IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROOFING TILES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Gregory, of Old Church Street, Paddington,
in the County of Middlesex, Building Surveyor, for the Invention of "AN
Sealed the 28th October 1856, and dated the 5th May 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Gregory at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
May 1856.
I, WILLIAM GREGORY, of Old Church Street, Paddington, in the County of
Middlesex, Building Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROOFING TILES, to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is so to form roofing tiles, that when applied to a
roof they will effectually exclude the ingress of water and damp at the junctions,
and will require little or no mortar to secure them in position. The tiles I
provide as usual, with a rib at one edge and an arched lapping piece at the
other; but in order to effect a complete, in contradistinction to a partial lap, at
right angles to these, or in a line parallel with the ridge of the roof, I form
in the arched lapping piece of each tile (except the eave tiles) a recess, to
receive the end of the arched lip of the adjoining tile. This recess I make of
a depth equal to the width of lap required for two adjoining rows, and the

page_text: workman is thus provided with a gauge for fitting the tiles together. The tiles
being provided with knobs on their under side may be simply hung upon the
laths, or they may be secured by nails as usual. I also form recesses at the
opposite edges of the ridge tiles, so that they will completely overlap the upper
edge of the top row of tiles at the opposite sides of the ridge, and thereby pro-
duce a good water-tight joint, which may, when thought desirable, be further
secured by a thin line of mortar or cement..
Instead of moulding the tiles in clay, I propose also to form them of glass,
metal, gutta percha, or other suitable material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Gregory in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th November 1856...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GREGORY, of Old Church Street, Paddington, in the County of Middlesex,
Building Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Gregory, Her special license that I, the said William Gregory, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Gregory, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF ROOFING TILES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Gregory, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 Gregory, do hereby declare
the nature of my. said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed; and to the.
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object. of my Invention of "An Improvement in the Construction: of
Roofing Tiles" is to form these articles in such a manner, that when applied to
a roof they will effectually prevent the ingress of water and damp at the junc-
tions, and will require no mortar to. secure them in position. The tiles I
provide as usual, with a rib at one edge and an arched lapping piece.at.. the
other; but in order to effect a complete, in contradistinction to a partial lap, at
right angles to these, or in a line parallel with the ridge of the roof, I form in
the arched lapping piece of each tile (except the eave tiles) a recess or cup, to
receive the ends of the arched lip of the adjoining tile. This recess or cup I
make of a depth equal to the width of lap required for two adjoining rows,
and the workman or tiler is thus provided with a gauge for fitting the tiles
together.
The tiles being provided with knobs on their under side may be simply, hung
upon the laths as usual, or they may be secured by nails. I also form recesses
at the opposite edges of the ridge tiles, so that they will completely overlap the
upper edge-of the top row of tiles at the opposite sides of the ridge, and thereby
produce a good water-tight joint, which may, when thought desirable, be
further secured by a thin line of mortar or cement. The tiles may not only be
made of clay as usual, but they may also be formed of glass, earthenware, pot
stone composition, wood, gutta percha, metal, such as iron, zinc, tin, or lead, or
other suitable material.
In order, however, that my Invention may be clearly understood, I have
shewn in the accompanying Drawing various views of my improved tiles as
applied for constructing a roof.
Fig. 1 is a side view of part of a roof formed of my improved tiles; and
Fig. 2 is an edge view or section of the same, shewing the tiles in longitudinal
section; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view
of three tiles connected together. a, a, is the body of the tile; b, b, the rib or
ridge at one edge, and which is cut away at one end, as seen at 1, Fig. 4, so
as to allow the next tile to fit down close; c, c, is an arched lapping piece at
the other side of the tile, which fits over the rib or ridge b, b, of the adjoining
tile e is an enlargement or cup on the lower end of the arched lapping, and
provided on the inner side with a recess to receive the upper end of the
adjoining tile, on to which it fits closely, as shewn in the Drawing.
The form of the ridge tile will be seen on referring to Fig. 2. ff. is the
round hollow ridge or top of the tile; a, a, the body thereof; e, e, the cups,

page_text: sockets, or recesses for receiving the upper ends of the arched lapping pieces c, c,
of the first row of tiles.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improvement in the Construc-
tion of Roofing Tiles," I would observe, that, although I have only shewn flat
tiles, yet the same plan of connecting tiles may be employed and adapted to
fluted or other shaped tiles.. I claim constructing roofing tiles with, a rib or
fillet on one side to stand up above the face of the tile, and an arched lapping
piece on the other side, or edge of the tile, with a groove therein to fit the fillet
or rib of the adjoining tile.
In witness whereof;. I, the said William Gregory, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourth day of November; in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66; Chancery Lane..
W GREGORY. (L.S.)