A MACHINE FOR HACKLING OR DRESSING HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1809

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HIVES, of Holbeck, in the Parish of Leeds, in the County of York, Linen
Manufacturer, do send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty George the Third, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of August now last
past, did give and grant unto me, the said John Hives, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole privilege and au-
thority, that I, the said John Elives, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A MACHINE
FOR HACKLING OR DRESSING HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER MATERIALS;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said John
Hives, under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in Flis Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Hives, do hereby declare that my said Invention is fully described and
ascertained by the Drawings in the margin of these Presents and the following
description, that is to say ;-

page_text: Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine; Fig. 2, geometrical view of one side o
the machine; Fig. 3, section of one set of heckles and backboards; Fig. 4
the holder rail; and Fig. 5, the holders. The same letters refer to the same
parts in each Figure. On the axis A are fixed two wood or metal rims or
bearers B, B, about fifteen inches diameter, more or less, according to the
length of the flax or hemp to be dressed. On the circumference of the rims
or bearers B, B, are fixed four cross rails C, C, C, C, On each of the cross
rails are fixed two or more heckles F, F, according to the number of operations
the flax or hemp is required to pass. To the rim or bearer B, B, are also
fixed four backboards D, D, D, D, each of which may be raised or lowered by
the screws E, E, so as to adjust the backboards to the height required for
working the flax or hemp upon the pins of the heckles. The axis G, Figure 1,
by the two cranks H, H, and two levers I, one of which is only shewn in
Figure 2, gives motion to two levers K, on which is fixed the holder rail L.
Figure the 4th shews the holder rail L drawn to a scale of quarter of an
inch to one inch, on which are fixed four smooth plates of thin iron R, R, R, R,
turned up about three inches in the front to receive the holders, as shewn in
the separate Drawing at S, and packed a sufficient height from the rail to
allow the holders to pass freely. P, P, shews the holders filled with flax or
hemp Y, Y, when put into the slides on the holder rail. One of the holders is
reversed to shew the under. side. Figure the 5th shews the holder drawn tho
real size. M, the bottom part of the holder, the middle of which N is grooved
or indented about one eighth of an inch deep. O, the top part of the lolder,
having a small projection on the under side, which fits into the grooved or
indented part N of the lower holder M. P the holder complete, with its two
screws Q, Q. A motion is given to the pulley T, Figure 1, on the crank axis G,
which may make about one hundred revolutions in a minute, and by the
pinion or nut V gives motion to the stud wheel W, Figures 1 and 2, and by it
to the wheel X, Figure 1, on the axis A, which makes one revolution for four
of the crank. The crank by the levers I and K, Figure 2, raises the holders
rail about 5 inches during the time that the heckle F passes under it, and falls
it immediately after the heckle has passed it, which gives the flax or hemp Y
a stroke upon the heckle F, and makes the points of the heckle pins pierce the
fibres, which are split by the continued motion of the heckle. The flax or
hemp is laid straight across the lower part of the holder M, Figure 5; between S
the screws Q, Q, upon which the top part of the holder O is laid, and screwed
tight by the screws Q, Q. The holder thus filled with about six or eight
ounces of flax or hemp is put into the slide on the holder rail L, over
the set of coarser heckles. When the flax or hemp is sufficiently cut or

page_text: worked on one side, the boy who attends the machine turns the holder to the
other and replaces it in the slide, and in the same manner works it on the
finer heckles.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh
day of February, in the fiftieth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord
George the Third, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and ton
worked on one side, the boy who attends the machine turns the holder to the
other and replaces it in the slide, and in the same manner works it on the
finer heckles.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh
day of February, in the fiftieth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord
George the Third, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and ton
JOHN (L.s.) HIVES.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of February, in
the fiftieth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the said
John Hives came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the
forty-eighth year of His said Majesty's reign.
Inrolled the Ninth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and ten.