A PROCESS WHEREBY GOLD AND SILVER PLATE AND OTHER PLATE FORMED OF DUCTILE METALS, MIGHT BE MANUFACTURED IN A MORE PERFECT AND EXPEDITIOUS MANNER. THAN BY ANY PROCESS WHICH HAS HITHERTO BEEN EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1822

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MITCHELL, of Glasgow, Silversmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said William Mitchell, did by my petition humbly
represent to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
that I had after much study and expence invented and discovered "A
PROCESS WHEREBY GOLD AND SILVER PLATE AND OTHER PLATE FORMED OF DUCTILE
METALS, MIGHT BE MANUFACTURED IN A MORE PERFECT AND EXPEDITIOUS MANNER.
THAN BY ANY PROCESS WHICH HAS HITHERTO BEEN EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE,"
and that I was the first and true Inventor of the said improvement, and that
the same had not been practised or used by any other person, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, and praying that His Majesty would be graciously
pleased to grant unto me, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, His Royal Letters
Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and.
Ireland, for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of my said improvement
within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the
term of fourteen years, pursuant to the Statute in that case made and provided:
and whereas His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all
arts and inventions that might be for the public good, was graciously pleased to

page_text: condescend to my request, and did therefore by His Royal Letters Patent, dated
at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-two years, in the third year of His reign, of His especial grace,
certain knowledge, and mere motion, give and grant unto me, the said William
Mitchell, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licensce, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said William Mitchell, my exors and
assigns, and every of them, by myself, and themselves, and my and their
deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said William
Mitchell, or my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend my said Invention within that part of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon Tweed, and in such manner as I, the said William Mitchell,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or any of them, should in my or their
discretions seem meet, and that I, the said William Mitchell, my exors,
adors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole
benefit, property, 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 expressed, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the
said licence, powers, priviledges, and advantages therein-before granted or
mentioned to be granted to me, the said William Mitchell, my exors, adññors,
and assigns, for and during and to the full end and term of fourteen years
from the date of the said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and
fully to be completed and ended, according to the Statute in that case made
and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if I,
the said William Mitchell, 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 Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
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 and 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 I, the said William Mitchell, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and I declare that it principally consists in the application of a
water press, such as is known by the name of Brahma's press,.in the manu-
facture of gold and silver plate, and plate of other ductile metals, for the
accomplishment of what has heretofore been effected in a less perfect manner
by the screw press and by percussion; and I declare that to adapt such water
press to this manufacture I employ two cast-iron blocks (marked C, C, in the
Drawing hereunto annexed) of the same diameter as the ram or piston, the
lower one resting upon the piston, and the upper one fitted to the shoulder of
the press, and attached to it by a bolt passing through to the top of the frame
of the press; and to form a sufficient resistance to the dies employed in the
manufacture when the press is in operation, I employ two circular pieces of
steel (marked D, D, in the Drawing hereunto annexed) ground into the
blocks C, C. And I have hereunto attached a Drawing of a water press, such
as I have above referred to, to which the necessary explanations are annexed.;
and in applying the said water press to the manufacture of plate, I declare
that I employ dies, such as have been hitherto used in the manufacture of
pláte, and having cut the metal into suitable shapes and applied it to the dies,
the impression required is completed by a single operation of the p
without having recourse to annealing or softening the metal.
press, and
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mitchell, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, at Glasgow aforesaid, this Twelfth day of
February, One thousand eight hundred and twenty-three years.
Taken and acknowledged, signed, sealed,
and delivered, being first duly stamped
WM MITCHELL. (L.S.)
D. R. CAMPBELL, of the City of Glasgow, Witness.
P. MACKENZIE, of the City of Glasgow, Witness.
Peter Mackenzie, of the City of Glasgow, maketh oath and saith, that he
was present with David Ronald Campbell, also of the said City, and did see
William Mitchell, the person named and designed in the Deed, Poll hereunto
attached, sign, seal, and, as his genuine act and deed, in due form of law, deliver
the same, and that the said William Mitchell did also sign the Drawing
attached to the said Deed Poll in the presence of the said David Ronald
Campbell and this deponent, and that the name "Wm Mitchell," set and
subscribed to the said Deed Poll and Drawing, is of the true and proper hand-