A MACHINE TO BE USED IN THE SCOWERING, MILLING, AND WASHING OF HOSIERY, LINEN, AND WOLLEN CLOTHS AND CLOATHING, AND OTHER THINGS MANUFACTURED AND MADE FROM WOOL, COTTON THREAD, AND SILK, OR ANY OF THE RAW MATERIALS USED IN THOSE MANUFACTURES, A THING NEVER BEFORE PUT IN PRACTICE, AND WHICH WOULD BE OF GREAT PUBLIC BENEFIT AND UTILITY
Year: 1793

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, NATHANIEL
BENTLEY, of the Town of Leicester, Dyer, sendeth greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, by Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the
Twenty-third day of January, in the thirty-third year of His reign, and now
last past, after reciting that the said Nathaniel Bentley had, by his Petition,
humbly represented that he had, by great study and application, invented and
found out "A MACHINE TO BE USED IN THE SCOWERING, MILLING, AND WASHING
OF HOSIERY, LINEN, AND WOLLEN CLOTHS AND CLOATHING, AND OTHER THINGS
MANUFACTURED AND MADE FROM WOOL, COTTON, THREAD, AND SILK, OR ANY
OF THE RAW MATERIALS USED IN THOSE MANUFACTURES, A THING NEVER BEFORE
PUT IN PRACTICE, AND WHICH WOULD BE OF GREAT PUBLIC BENEFIT AND UTILITY,"
did, for Himself, Ilis heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said
Nathaniel Bentley, His exors, adiñors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said Nathaniel Bentley, 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 Nathaniel Bentley, his exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 his said Invention, within that part of His Kingdom of
Great Britain called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said Nathaniel Bentley, his exors,
adiñors, or assigns, or any of them, should in his or their discretion seem
meet; and that he, the said Nathaniel Bentley, his exors, admors, and assigns,
should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, 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 men-
tioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges,
and advantages therein granted unto the said Nathaniel Bentley, his exors,
aders, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen
years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing,
and fully to be complete and ended according to the Statute in such case made
and provided; and it is by the said Letters Patent, among other things,
provided, that if the said Nathaniel Bentley should not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under his hand and seal,
and cause the same to be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within one
calendar month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages
whatsoever thereby enacted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void,
as by the said Letters Patent may appear.
NOW KNOW YE that the said Nathaniel Bentley doth, by this present
Instrument in writing, under his hand and seal, intended to be inrolled in the
said High Court of Chancery, as aforesaid, testify, describe, and ascertain the
nature of his Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and that the same is and is to be performed, that is to say:--
The principal Drawing in these Presents, exclusive of the detached Drawings
numbered 8, 9, 11, 13, and 14, shews the whole of the machine when put
together. The different members of the machine are of the figure and form
respectively shewn and described in the Drawing, and are as follows, viz* :—
No. 1 is the iron pillar, with a collar and washers which supports the axle,
No. 2, upon which the lever No. 3 works round. No. 2 is the axle, over which
is screwed an iron nut on the head of the pillar No. 1, or it may be done by a
cotter or key passing through the head of the pillar to keep down the axle.
No. 3 is the double lever of iron fixed together, with cross bars of iron screwed
together with nuts, with a mortise in each cross bar to receive the centre part

page_text: of the lever, and to which is affixed at each end the crane part No. 17, with
handles, No. 5, on swivels, No. 4. Nos. 4; the swivels of iron. Nos. 5 aré
the handles of wood or iron at pleasure. Nos. 6 are six fallers of wood
suspended by six iron straps, Nos. 7, and fastened into the iron straps with iron
levers and nuts. Nos. 7, the straps screwed as before mentioned, to the
fallers, and suspended to the levers No. 3 by iron pins confined with cotters.
No. 8 is the middle faller with a groove a, for the side next pillar, No. 1,
described separately to shew the number of nitches at the bottom, but of
which any number may be used at discretion. No. 9 is the six faller (with a
groove b at the bottom) and one nitch or more at pleasure, but the fallers may
be made either grooved or plain at the bottom, or there may be any number of
them, and of any weight, size, or thickness at discretion, according to the
nature of the work and the size of the tub in which you work. No. 10 a
pillar of wood with an iron plate let into the top, and washer at the top, through
which the iron pillar No. 1 passes. This wooden pillar, being considerably
thicker than the pillar of iron No. 1, is pressed down by securing No. 1 fast
to the bottom by means of an iron collar (e) on No. 1 running upon the
washer at the head of the wooden pillar, and when screwed tight into the nut
No. 11 at the bottom of the tub gives stability and firmness to the whole.
No. 11, the screw nut let in or fastened to the bottom of the tub, and fixed
with screws or otherwise so as to keep it steady, into which the iron pillar,
No. 1, is screwed tight through the wooden one, No. 10. No. 12 is a round
tub, of any strength and dimensions, as the work may require. No. 13 is the
bung put into the hole (d) of the tub to let the water out at pleasure.
No. 14 is an iron bar or lever to put through a hole (c) in the iron pillar
No. 1, to screw the same down tight to the bottom of the tub No. 12, and to
unscrew it at pleasure. No. 15 is an iron nut at one end, and at the centre
part of the lever, to admit of the crane part of the lever No. 17, with the
swivel and handle No. 4 and 5, to be taken off if required, in order that the
machine may be worked by one person only, and with fallers at one end only
of the double lever No. 3, in which case of working by one person the faallers
at the end of the lever next the hand by which you work is to be taken off.
Nos. 16 are the iron handles to the tub to remove it at pleasure. Nos. 17 are
the crane part of the lever No. 3, one of which is solid, and the other screwed
on, and may be taken off when necessary by the nut No. 15 being unscrewed.
No. 18, a pin passing through the end of the axle No. 2, to confine the lever,
with two washers on each end of the axle to aid its working. The above
description and drawing of the machine is as worked by one or two person or
persons, or more, with the handles No: 5, but millwork may be applied to the

page_text: machine to work it by water or horses to give it greater power, as the work to
be done, and the dimensions and size of the machine, may require.
In witness whereof, the said Nathaniel Bentley hath hereunto set his
hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.
REMEMBERED,
rebruary,
in the year of our Lord 1793, the aforesaid Nathaniel Bentley 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.