CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FISH HOOKS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abel Morrall, of Studley, in the County of Warwick,
for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
FISH HOOKS."
Sealed the 24th March 1868, and dated the 26th September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Abel Morrall at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th September
1867.
I, ABEL MOBRALL, of Studley, in the County of Warwick, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF FISH HOOKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of double books
as used for the capture of jack, trout, or other fish of the same or larger size.
Hitherto what has been generally used for this purpose has been an ordinary
double barbed hook suspended from a wire line; the bait has been supplied
to this hook by a needle purposely provided, and by reason of the points of the
hook being non-elastic or non-expanding the hook is frequently disgorged by:
the fish after being swallowed.
My improved hook consists of a piece of wire bent into such a shape that
when in a normal condition it nearly represents the letter V, it being under-
stood that at the upper ends of the wire are the barbed hooks. When it is

page_text: desired to bait the hook the said upper ends are pressed together, and the
lower part or shank of the V-shaped wire being flattened is passed through the
mouth of the fish which is to form the bait until it has passed completely
through it. In this manner no separate baiting needle is needed.
Another advantage offered by the Invention is that when my improved
hook is in a compressed state the double book is much smaller in size than
those generally used, and herein-before referred to, but the great advantage
arising from my Invention is that the fish having swallowed its bait (the hook
being in its compressed state) attempts to disgorge it, the hook then expands
and the fish is securely held.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Abel Morrall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABEL
MORRALL, of Studley, in the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Abel Morrall, Her special licence that I, the said Abel Morrall,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Abel
Morrall, 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
THE MANUFACTURE OF FISH HOOKS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Abel Morrall, 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 Abel Morrall, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained- in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of double hooks
as used for the capture of jack, trout, or other fish of the same or larger size.
Hitherto what bas been generally used for this purpose has been an ordinary
double barbed hook, suspended from a wire line; the bait has been supplied
to this hook by a needle, purposely provided, and by reason of the points of
the book being non-elastic.or non-expanding the hook is frequently disgorged
by the fish after being swallowed.
.t.
My improved hook consists of a piece of wire bent into or otherwise caused
to assume such a shape that when in a normal condition it nearly represents the
letter V, it being understood that at the upper ends of the wire are the barbed
hooks. When it is desired to bait the hook the said upper ends are pressed
together, and the lower part or shank of the V-shaped wire being flattened is
passed through the mouth of the fish which is to form the bait until it bas
passed completely through it. In this manner no separate baiting needle is.
needed.
Another advantage offered by the Invention is that when my improved hook
is in a compressed state, the double hook is much smaller in size than that
generally used, and herein-before referred to, and is therefore more easily
swallowed by the fish, but the great advantage arising from my Invention is
that the fish having swallowed its bait (the hook being in its compressed
state) attempts to disgorge it, the bait has then a tendency to slide towards
the lower part of the shank, causing the hook to expand and the fish is
securely held.
My Invention can be applied to hooks of any required size, the strength or
thickness of the wire employed varying with the size of the hook.
By preference, I cause the sbanks of the hook
such manner that the inner surfaces may be flat.
upon the upper ends of the hook being pressed
may lie in as small a compass as possible.
to be made half round, in
The object of this is that
together, the shank or body
That my Invention may be fully understood I have annexed Drawings
thereof which I now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 shews a hook made according to my Invention, and in its expanded
state.
.
Fig. 2 shews upon an enlarged scale a cross section of the two arms of the
hook when brought nearly to touch each other.
Fig. 3 shews the hook in its compressed state after having been passed
through the fish which is to form the bait.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I desire it to be understood that I
claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, the construction of a gorge hook, substantially as herein-
before set forth and described, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
andexed.'
In witness whereof, I, the said Abel Morrall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord 1868.
Witness,
G. R. HOLLAND,
Patent Office,
Birmingham.
ABEL MORRALL. (L.s.)