skewed or, splayed off, being
arranged to afford greater facility of entrance and exit. To facilitate the
stopping of the omnibus or carriage I use a cord in connection with a knocker
on the end of a rod contained in a case, such rod having a spring coiled
round the same, whereby it will always bring, the knocker into action after
having been pulled back by any person- or persons pulling the cord attached
to such rod.
(II) Having thus particularly described-and-ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, I now proceed to describe and ascertain in what manner
the same is to be performed or put in practice, wherein I shall refer to the
accompanying Drawing by the words, figures, and letters marked thereon and
herein-after mentioned, that is to say:-.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1, end view of a carriage or vehicle commonly termed an omnibus;
Fig. 2, side view of same; Fig. 3;-plan or horizontal section of same on a
somewhat enlarged scale, exemplifying the interior arrangement as to scats,
&c.; Fig. 4, plan or horizontal section of an omnibus upon threo wheels,

page_text: shewing how this Invention, as regards the adoption of the step-piece:barouche
front only and "saloon" part, may be modified and adapted.to such a'carriage;
Fig. 4, an interior view of one half such a three-wheeled carriage, and Fig. 4b,
a detail.view, of the front wheel, &c.; Fig. 5, view of a two-wheeled vehicle
termed a two-wheel brougham;. Fig. 6, partial plan of same. In the said
Figs. A, A; denotes the curved or barouche form given to the:forc, part of the
body of the vehicle, both at the front and sides thereof,: whereby.I.am.enabled
to adopt a high fore wheel in the four-wheeled carriages, and obtain consider-
able "lock," (that is, considerable turning space), thus diminishing. the draught
and improving the appearance of the carriage, which latter advantages accrue
in the three-wheeled carriage likewise, although the barouche.form is not
there adopted for the sides, but to the front only...B, pillar or support in the
middle or thereabouts of the four-wheeled vehicle. This, pillar is fastened at
top to the centre plank B* that forms the bottom of the trough".or depres-
sion D, D, before mentioned. This.supports the roof, and hereby any collapso
of the sides is prevented, thus securing strength.combined with lightness.
The outside seats on the roof, marked: C, C, are on each side. of. the depression
or trough, D, D, which is the foot space for the passengers. E, E,¡E, are the
steps across the panelled space. between, the doors for: ascending to these
roof,seats. The seats in the interior of the four wheeled.carriage.or.omnibus
are two longitudinal scats (which are marked G, G,) and are:fitted upon the
curved risings in the flooring of the omnibus, caused by the barouche form of
the sides of the fore part of the same, and also a seat.I for one at the fore
end of this vehicle. Instead of these seats G, G, and H, there might be a
curved seat carried; round from X to x. The seats in the after part of the
carriage (marked I and K, as shewn in the plan view, Fig. 3;) will have backs
to them, as shewn by the thick curved lines. These seats: might, however,
be arranged.so that two persons might sit with their backs to the back of the
omnibus, two opposite them, and two with their backs to the others, although
I do not prefer this last-mentioned mode of seating. Or there might even bo
a longitudinal scat, as herein-before mentioned, for persons to sit back to back,
with a partition or back between them; this seat would terminate at the
pillar B. I prefer, however, the arrangement shown by the Drawing. L,
dotted lines, (Fig. 3), a flap seat (at end of scat G), which turns up when not
in use, as shewn at Fig. 2. (Across the omnibus I could, if desired, place a
partition with doors, or a partition might be carried along-from-1-to 2, so as
to have two divisions for first and second class passengers respectively, in
which case the seat I would be placed with its back close to 2, and K placed
in accordance therewith, and the second class passengers would use a different

page_text: door from the first class.) M, umbrella stand, fixed in the vacancy between.
the scats G and K.
O,, in the three-wheeled vehicle; see Figs. 4, 4, marks a rising in the floor of
the carriage at what I term the "saloon" part, and forming externally a casing
to.the front, wheel or part thereof... The seating is arranged as shewn, and the
said rising (0) may form an extra seat or a table. The dotted circle shews
the wheel plate which is secured underneath the body of the carriage. Detail
of the front wheel is given at Fig. 4b.
The Drawing, Figs. 5 and 6; together with what has been already stated,
I deem sufficient as to the two-wheeled vehicle.
The knocker before alluded to, for stopping the omnibus or carriage, consists
of a tube with a rod therein with coiled or spiral spring abutting against
one end of the tube, and also against the back of the knocker, which is a
knob at one end of the said rod, for the purpose of striking against a sounding
plate or gong at its end of the said tube, an opening being made near that end
of the tube for the better transmission of sound. Upon pulling back, by
means. of an attached cord, the rod which protrudes through an orifice at the
rear end of the aforesaid tube, and upon letting go the cord again, the spring
urges on the knocker, and it strikes against the striking or sounding plate or
gong, sounding, when properly fixed, an alarm or warning to the conductor, &c.
Although particularly adapted for the omnibus, this knocker might be usefully
applied to the cab or to other carriages..
(III.) Having now particularly described and ascertained both the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be. performed, I
declare that what I claim in respect thereof is, the certain improvements in
carriages, the nature and character whereof I have set forth in the outset
(see part marked (I.) of this my Specification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bagster Lyall, have hereunto set
"my hand and seal,-this-First day-of July,-in-the-year-of-our-Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Signed and sealed in my presence,
F. W. CAMPIN,
Patent Office, 156, Strand.
J. B. LYALL. (L.S.)