IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINING AND WORKING PLOUGHS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Crowley, of Newport Pagnell, in the County
of Buckingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINING AND
WORKING PLOUGHS."
Sealed the 23rd July 1858, and dated the 3rd April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Crowley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd.
April 1858.
I, WILLIAM CROWLEY, of Newport Pagnell, in the County of Buckingham,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINING.
AND WORKING PLOUGHS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in combining and working
ploughs. For these purposes double ploughs are used, that is, each plough
consists of two mould boards connected together back to back, and in such
manner that when one is working with its share and coulter to produce a
furrow, the other mould board and its share are raised to an angle to the
bottom of the furrow, the point of the share being upwards. The beam of
each double plough has two wheels at each end, with proper means of
adjusting their depth. Two, three, or more such double ploughs are combined
to a frame at each end, which frames are preferred to be of a triangular form,
though other forms may be used; the draft chain or connection of each double
plough is fixed to the hinder bar or end of the triangular frame; the other

page_text: ends of the beams of the ploughs are similarly attached by draft chains or
connections to the hinder bar or end of the other triangular frame in such
manner, that when the two bars or ends of the frames to which the ends of the
plough beams are connected are at right angles to the line of the furrows, the
several ploughs will be at their greatest distances apart one from the other,
but when the hinder bars or ends of the triangular frames are inclined to the
line of the furrows, then the several ploughs if drawn along will work nearer
together, and in proper positions for them to produce furrows side by side.
The draft, whether steam or otherwise, is alternately applied to the two
angular or other form of draft, and combining frames not in a direction at
right angles to the hinder bars or ends of these frames, but on one side, so
that the bar or end to which the draft is applied causes the hinder part of the
frame or the points of attachment to be on a line inclined to the line of the
furrows, and in this condition the ploughs will be drawn from end to end, or
from side to side of a field, when the ploughs will work one in advance of
another. When the ploughs come near the end of a "bout," the point of attach-
ment is to be changed so as to draw the end frame somewhat further, by
which the back bar or end of the frame will be moved into a position at right
angles to the line of the furrow, and the ploughs will separate to their greatest
distances apart; the ploughs will then be tilted and the draft will be applied to
the other end frame in such manner as to cause the hinder bar or end of that
frame to assume a position inclined to the line of the furrows, by which the
ploughs will again come nearer together, and they will each enter new ground
and form a new furrow parallel to the previous furrows.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Crowley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CROWLEY, of Newport Pagnell, in the County of Buckingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Crowley, Her special licence that I, the said William Crowley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William.
Crowley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree

page_text: with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, 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
COMBINING AND WORKING PLOUGHS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Crowley, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the 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 I, the said William Crowley, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in combining and working
ploughs. For these purposes double ploughs are used, that is, each plough
consists of two mould boards connected together back to back, and in such
manner that when one is working with its share and coulter to produce a
furrow, the other mould board and its share are raised to an angle to the
bottom of the furrow, the point of the share being upwards. The beam of
each double plough has two wheels at each end, with proper means of
adjusting their depth. Two, three, or more such double ploughs are combined
to a frame at each end, which frames are preferred to be of a triangular form,
though other forms may be used; the draft chain or connection of each double
plough is fixed to the hinder bar or end of the triangular frame. The other
ends of the beams of the ploughs are similarly attached by draft chains or
connections to the hinder bar or end of the other triangular frame, in such
manner that when the two bars or ends of the frames to which the ends of the
plough beams are connected are at right angles to the line of the furrows, the
several ploughs will be at their greatest distances apart one from the other,
but when the hinder bars or ends of the triangular frames are inclined to the
line of the furrows, then the several ploughs if drawn along will work nearer
together, and in proper positions for them to produce furrows side by side.
The draft, whether steam or otherwise, is alternately applied to the two
angular or other form of draft, and combining frames not in a direction at
right angles to the hinder bars or ends of those frames but on one side, so
that the bar or end to which the draft is applied causes the hinder part of the
frame or the points of attachment to be on a line inclined to the line of the

page_text: plough has arrived at or near a headland, the pin or bolt h' is withdrawn, and
the pulley or drum at the headland, around which the wire rope passes, is
moved a distance, when the further movement of the wire rope causes the
draft bar to assume a position more parallel with the headland, by which the
hinder ploughs will come up to and range with the foremost one. The
ploughs being then tilted over, and the apparatus h, h', h², applied at the other
ends of the plough beams, being drawn on by a wire rope in the opposite
direction towards the distant headland, the ploughs will be drawn and come
into action in succession, and when they come to the headland, they will be
caused to separate and assume like positions to what are shewn in Figure 2.
The several ploughs are steered by the lever k, together with the parallel bars
k, k, as is clearly shewn by the Drawing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately, but what I claim is the combination herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Crowley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
WILLIAM CROWLEY. (L.S.)