IMPROVEMENTS IN MILITARY SADDLES AND NUMNAHS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry George Louis Crichton, of Crom Castle,
Newtown Butler, in the County of Fermanagh, Ireland, for the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry George Louis
Crichton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 27th April 1875.
I, HENRY GEORGE LOUIS CRICHTON, of Crom Castle, Newtown
Butler, in the County of Fermanagh, Ireland, do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILITARY SADDLES AND
NUMNAHS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction and arrangements of military
saddles and numnals, having for object reduction of the load, increase
of steadiness, and improved distribution of the weight of the rider with
his weapons and kit. I place on the horse's back a numnah of leather,
preferably single in the middle portion and double before and behind.

page_text: On the middle part I place instead of the usual military saddle, with
its attachments for carrying weapons and kit, a saddle of a plainer and
lighter description; and on the parts of the numnah, before and behind
the saddle I fix the wallets and other attachments which are usually
connected to the saddle. By thus transferring to the numnah the
weights usually carried on the saddle the latter becomes considerably
lightened, and the kit being arranged, on the numnah instead of being
on the saddle is lower and steadier. Moreover the weight being more
evenly distributed about the horse's back, part in front resting on the
shoulders, the rider's weight on the back and the weight of the kit resting
chiefly on the part behind the saddle, the horse's back is less liable to
injury, and the weight being balanced on each side the strain on the
girth is only that due to the weight of the man and saddle.
By thus
constructing and arranging the saddle and numnah with its attachments
the breast plate, crupper, and surcingle can be dispensed with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry George Louis Crichton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 13th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GEORGE LOUIS CRICHTON, of Crom Castle, Newtown Butler, in the
County of Fermanagh, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors give and grant unto me, the said Henry. George Louis
Crichton, Her special license that I, the said Henry George Louis
Crichton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Henry George Louis Crichton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MILITARY SADDLES AND
NUMNAHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry

page_text: George Louis Crichton, 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 Henry George Louis Crichton, do
hereby dclare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to the construction and arrangement of military
saddles and numnahs, having for object reduction of the load, increase
of steadiness, and improved distribution of the weight of the rider with
his weapons and kit. I place on the horse's back a numnah of leather,
preferably single in the middle portion and double before and behind.
On the middle part I place, instead of the usual military saddle with
its attachments for carrying weapons and kit, a saddle of a plainer and
lighter description, and on the parts of the numnah before and behind
the saddle I fix the wallets and other attachments which are usually
connected to the saddle. By thus transferring to the numnah the
weights usually carried on the saddle the latter becomes considerably
lightened, and the kit being arranged on the numnah instead of being
on the saddle is lower and steadier. Moreover the weight being more
evenly distributed about the horse's back, part in front resting on the
shoulders, the rider's weight on the back and the weight of the kit
resting chiefly on the part behind the saddle, the horse's back is less
liable to injury, and the weight being balanced on each side, the strain
on the girth is only that due to the weight of the man and saddle.
By thus constructing and arranging the saddle and numnah with
its attachments the breast plate, crupper, and surcingle can be dis-
nensed with.

page_text: Fig. 3 represents the near side of a numnah of like construction for
the use of a civilian, the fittings for arms being in this case dispensed
with.
A is the single middle portion of the numnah shaped for the reception
of a saddle which is made without the wallets and attachments usually 5
applied thereto; these fittings being according to my Invention applied
to the double portions of the numnal outside the saddle, as I will now
describe (referring to Figs. 1 and 2); B are the loops for the cloak strap;
O is the wallet; D, the shoe case; E, the buckle for hanging the sword
which is steadied by the strap F, passed through the sword ring; G, are 1
the loops for the centre baggage strap; I is the ring for the nose bag;
and K, the bucket for the carbine.
3.
It will be seen on reference, to Fig. 3, that the arrangements of
numnah for civilian's use are similar to those described, the fittings for
weapons being dispensed with, and a bag L being introduced in their 1
place.
It is obvious that with a numnal and saddle constructed and
arranged for military use as above described, some of the lighter
weights to be carried might be slung from the saddle, the principal
portion of the load being still retained on the numnah for the purposes
above set forth.
2
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I claim, the use of a light saddle in com-
bination with a numnah made with fittings to carry weapons and kit,
whereby the wallets and attachments usually applied to the saddle are 2
transferred to the numnah, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry George Louis Crichton,
have hereunto set my hand and scal, this Twelfth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy- 3