AN ANCHOR ON A NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR SHIPS AND VESSELS, WHICH ARE MUCH SUPERIOR TO THOSE NOW IN USE
Year: 1796

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STUARD, of the Parish of St. Anne, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said James Stuard, did by my Petition represent to His
present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that after much labour
and expence I had invented "AN ANCHOR ON A NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR SHIPS
AND VESSELS, WHICH ARE MUCH SUPERIOR TO THOSE NOW IN USE," and that, in
regard that I was the first and true Inventor thercof, and that the same had
not been practised or used by any other person or persons, to my knowlege or
belief, I therefore most humbly prayed His said Majesty that He would be
graciously pleased to grant unto me, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, His Royal
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole use and
benefit of my said Invention, within that part of His said Majesty's Kingdom
of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, according to the Statutes
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 Westminster, the Fourth day of
February, in the thirty-sixth 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 James Stuard, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His
especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said
James Stuard, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself
and themselves, or by mine or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or
such others as I, the said James Stuard, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make
use, exercise, and vend my said Invention within that part of His Majesty's

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain called England, It is Dominion of Wales, and Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said James Stuard, my
exors, adiiors, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions seem meet.
And that I, the said James Stuard, my exors, auditiors, and assigns, should and
lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and
advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason
of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned,
to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy tho said licence, powers, privileges and
authorities horein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the
said James Stuard, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, for and during and unto the
full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters l'atent
next and immediately ensuing and fully to be complete and ended, according
to the Statute in that caso made and provided; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that if I, the said James Stuard, 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
scal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the day of
the said Letters Patent, as relation being thereunto had, more fully and at
large may appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Stuard, in compliance with the
said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention.
and declare that the same is to be performed in manner following, that is to
say:
Whereas the uppermost fluke of a common anchor, which has two, is
dangerous to ships and vessels which may happen to ground by it, and also
frequently occasions the anchor to be tripped by the cable taking hold of it on
the ship's swinging, to the hazard of the ship's going on shore, or occasioning
damage by driving foul of other ships or vessels:-To obviate such conse-
quences I would have but one fluke, and that the anchor may be sure to fall
the right way with the fluke downward, I would have the shank very short,
whereby when suspended by the cable it will cant the most, and when it has
hold in the ground the ship will ride safer, as a long shank has more power to
loosen and break the ground, and is more likely to be bent or broken from its
hold, the form of the shank and arm of the anchor to be as a, a, Figure 1, in
the annexed Drawing; and, that they may be stronger than if made seperately
and shot together, would have the bars which compose them in one length, so
that there be no shoot or join in the whole length of the shank and arm. The
hole is to receive the ring for the cable, and the hole c for the stock; or the
shank may be made without the hole c, and the hole b made octagonal, or if 4

page_text: round to have a small projection on the stock and a small cavity on one side of
the hole 6 to receive it, to prevent the shank's turning; and, instead of a ring for
the cable, to have a shackle through which and the shank at 6 the stock must
pass; and, that the shackle may not fall too low, have a stop on each side at the
upper end of the shank. The palm to be in shape as d, d, Figure 1, and as
Figure 2, made either entirely of cast iron or a cast-iron shell filled with lead,
that being of much more specific gravity than iron. The back of the palm to
be formed either as the convex lines, the strait lines making angles at the
center or the concave lines. The stock to be composed of a wrought-iron bolt
cast iron, b, b; also to have a small shackle or
two plates with a short bolt between them, as e, e, Figure 1, on the bend of
the shank and arm for the buoy rope to be made fast to, or a long circular bolt
passed through the plates and fastened to each corner of the palm.
as a, Figure 3, covered with
In witness whereof, I, the said James Stuard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and ninety-six, and in the thirty-sixth 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.