IMPROVEMENTS IN FENCES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Dinwoodie, of Lanrick Castle, in the
County of Perth, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FENCES."
Scaled the 22nd May 1869, and dated the 24th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William: Dinwoodie at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th November 1868.
I, WILLIAM DINWOODIE, of Lanrick Castle, in the County of Perth,
North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FENCES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention; which relates to an improved construction of iron and
wire fences, consists as follows:-Along the upper part of the fence a
stiff bar, rod, or tube is fixed to the upright posts or perpendiculars;
this bar is kept in a state of compression by means of strained wires in.
the lower part of the fence; thus the fence is rendered stiff by means of

page_text: the forces of compression and tension opposing each other, and the
necessity of employing stays, as in iron fences at present in use, is
obviated, whilst the construction of an equally strong fence at less cost
is obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Dinwoodie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DINWOODLE, of Lanrick Castle, in the County of Perth, North Britain,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in
the thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Dinwoodie, Her
special license that I, the said William Dinwoodie, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Dinwoodie, 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 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 FENCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Dinwoodie, 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 Dinwoodie, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
sav

page_text: My said Invention, which relates to an improved construction of iron
and wire fences, consists as follows:-Along the upper part of the fence
a stiff bar, rod, or tube is fitted into the upright posts or perpendiculars;
this bar is kept in a state of compression by means of strained wires in
the lower part of the fence; thus the fence is rendered stiff by means of
the forces of compression and tension opposing each other, and the
necessity of employing stays, as in iron fences at present in use, is
obviated, whilst the construction of a stronger fence is obtained.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had to the several Figures upon the
explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended, that is
to say :-
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents in clevation a fence constructed
in accordance with this Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the same,
drawn on a curve, it being preferred to carry the fence in a curve in
place of on a straight line. As the Figures 1 and 2 are drawn on too
small a scale to indicate clearly the special features of construction the
enlarged views, Figures 3, 4, and 5, are given to enable them to be
better understood; Figure 3 being an end elevation of a straining pillar,
but without any straining apparatus shown attached to it, as the
straining apparatus forms no part of the present Invention, and any of
the various known appliances for straining the wires of fences may be
adopted; Figure 4 is an end elevation of an intermediate or carrying
pillar or standard. Along the top of the fence the rigid bars or tubes
of iron A are situated, being fitted or inserted into recesses in the end
or straining posts, as shown at Figure 5, or they may be otherwise
applied, and resting in the top holes in the intermediate pillars. The
different bars A are connected together by a short tube passing over
their ends, as shown at C, Figure 6, which is an enlarged view of the
joint, and the tube and ends of the bars are all securely bound together
by the rivets D, the bars A then when so coupled together and held in
the top row of holes in the end and intermediate pillars of the fence
constitute the compression member of the fence, this bar being com-
pressed when the wires E in the lower row of holes in the pillars and
standards are put into a state of strain or tension, thus the two forces
of compression and tension are brought to act on cach other and in

page_text: this case produce a strong and firm fence in which the intermediate
pillars do not require to be supported by either front, back, or end stays,
such as are at present used in other systems of fences. It is obvious
that if in any case desired more than one compression bar may be
employed in lieu of one only as shown in the Drawings. It is preferred to
form the soles of the intermediate standards with an upturned piece a,
as shown at Figure 4 and dotted in Figures 1, 2, and 5, which being
situated upon the inner side of the curve tends to give the standards
firmer support and increased resisting power to the strain.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the construction
of fences without front, back, or end stays, and in which the stiffness
is produced by the bars and wires being maintained in a state of
compression and tension as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Dinwoodie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
W. DINWOODIE. (L.S.)