CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON A COMMON. WAGGON, WHEREBY THE SAME MAY OCCASIONALLY BE SEPARATED AND USED AS Two CARTS, WHICH I DENOMINATE 'THE PATENT HAMPSHIRE WAGGON
Year: 1803

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT.
MASON, of Saint Thomas's Street, Portsmouth, in the County of Southampton,
and late of Cumberland Street, Portsea, in the said County, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by.
His Letters Patent bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of.
February, in the forty-third year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Mason, His especial licence that I, the said Robert Mason,
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Ber-:
wick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON A COMMON.
WAGGON, WHEREBY THE SAME MAY OCCASIONALLY BE SEPARATED AND USED AS Two
CARTS, WHICH I DENOMINATE 'THE PATENT HAMPSHIRE WAGGON;"" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Robert
Mason, by an instrument in writing 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 performed, to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within four calendar months next after the date of the said recited.
Letters Patent, 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
Robert Mason, do hereby declare that my said Invention is described in
manner following (that is to say):-
The waggon is formed by two distinct frames or parts which I term the

page_text: fore and hind carts, as they correspond with the foro and hind parts of a
common waggon, with the exception only as to the pole, those carts having
one each; that of the fore cart turns upwards from the main pin. On the
under side thereof a roller may be fixed for the sweep of the hounds to lock
on until it reaches the back shudlock, to which it is secured, and extends about!
four inches behind the extreme thereof, which projection passes under the
fore shudlock of the hind cart, through which, and the said projection of the
pole, an iron pin is to pass, and secured on the under side by key or nut and
screw. The pole of the hind cart to proceed from the hind shudlock through
the pillow or axletrec, turning upward to the front shudlock, being secured
thereto, and extending about four inches from the extreme thereof, which
projection passes under the hinder shudlock of the fore cart, through
which, and the said projection of the hind pole, an iron pin is to pass, and
secured, as described, with the pole of the fore cart. As the projections of the
two poles are to pass close to each other, it is necessary one should incline to
the right and the other to the left. The pins here described as passing
through the shudlocks and projections of the poles, by which the carts are in
part united, are to be removed. and passed through the bed into the fore.
axletree, one on each side the main pin, to prevent its locking when used as a
cart. The sides and shudlocks of the carts are united with hooks and eyes or
other substantial fastening, but the most simple and secure that I recommend
is two strong iron straps fastened to the top and bottom sides, nearly at each
end of the hind shudlock of the fore cart, so as to run or pass on the sides
thereof, and projecting behind the shudlock about two inches and a half, with
an eye or hole in such projection; theso straps I term union eyes,, one union
eye of a similar description fixed to the centre of the front, nearly at each end
of the fore shudlock of the hind cart, by two straps clasping the shudlock, one
passing over and the other under the sides of the said cart, so as to come in.
contact and fill up the whole space between the two union eyes described as
being nearly at each end of the hind shudlock of the fore cart. The centre of
these union eyes should be exactly in a line with the meeting of the two
shudlocks to which they are secured, and these union eyes may be made
square to their extreme end, or snipo billed or wedge like, which I should.
rather recommend, as it would tend to unite them the more easy, Also, two
other union eyes fixed one on the under side of each of the upper raves of the
fore cart, at the hind part thereof, and two others fixed, one on each of the
upper raves of the bind cart, at the front.thereof. The eyes or holes in those
fixed to the upper raves I would recommend to be square, and those on the
shudlocks round; these union eyes may be placed vice versa, that is to say,

page_text: cart;
four on the fore shudlock of the hind cart and two on the hind shudlock of the
fore cart, and on the top of the upper raves of the fore cart and on the under
side of such raves of the hind cart, instead as above set forth, so that the whole
five union eyes on each side of the waggon are in contact, through which
a long iron pin is to pass, which may be square from the top or head thereof
until it meets the shudlock, and from thence round to correspond with the
union eyes on the shudlocks, and may be sufficiently long to pass through an
iron strap fixed for that purpose to the shafts of the hind cart, and secured at
the under side thereof by a key or nut and screw. It will be necessary to put a
stronter iron on each side and within about two inches of the extreme end of the
fore cart, and also a stronter iron on each side within about the like distance
from the front of the hind cart. The shafts of the hind cart arc.to be united
thereto in the usual way, and to pass under the bed and on the pillow of the fore
the front bolt of the hounds to be brought forward near to the extreme
end or nose thereof, which will tend to resist the strain in locking, as the
hounds pin passes behind the said bolt in securing the shafts to the hounds.
The nose of the hounds I would recommend to curve a little upwards; it will
tend to throw the shafts somewhat higher when used as a cart. When the waggon
is divided and used as carts, the shafts of the foro cart are to be removed back
on the hounds about ten inches to other holes, which now come in contact, for
the hounds pin to pass through to secure the shafts to the hounds. By the
shafts being thus moved back on the hounds, the nose thereof is brought
nearly to the hind bolt of the shafts, a piece of iron or wood being fastened on
the under side thereof to prevent the hounds dropping down or passing
through the shafts. There may be two straps of iron, which I term struts,
fastened one withinside of each of the sides of the fore cart by an iron pin,
and having an eye at the lower end thereof, through which the hounds pin
should pass when securing the shafts to the hounds, as those will tend to
support the front part of the cart, as also the hounds; in tipting to discharge a
load, these struts 'may be laid up under the bed; when a waggon, by hooks
placed for that purpose; there must then be another hole on each side of tho
shaft nearer to the bolts, to come in contact with those holes in the fore part
of the hounds that are occupied by the hounds pin when a waggon; through
these another long pin or two short ones are to pass to secure and depress the
nose of the hounds to the shafts, which pin or pins are to be fastened by keys
or nuts and screws, but in case the carts are to be used as tip carts, then the
shafts of the fore cart being fastened to the hounds and struts by the hounds
pin only, as above described, a strap of iron is to clasp the front bolt of the
hounds, being secured at the top and bottom sides and projecting from the

page_text: front thereof about three inches, having in such projection a mortice or square
. hole in the top and another corresponding therewith, only being a little longer,
in the under side; these holes must be in contact with each other. This
strap I term the tip strap, through which an iron bar, corresponding with the
mortico holes, is to pass, having several holes therein and a stop at the top to
.prevent its passing quite through; this I term the tip iron, and which is to be
received at the under side of the tip strap on a strong hook fixed at the under
side and at the back of the hind bolt of the shafts, or on a strong iron pin
similar to the hounds pin, which is to pass through a strap of iron fixed to the
under side of each side of the shaft, so that by putting a small iron key
through either of the holes in the tip iron above the tip strap, the nose of the
hounds may be depressed or elevated, as occasion may require. I should
recommend this tip iron to bo a little curved, so as to come just under the
fore part of the bed of the cart. The shafts of the hind cart are to be fixed
with hooks and eyes or other usual fastening, having a staple fixed to or
mortico in the front bolt, or in a cross bolt fixed thereto for that purpose, and
another strong strap of iron with a mortice therein fixed to the under side of
the front shudlock, to the projecting part of the pole. These two mortices are
to be in contact, so that a tip iron similar to that for the fore cart may pass
through both, having a stop at one or both ends to prevent its passing through,
so that a small iron key being introduced to either of the holes in the tip iron,
the body of the cart is depressed to the shafts or elevated, as occasion may
require. And in order that this tip iron, if left in this situation when the
- carts are united, may not hang down or be in the way, a joint or hinge may
be made in it to fold up under tho shaft, or a hook may be fixed to the front
bolt of the shaft, so as to receive the end of the tip iron the same as that
for the fore cart, so that it can be very easily removed. The tail board of the
fore cart may be secured with either one or two starts fixed at the bottom
thereof to go into the shudlock, and two other starts from the top rail thereof,
one at each end, to drop into the union eyes fixed to the upper raves; but if
a narrow tail board only be required, then two starts are to be fixed at the
bottom edge, one at each end, so as to drop into the union eyes of the shud-
lock, and secured at the under side thereof by a key. The head board of the
hind cart to be secured by two starts from the bottom thereof to go into the
shudlock, and having a hole in each end of the top rail to come in contact
with the union eyes fixed to the upper raves; through these the long iron
pins, which are used to unite the carts, are to pass, taking the same situation
as when the waggon is compleat, two iron sockets about five inches long to be
fixed at the hinder part of the over or outer raves of the fore cart, so as to