A NEW WAY OF WORKING AND STAINING IN STRAW, AND THE PLATT AND LEAF OF THE PALMETA TREE, AND COVERING AND ADORNING HATTE AND BONNETTE, IN SUCH A MANNER AS WAS NEVER BEFORE DONE OR PRACTISED IN ENGLAND OR ANY OF OUR PLANTACONS
Year: 1716

page_text: GEORGE by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these Presente shall
come greeting.
WHEREAS SYBILLA MASTERS, wife of Thomas Masters, of Pensylvania,
Merchant, hath humbly represented vnto vs, by her peticon, that, she hath,
with great charge, paines, and expence, invented and brought to perfeccon
"A NEW WAY OF WORKING AND STAINING IN STRAW, AND THE PLATT AND LEAF
OF THE PALMETA TREE, AND COVERING AND ADORNING HATTE AND BONNETTE, IN
SUCH A MANNER AS WAS NEVER BEFORE DONE OR PRACTISED IN ENGLAND OR ANY
OF OUR PLANTACONS," and haveing humbly prayed vs to grant our Letters
Patent to the said Thomas Masters, the peticoner's husband, for the sole
vse and benefit of the said Invenčon during the space of fourteen yeares.
KNOW YEE, that wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts
and inventons which may be of publick vse and benefitt, of our especiall
grace, certain knowledge, and meer mocon, have given and granted, and by
these Presents, for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the
said Thomas Masters, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especial
lycence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said Thomas
Masters, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by
himselfe and themselves, or by his or their deputy and deputies, servante, or
agente, or such others as he, the said Thomas Masters, his executors, adminis-
trators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of yeares herein expressed, shall and

page_text: lawfully may exercise, work, vsc, and enior, within that part of our Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and within our severall and respective Plantacons in
America and elswhere, the said Invenčon of working and staining in straw
and chip and the plat and lease of the palmeta tree, and covering and adorning
hate and bonnete, in such manner as to him, the said Thomas Masters, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, shall in their discre-
tions seem meet; and that hc, the said Thomas Masters, bis executors,
administrators, and assignes, shall and may have and enioy the whole profit,
benefit, comodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, ac-
cruing, and arising by reason of the said Inventon, for and during the full
term of yeares herein menconed to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said
lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted or mentoned
to be granted vnto the said Thomas Masters, bis exccutors, administrators,
and assignos, for and during and vnto the full end and term of fourteen
yeares from the dato of these Presente next and immediately ensuing, and fully
to bo compleat and ended according to the Statute in such case made and
provided. And to the end that the said Thomas Masters, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, and every of them, may have and enioy the
full benefit and the sole vse and exercise of the said Invention, according
to our gratious intention herein-before declared, wee do by these Presente,
for v, our heires and successors, require and strictly comand all and every
person and persons, bodies politick and corporate, and all other our subiecte
whatsoever, of what estate, quality or degree,. name or condition soever
they be, within that part of our said Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
our severall and respective plantacons aforesaid, that neither they or any
of them at any time during the continuance of the said term of fourteen
yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly do make, vse, or put
in practice the said Invention, or any part of the same so attained vnto
by the said Sybilla Masters as aforesaid, nor shall in any wise counterfeit,
imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addicon
thereunto or substracton from the same, whereby to pretend himselfe or them-
selves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the lycence,
con-ent, or agreement of the said Thomas Masters, his executors, administra-
tors, or assigns, in writing vnder his or their hand and seales first had and
obtained in that behalfe, vpon such paines or penalties as can or may be
justly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal command,
and further to be answerable to the said Thomas Masters, his executors,

page_text: administrators, and assignes, according to law for his and their damages thereby
occasioned. And moreover, wee do by these Presente, for vs, our heires and
successors, will and command all and singular our justices of the peace;
mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other officers and
ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors for the time being, that
they or any of them do not, nor shall at any time hereafter during the said
term hereby granted, in any wise molest, trouble, or hinder the said Thomas
Masters, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, or his or
their deputies, servante, or agente, in or about the due and lawful makeing,
VSC, or exercise of the aforesaid Invencon, or any thing relateing thereto :
Provided always that these our Letters Patente are and shall be vpon this
condičon, that if at any time during the said term hereby granted it shall
be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our or
their Privy Councill, that this our grant is contrary to law, or preiudiciall or
inconvenient to our subjecte in generall, or that the said Invenĉon is not a
new invenčon as to the publick vso and exercise thereof within that part of
our said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and our said severall and respective Planta-
Cons, or not invented or found out by the said Sybilla Masters as aforesaid; then
vpon significacon and declaračon thereof, to be made by vs, our. heires or suc-
cessors, vnder our or their signett or privy scal, or by the Lorde or others of our
or their Privy Councill, or any six or more of them, vnder their hand, these our
Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all in-
tents and purposes, any thing herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in
any wise notwithstanding: Provided also, that these our Letters Patente, or any
thing herein contained, shall not extend or be construed to extend to give privi-
ledge vnto the said Thomas Masters, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or
any of them, to vse or imitate any invenčon or worke whatsoever which hath
heretofore been found out or invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever,
and publickly vsed or exercised within that part of our said Kingdom of Great
Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed, and our said severall and respective Plantačons, vnto whom like
Letters Patent or priviledges have been already granted, for the sole vse,
exercise, and benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said
Thomas Masters, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and
every other person or persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges
have been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practise their
severall Invenčons by them invented and found out, according to the true
intent and meaning of the same respective Letters Patent and of these

page_text: Presente. And lastly, wee do by these Presente, for vs, our heires and
successors, grant vnto the said Thomas Masters, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment thereof, shall
be in and by all thing good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law,
according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be taken,
construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficiall sense for the
best advantage of the said Thomas Masters, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, as well in all Courts of Record as elswhere, and by all and
singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors,
within that part of our said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and our said severall and
respective plantacons, and amongst all and every the subiect of vs, our heires
and successors, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and
certain describing the nature or quality of the said Invenčon, or of the
materialls thereto conducing and belonging.
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse our selfe at Westminster, the Eighteenth