A CERTAIN MIXTURE OF CHALK, WHITING, OR LIME, TOGETHER WITH CLAY, LOAM, OR EARTH, FOR COLOURING AND MAKING OF BRICKS;
Year: 1797

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LEE, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, Brickmaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George tho Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifth day of April, in the thirty-seventh year of the reign
of His said Majesty, after reciting that I, the said John Lee, had, by my
Petition, humbly represented unto His Majesty that I had, after much trouble,
labour, and expence, found out and invented "A CERTAIN MIXTURE OF CHALK,
WHITING, OR LIME, TOGETHER WITH CLAY, LOAM, OR EARTH, FOR COLOURING AND
MAKING OF BRICKS;" that I was the first and true inventor thereof, and that
the same had never been made or used by any other person or persons, to
the best of my knowledge or belief, and that I had therefore most humbly
prayed His Majesty would be graciously pleased to grant unto me, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent under the
Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of my
said Invention, within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain
called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for
the term of fourteeen years, according to the form of the Statute in that case
made and provided, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Lee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His

page_text: especial licence, full power, sole privilego and authority, that I, the said John
Lec, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them, by myself
and themselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or
such others as I, the said John Lee, my executors, administrators, or 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within that
part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the
said John I.cc, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them,
should in my or their discretion seem meet; and that I, the said John Lec, niy
my exors, administrators, 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 mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy
the said licence, powers, priviledges, and advantages therein-before granted or
mentioned to be granted unto me, the said John Lec, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen
years from the date of tlie said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing,
and fully to be compleat and ended according to the Statute in such case
made and provided; and to the end that I, the said John Lee, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and every of them, might havo and enjoy the full
benefit and the sole use and exercise of the said Invention, according to Ilis
Majesty's gracious intention therein-before declared, His Majesty did thereby,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, require and strictly command all and every
person and persons, bodies politick. and corporate, and all other His subjects
whatsoever, of what estate, quality, degree, name, or condition soever they be,
within that said part of Great Britain called England, Dominion of Wales, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, that neither they or any of them at
any time during the continuance of the said term of fourteen years thereby
granted, either directly or indirectly do make, use, or put in practice tho said
Invention, or any part of the same, so attained unto by me, the said John Lee,
as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor
should make or cause to be made any addition thereunto or substraction from
the same, whereby to pretend himself or themselves the inventor or inventors,
devisor or devisors thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of inc,
the said John Lee, my executors, administrators, or assigns, in writing under
my or their hands and seals, first had and obtained in that behalf, upon such
pains and penalties as could or might be justly inflicted on such offenders for

page_text: their contempt of that His Majesty's Royal command, and further to be
answerable to me the said John Lee, my executors. administrators, and assigns,
according to law, for my and their damages thereby occasioned; and in which
said recited Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if I, the said John Lee,
should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my band and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
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 granted, should utterly
ceasc, determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the
contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters
Patent, reference being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW THEREFORE KNOW YE, that in conformity to and complyance
with the intent and meaning of the said Letters Patent, and particularly of
the said proviso therein contained and herein-before recited, I, the said John
Lee, do hereby declare that my said Invention of a Certain Mixture of
Chalk; Whiting, or Lime, together with Clay, Loam, or Earth for Coloring
and Making of Bricks, is prepared, made, and performed in manner following
(that is to say):-
In the first place the clay, loam, or earth of the quality or kind whereof
bricks are usually made, and the chalk, whiting, or lime in the following
quantities or proportions (that is to say): five sixth parts of clay, loam, or earth,
and one sixth part of chalk, whiting, or lime, or as near to such quantities and
proportions as the quality of the earth requires or will admit of, are put into
the trough of a mill (commonly called a washing mill, and generally used for
washing or preparing of clay, loam, or earth, for making of bricks); when the
clay, loam, or earth, and the chalk, whiting, or lime, are put into the trough
of the mill, a sufficient quantity of water is added thereto, being as near as is
possible to ascertain an equal quantity or proportion of water to the quantity
or proportion of clay, loam, or earth, and chalk, whiting, or lime together;
when this is done, the mill is set to work (or the mill may be kept working
during the time the different bodies are being put into the trough of the mill).
By means of the working of the mill, and the harrows and dollys thereto (or
other instruments or utensils that may be used instead thereof), the clay, loam,
or earth, and chalk, whiting, or lime, with the water, are thoroughly mixed and
incorporated together and brought to the thickness or consistence of a thick
When this is fully accomplished, the mixture is let out of the trough
of the mill through a fine screen or grating, and by means of a trunk or pipo
cream.

page_text: conveyed into a place made for its reception, commonly called a vat or back
The trough of tho mill is then refilled in liko manner with clay, loam, or earth,
chalk, whiting, or lime, and water, which undergoes the same process as beforo
stated, and which is repeated until the vat or back is filled with the mixture,
and which then remains in such vat or back until the mixture becomes firm
and of a substance sufficient to bear the weight of a man upon its surface.
When the mixture has attained to that state, a quantity of coal ashes, sifted
very fine (commonly called soil in brickmaking) is laid upon the top of it (the
mixture still remaining in the vat or back). The quantity of ashes or soil
requisite to be laid on is as follows:-Supposing the mixture to be three feet
four inches in depth, then the ashes or soil must be ten inches in depth, and
in the like proportions, being, when the quantities of the different bodies are
taken together, four fifths of the mixture and one fifth of the ashes or soil.
The remainder of the process is then to be performed exactly in the same
manner as the preparing and making of bricks (commonly called washed
bricks) in general, the ashes or soil and the mixture being well beat up togo-
ther, and if found too dry, some water added thereto, so as to make tho whole
fit for use; which last process is usually termed tempering, and it is then ready
for the mold; and after being molded the bricks are dried, set, and burnt in a
kiln, or-quantity of bricks together, by means of the mixing and incorporating
the chalk, whiting, or lime with the clay, loam, or carth, and bringing the
same with the water into one body, in manner aforesaid. The mixture so
made attains the quality in every respect of malm or marlo earth, and the
bricks made thereof have also the like appearance and are equal in every
respect to the bricks made of such malm or marle earth, usually called malm
stocks.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the Second
day of May, in the thirty-seventh year of the reign of our Sovereign
Lord George the Third, by the grace of God of Great Britain, Franco,
and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, and in the
year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of May, in the year
of our Lord 1797, the aforesaid John Lee 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.