CERTAIN SPRINGS WHEREBY COACHES AND ALL OTHER FOUR- WHEEL CARRIAGES WOULD GO AND TRAVEL WITH MUCH GREATER EASE AS WELL IN TOWN AS IN THE COUNTRY, THAN WITH ANY OTHER SPRING OR SPRINGS WHICH HAD HITHERTO BEEN INVENTED OR DISCOVERED, TOGETHER WITH THE METHOD OF SUPPORT- ING THE BODIES OF SUCH CARRIAGES UPON THE SAID SPRINGS IN THE CENTER IN SUCH MANNER AS WOULD GREATLY CONDUCE TO PREVENT THE OVERTURNING THE SAME BY ALMOST ANY ACCIDENT WHATSOEVER
Year: 1769

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
REEVES, of Blackman Street, in the Parish of Saint Mary, Newington, in the
County of Surry, Coach and Coach Harness Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Christopher Reeves, did, by my Petition, humbly
represent unto His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
that by long study, much labour, and great expence, I had invented and
brought to perfection " CERTAIN SPRINGS WHEREBY COACHES AND ALL OTHER FOUR-
WHEEL CARRIAGES WOULD GO AND TRAVEL WITH MUCH GREATER EASE AS WELL IN
TOWN AS IN THE COUNTRY, THAN WITH ANY OTHER SPRING OR SPRINGS WHICH HAD
HITHERTO BEEN INVENTED OR DISCOVERED, TOGETHER WITH THE METHOD OF SUPPORT-
ING THE BODIES OF SUCH CARRIAGES UPON THE SAID SPRINGS IN THE CENTER IN SUCH
MANNER AS WOULD GREATLY CONDUCE TO PREVENT THE OVERTURNING THE SAME BY
ALMOST ANY ACCIDENT WHATSOEVER;" that I conceived great ease and safety
would arise to His Majesty's subjects from the above Invention, and being
desirous of reaping some advantage in reward for my labour and expence,
and in regard I was the first and true Inventor thereof, and that the
same had never been performed by any other person but by me and under
my direction, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I therefore most
humbly prayed His said Majesty that he would grant unto me, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent for the sole
benefit and advantage of my said Invention, within that part of His said

page_text: Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominio
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourtee
years, according to the Statute in that case made and provided, His said
Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions which
might be for the public good, was graciously pleased to condescend to my
request, and therefore by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at West
minster, the Eighth day of June, in the ninth year of His reign, of His
especial grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, did give and grant unto me, the said Christopher Reeves, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full, power, sole
priviledge and authority, that I, the said Christopher Reeves, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and every of us, by myself and ourselves, or
by mine and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as
I, the said Christopher Reeves, 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 of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within that said part
of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Domi-
nion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me,
the said Christopher Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any
of us, should in our respective discretion seem meet, and that I, the said
Christopher Reeves, my executors, adiñňors, and assigns, should and lawfully
might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage
from time to time coming, growing, accrewing, and arising by reason of the
said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned, to have,
bold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, priviledges, and advan-
tages therein-bofore granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said
Christopher Reeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during
and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said
Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing and fully to be compleat and
ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if I, the said Christopher
Reeves, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in
His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the
said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-

page_text: before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and
by the said recited Letters Patent (relation being thereunto had) will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Christopher Reeves, in pursuance of the
said proviso, so contained in the said recited Letters Patent, and in order that
the nature and description of the said Invention and improvement may be
inrolled in His Majesty's said High Court of Chancery, do, by these Presents,
declare that the nature and description of the said Invention and improvement
are as follow (that is to say):-
As touching and concerning the said springs, first are two sockett nutts,
with two cheek plates at one end of each sockett nutt, which meet together in
the middle and have four bolt holes to receive the ends of the springs, tho
spring plates are turned in a circle meeting in the middle, the ends turned
with a thimble eye to receive a bolt which fixes them to the cheek plates of
the sockett nutts. The sockett nutt of each end receives a long screw with a
thimble head to fix the shackle with a screw bolt which the body hangs by;
the long screws are screwed reverse, one screwed to the right hand and the
other to the left, which, by turning the middle of the spring one way contracts
it, and the other way makes it longer, which is a conveniency to hang the
body a proper heighth. To the inside of the cheeke plates where the springs
are fixed to, on each side, is a sliding catch bolt for security if the spring
should break, to prevent the body from falling or sinking down low; the sockett
nutts and screws are covered with brass barrels soldered on at each end, which
slide over each other as the spring contracts or lengthens and conceals the
work.
And as touching and concerning the method of supporting the bodies of such
carriages upon the said springs in the center:-The first is a flatt plate stay
put on with screws to the inside of the elbow rails and flaps against the
standing pillars, and likewise against the middle of the corner pillars. The
second is a flatt stay from the splice of the bottom side to the middle of the
standing pillars fixed with bolts. The third is a principal and main stay,
which is fixed from the bottom side and standing pillars at the bottom with
screw bolts, and directs itself to the middle of the corner pillars, where it
receives the iron work by a screw nutt which receives a strong screwed ring
with a broad collar from the outside of the pillar which the body hangs by.
To the ring is fixed a swivel loop or shackle, which fastens to the spring with
a bolt, as a further security; the side pannells are each of them lined with an
additional inside pannells fitted in curiously between the framework to be
rabitted and screwed up to the elbow rails, and further secured by the back

page_text: seat rails and a ledge down the standing pillars; the elbow rails are broad,
with double tenons.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Reeves, have hereunto sett
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and sixty-nine, and in the ninth year of the
reign of our said Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
and so forth.
stampt) in the presence of
BIGOE HENZELL.
THO. CLARKE.
AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that the Fifth day of October, in the
year last above written, the aforesaid Christopher Reeves came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Instrument aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King
and Queen William and Mary of England, and so forth.
Inrolled the Fifth day of October, in the year last above written.