A NEW WAY OR METHOD OF MAKING THE RIM OR EDGE OF THE BAID WHEELS WITH IRON OR STEEL, AND WITH IRON RIBES OR TARES, AND IRON BOLTS, RIVETS, AND SCREWS FOR THE FASTENING THE SAME, WHICH THE PETICONER (HAVING MADE SEVERALL EXPERIMENTS THEREOF AT A GREAT CHARGE
Year: 1731

page_text: presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved ELIAS THORNHILL, of Sunderland
by the Sea, in our county of Durham, Whitesmith, hath by his peticon
humbly represented unto vs, that he having observed the great distruction
of the best timber trees in severall parts of our dominions, and finding the same
mostly to proceed from the cutting and vsing the same in large quantities
for coal waggon wheels, which are made out of solid timber trees, and are
about a yard and ten inches diameter and seven or eight inches thick, which
waggon wheels seldom last above a year or two, that the petičoner hath,
with great labour, pains, and expense, invented, contrived, and brought to
perfection "A NEW WAY OR METHOD OF MAKING THE RIM OR EDGE OF THE BAID
WHEELS WITH IRON OR STEEL, AND WITH IRON RIBES OR TARES, AND IRON BOLTS,
RIVETS, AND SCREWS FOR THE FASTENING THE SAME, WHICH THE PETICONER
(HAVING MADE SEVERALL EXPERIMENTS THEREOF AT A GREAT CHARGE) KNOWS WILL
MORE EFFECTUALLY ANSWER THE END FOR THE SAME USE AND PURPOSE TO ALL
PERSONS WHO SHALL THINK PROPER TO MAKE USE OF THE SAID INVENTION, AND WILL
PRESERVE THE WOOD OF THE SAID WHEELS AND THE RAILS WHICH THEY GO UPON
FROM WEARING, AND WILL LAST MANY YEARS LONGER THAN THOSE NOW USED,
WHICH ARE NOT DONE WITH IRON OR STEEL, NOR RIMMED OR EDGED WITH ANY
SORT OF METALL TO PRESERVE THE SAME AND THE RAILS FROM WEARING, AND THE
BAID WAGGONS, BY THE SAID INVENTION, WILL CARRY CONSIDERABLY MORE COALS
THAN USUALL, AND THE SAME WILL BE, CONSIDERING THE LENGTH OF TIME THEY
WILL LAST, MUCH CHEAPER AND MUCH MORE SERVICEABLE, AND FOR THE GREAT USE

page_text: AND CONVENIENCE OF ALL GENTLEMEN AND OTHERS INTERESTED AND CONCERNED IN
COAL MINES AND THE COAL TRADE, AND WILL ENTIRELY PREVENT THE DESTRUCTION
OF THOUSANDS OF TIMBER TREES IN EVERY YEAR, TO THE MANIFEST BENEFIT AND
ADVANTAGE OF THE PUBLICK, NOT ONLY IN THE COAL TRADE, AND PRESERVING THE
TIMBER TREES FOR SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS, BUT FOR THE BENEFIT AND ADVAN-
TAGE OF THE NATION IN GENERALL," and having humbly prayed vs to grant unto
him, bis executors, administrators, and assignes, our royal Letters Patents for
the sole use and benefit of his said Invention within England, Wales, and
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, according to the
statute in such case made and provided, wee, being willing to give encourage
ment to all arts and invenčons which may be of publick service and benefit,
are graciously pleased to gratify him in his request.
KNOW YEE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mecr
motion, havo given and granted, and by these presents, for vs, our heires and
successors, do give and grant unto the said Elias Thornhill, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, our especial lycence, full power, sole priviledge
and authority, that he, the said Elias Thornhill, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, and every of them, by himself or themselves, or by his and their
deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or such others as he, the said Elias
Thornhill, his executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the
term of years herein expressed, shall and lawfully may make, use, and exer-
cise, his said new Invenčon of making the rim or edge of coal waggon wheels
with iron or steel, and with iron ribbs or tabbs, and iron bolts, rivets, and
screws for the fastening of the same, as above described, within that part of
our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said Elias
Thornhill, his executors, administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in
their discretions seem meet; and that he, the said Elias Thornhill, his exe-
cutors, administrators, and assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enjoy
the whole profit, comodity, benefit, and advantage from time to time coming,
growing, accrewing, and arising reason of the said Invention, for and
during the term of years herein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and inioy
the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted,
or mentioned to be granted, unto the said Elias Thornhill, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assignes, for and during and unto the full end and term of
fourteen years from the date of these presents next and imediately ensueing,
and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the statute in such case
made and provided. And to the end the said Elias Thornhill, his executors,

page_text: 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 intentions herein-before declared, wee do by these presents, for vs,
our heires and successors, require and strictly comand all and every person
and persons, bodies politick and corporate, and all other our subiects whatso-
ever, of what estate, quality, degree, name, or condičon soever they be, within
that said part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion
of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, aforesaid, that neither they or
any of them, at any time during the continuance of the said term of fourteen
years bereby granted, either directly or indirectly, do make, use, or putt in
practice the said Invencon, or any part of the same, so attained unto by the
said Elias Thornhill as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or
resemble the same, nor shall make, or cause to be made, any addičon there-
unto or substraction from the same, whereby to pretend himself or them-
selve the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors, thereof, without the
lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Elias Thornhill, his executors.
administrators, or assignes, in writing, under his or their hands and seals,
first had and obtained in that behalf, upon such pains and penalties as can
or may be iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our
royal comand, and further to be answerable to the said Elias Thornhill, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law, for his and their
damages thereby occasioned. And moreover, wee do by these presents, for ve,
our heires and successors, will and comand all and singular the 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 here-
after during the said term hereby granted, in anywise molest, trouble, or
hinder the said Elias Thornhill, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or
any of them, or his or their deputys, servants, or agents, in or about the due
and lawfull vse or exercise of the aforesaid Invention, or anything relating
thereto. Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shall be
upon this condition, 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 Council, that this our 'grant is contrary to law, or prein-
dicial or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invention
is not a new invention as to the públick use and exercise thereof in that
said part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of
Wales, or town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, or not invented and found
out by the said Elias Thornhill as aforesaid, then, upon signification or

page_text: declaration thereof, to be made by vs, our heires or successors, or by the lords
and others of our or their Privy Councill, or any six or more of them, under
their hands, these our Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and
be utterly void to all intents and purposes, any thing herein-before conteined
to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding. Provided also, that
these our Letters Patents, or any thing herein conteined, shall not extend
or be construed to extend to give priviledge unto the said Elias Thornhill,
his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to use or imitate
any invention or work whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or
invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever, and publickly used or
exercised in that snid part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England,
our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, unto
whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have been already granted for the
sole use, exercise, and benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the
said Elias Thornhill, 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 use and practice their
severall inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true
intent and meaning of the same respective Letters Patents and of these
presents. Provided likewise, nevertheless, and these our Letters Patents are
upon this express condičon, that if the said Elias Thornhill, his executors or
administrators, or any person or persons which shall or may, at any time or
times hereafter during the continuance of this grant, have or claim any right,
title, or interest in law or equity of, in, or to the power, priviledge, and autho-
rity of the sole use and benefit of the said Invention hereby granted, shall make
any transferr or assignment, or any pretended transferr or assignment of the
said liberty and priviledge, or any share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof,
or shall declare any trust thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding
the number of five, or shall open or cause to be opened any book or books for
publick subscripcons, to be made by any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, in order to the raising any sume or sumes of money under
pretence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall by
him or themselves, or his or their servants or agents, receive any sume or sumes
of money whatsoever of any number of persons exceeding in the whole the
number of five, for such or the like intents or purposes, or shall presume to
act as a corporate body, or shall divide the benefit of these our Letters
Patents, or the liberty and priviledges hereby by vs granted, into any number
of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall comit or do, or procure to be
cōmitted or done, any act, matter, or thing whatsoever, during such time as

page_text: such person or persons shall have right or title, either in law or equity,
in or to the said premisses, which would be contrary to the true intent
and meaning of a certain Act of Parliament made in the sixth year of the
reigne of our late royal father King George the First, entituled (An Act for
the better securing certain powers and priviledges intended to be granted by
His Maiesty by two charters for assurance of ships and merchandizes at sea,
and for lending money upon bottomry, and for restraining severall extrava-
gant and unwarrantable practices therein mentioned), if these our Letters
Patents had not been granted; or, in case the said power, priviledge, or
authority shall at any time hereafter become vested in or in trust for more
than the number of five persons, or their representatives, at any one time
(reckoning executors or administrators as and for the single person whom
they represent as to such interest as they are or shall be intituled to in right
of such their testator or intestate), that then and in any of the said cases
these our Letters Patents, and all liberties, priviledges, and advantages what-
soever hereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, any
thing herein-before conteined to the contrary thereof in anywise notwith-
standing. And, lastly, wee do by these presents, for vs, our heires and
successors, grant unto the said Elias Thornhill, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exemplifi-
cation thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid, sufficient, and
effectual in the law, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and
shall be taken, construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficial
sense for the best advantage of the said Elias Thornhill, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assignes, as well in all our courts of record as elsewhere, and
by all and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and
successors, in that part of our said kingdom of Great Britain called England,
our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, and
amongst all and every the subiects of vs, our heires and successors, what-
soever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and certain describing
the nature or quality of the said Invention, or of the materialls thereto con-
ducing and belonging.
In witnesse, ovc. Witnesse our seire,
westm, the
May.
By Writt of Privy Seal.