A MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING PLATE GLASS, WHICH NOT ONLY PERFORMED THE SAID OPERATIONS VERY EXPEDITIOUSLY, BUT IN A MANNER VASTLY SUPERIOR AND QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE COMMON METHOD NOW IN USE
Year: 1771

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, THOMAS
ALDERSEY, of Saint Olave, Southwark, in the County of Surry, Looking Glass
Manufacturer, sendeth greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, by His Letters.
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the eleventh year of His reign, reciting
that the said Thomas Aldersey had, by his Petition, humbly represented unto
His Majesty that he had, by great study and application, and at a vast
expence, invented, erected, and set to work "A MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND
POLISHING PLATE GLASS, WHICH NOT ONLY PERFORMED THE SAID OPERATIONS
VERY EXPEDITIOUSLY, BUT IN A MANNER VASTLY SUPERIOR AND QUITE DIFFERENT
FROM THE COMMON METHOD NOW IN USE," he therefore most humbly prayed His
Majesty to grant to him, his executors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal
Letters Patent for the sole use and benefit of his said Invention, within that
part of Great Britain called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years; His said Majesty was
graciously pleased, by His said Letters Patent, to give and grant unto the

page_text: said Thomas Aldersey, his exors, adfňors, and assigns, His special licence,
sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said Thomas Aldersey, his exors,
admors, and assigns, and every of them, by himself and themselves, or by his
or their deputies, servants, or agents, or such others as he, the said Thomas
Aldersey, his exors, adñiors, or assigns, should agree with, and no others, for
and during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
use, exercise, and vend his said Invention within that part of Great Britain
called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
in such manner as to him, the said Thomas Aldersey, his exors, admors,
and assigns, or any of them, should in their discretion seen meet; and that
he and they 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 the term of years
therein mentioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said Licence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted
unto the said Thomas Aldersey, his exors, admors, and assigns, for and during and
unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date thereof then next
ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the Statute in such
case made and provided; and His said Majesty did thereby require and strictly
command all and every person and persons, bodies politick, and all other His
subjects whatsoever within that said part of the Kingdom of Great Britain
called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed afore-
said, that neither they or any of them, during the continuance of the said term of
fourteen years thereby granted, either directly or indirectly, do make, use, or put
in practice the said Invention, or any part of the same, so attained unto by the
said Thomas Aldersey, as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or
resemble the same, nor should make, or cause to be made, any addition there-
unto, or subtraction from the same, whereby to pretend himself or themselves
the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the licence,
consent, or agreement of the said Thomas Aldersey, his exors, admors, or
assigns, in writing, under his or their hands and seals, first had and obtained in
that behalf, upon such pains and penalties as can or may be justly inflicted on
such offenders for their contempt of His Majesty's said command, and further,
to be answerable to the said Thomas Aldersey, his exors, adñiors, and assigns,
according to law, for his and their damages thereby occasioned; by which said
Letters Patent it is provided, that if the said Thomas Aldersey shall 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

page_text: his hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in the High Court
of Chancery within four calendar months next after the date of the said
Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and
become void.
NOW THEREFORE KNOW YE, that the said Thomas Aldersey, in pur-
suance and performance of the provisoe or condition in the said Letters Patent
contained, doth hereby declare that the following is a true description of the
said mill or machine so invented by him, the said Thomas Aldersey, that is
to say :-
The machine by which the operations are performed consists of a large
water wheel, with a spur wheel at each end of the shaft, which turns two
wallowers, having each a row of iron coggs fixed on them to turn an iron
face wheel fixed on a gudgeon, that gives motion to an iron cogg wheel at the
foot of the gudgeon. This turns two other wheels, to which, by ineans of two
iron arms, are fixed a bar, formed thus, A
and supported by
to keep it in a
branches, which,
a pillar at A, on which a guide is fixed
straight line, to which bar are fixed two
being screwed on, may be taken of at pleasure, and to these the boxes, as they
are called, for grinding are fixed. The boxes are screwed to the stones on
which the runner is laid; the bottom lies on a bench, as in the common
method of working; the motion is horizontal and circular, but it is duplex,
having one motion caused immediately by the wheels, the other voluntary.
This description contains one fourth part only of the work now performing on.
a very small stream of water. The other parts are the same, and the works
are contrived in such a manner as that any part of the whole may be carried
on and the rest stand still at the same time, or the whole stopped at pleasure,
in case of accidents; and in larger premisses on a strong stream of water, it
may be extended to any greater number or quantity of operations required.
The polishing is intended to be performed by means of a crown wheel fixed on
the top of each of the spur wheels on the water wheel shaft to turn works of
the same nature above, which are to perform their operations by a like motion,.
and are to be so fixed that they may be stopped instantaneously without impeding
the grinding carrying on below; but this has not yet been practised for want
of a sufficient stream of water, tho' the works are prepared and ready to be set
up when a mill on a proper stream can be obtained. The method of laying
them down is quite new and less hazardous than the common one, being done
by means of a wooden lick-up, framed round, and handles in the side, by which

page_text: the glasses, being raised in a diagonal posture, are supported by two bearers
of wood formed thus,
are taken away, and
proper bed.
till the plaister is ready, when they
the glasses come down on their
In witness whereof, the said Thomas Aldersey hath hereunto set his
hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and seventy-one.
JOHN DELL.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Nineteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1771, the aforesaid Thomas Aldersey came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specifyed, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and
Queen William and Mary of England, and so forth.
Inrolled the Nineteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand seven hundred and seventy-one.