IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATES OR SHIELDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RESISTING SHOT AND OTHER PROJECTILES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lynall Thomas, of Southsea, in the County
of Hants, Gentleman, and Henry Percival De Bathe, Colonel Scots
Fusilier Guards, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF PLATES OR SHIELDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RESISTING SHOT AND OTHER
PROJECTILES."
Sealed the 14th May 1861, and dated the 16th November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lynall Thomas
and Henry Percival De Bathe at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 16th November 1860.
We, WILLIAM LYNALL THOMAS, of Southsea, in the County of Hants,
Gentleman, and HENRY PERCIVAL DE BATHE, Colonel Scots Fusilier Guards,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PLATES OR SHIELDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RESISTING SHOT AND
OTHER PROJECTILES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in constructing what we term "compound louvre
plates or shields," in manner hereafter stated. We take a foundation plate of
metal or wood, and fix thereon at intervals of, say, about two inches and a half,
other metal plates, which we call louvre plates, of about six inches in length,
and at an angle with the foundation plate. We bend up the ends of the
foundation plate and fill up the spaces between the louvre plates with wood,

page_text: New Zealand flax, jute, or other fibrous material or compound, more or less
yielding or elastic, and then cover in the whole with metal or wood; or instead of
forming the shields in manner before described ready to be applied to the sides
of a ship or to any other structure to be protected, we build our shield on the
structure itself, by bolting or rivetting on it a series of knees or bent plates,
one portion of each plate being fixed parallel with the ship's side or other
structure, and that portion answering to what we have termed the louvre
plates, at an angle therewith. We then pack between the louvre plates, as
before, and apply a cover of metal or wood. Sometimes we place what we have
termed the louvre plates at right angles to the foundation plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Lynall Thomas and Henry Percival De Bathe in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
LYNALL THOMAS, of Southsea, in the County of Hants, Gentleman, and HENRY
PERCIVAL DE BATHE, Colonel, Scots Fusilier Guards, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Lynall Thomas and Henry Percival De Bathe, Her special
licence that we, the said William Lynall Thomas and Henry Percival De
Bathe, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said William Lynall Thomas and Henry Percival De Bathe, our 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 ex-
pressed, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PLATES OR
SHIELDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RESISTING SHOT AND OTHER PROJECTILES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Lynall Thomas and
Henry Percival De Bathe, or one of us, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: 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 we, the said William Lynall Thomas and Henry
Percival De Bathe, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto anuexed, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists in constructing what we term "compound louvre
plates or shields," in manner herein-after stated. We take a foundation plate of
metal or wood, and fix thereon at intervals of, say, about two inches and a half,
other metal plates, which we call louvre plates, at an angle with the foundation
plate. We bend up the ends of the foundation plate and fill up the spaces
between the louvre plates with wood, New Zealand flax, jute, or other fibrous
material or compound, more or less yielding or elastic, and then cover in the
whole with metal or wood.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a sectional elevation of so much
of a target or butt composed of compound louvre plates, as will be necessary to
illustrate the manner in which we carry this part of our Invention into effect.
A is the foundation plate fitted against timber B, of, say, 18 inches thick ;
or the foundation may be made wholly of wood or iron. C, C, are the louvre
plates or shields, laid as shewn, at an angle with the foundation plate A, and
the outside or front plates D, D; E, E, is the packing between the louvre
plates; F, F, are bolts passing through the louvre plates, packing foundation
plate, and timber; G, G, are screws for holding the front plates to the louvre
plates; the plates D, D, when so held, present a flat surface for the resistance
of shot; in some cases, especially where a flat surface is not required, we dis-
pense with the front plates and even with the packing, and form the target
simply of louvre plates bolted to a foundation plate or bed. H, H, is a layer
of marine glue or other suitable material between the front plates D, D, and
the packing E. Instead of securing the front or outside plates of the shield
by screws, as shown, we sometimes fix vertically T or other flanged shaped
iron to the foundation plate and drop the front plates between the flanges; or,
instead of forming the shields in manner before described ready to be applied
to the sides of a ship or to any other structure to be protected, we build our
shield on the structure itself, by bolting or rivetting on it a series of knees or
bent plates, one portion of each plate being fixed parallel with the ship's side
or other structure, and that portion answering to what we have termed the
louvre plates, at an angle therewith; we then pack between the louvre plates

page_text: as before, and apply a cover of metal or wood. Sometimes we place what we
have termed the louvre plates at right angles to the foundation plate.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation, illustrating this part of our Invention as
applied to the construction of a ship's side or other structure.
A, A, are the knees or bent portion of the louvre plates, parallel or nearly
so with the side of the ship; B, B, are the louvre plates forming part of the
knees, as shown; C is the packing between the plates; F, F, are plates form-
ing the outside or front; G, G, are screws for securing the front plates to the
louvre plates; the front plates may in this case also be dispensed with, or the
T or other shaped iron may be used. H, H, are rivets passing through
the knees of the louvre plates,
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of part of a ship's side or other structure
in which the foundation plate A is made of zig-zag form; B, B, are the louvre
plates, arranged with their bent ends in the reverse direction to that described
with reference to Figure 2; C, C, is the packing between the plates; D, D,
are bolts for securing the louvre plates to the structure, a detached view of
one of which is given at Figure 4; they are made with a flat portion r, which is
rivetted to the louvre plates, as shown at Figure 3, and with a round portion
passing through the foundation plate and secured by screw nuts or keys. By
arranging the louvre plates in the manner described a flush external surface
is obtained without the employment of separate outside or front plates.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim as our improve-
ments in the construction of plates or shields for the purpose of resisting shot
and other projectiles, the employment of what we term compound louvre
plates to form shields to resist shot and other projectiles, whether used by
themselves or in combination with foundation and covering plates and
packing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lynall Thomas, for myself and
on behalf of the said Henry Percival de Bathe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-one.
LYNALL THOMAS. (L.S.)