A POLE MAST VESSELL FOR THE BETTER AND MORE EXPDITIOUS AND EASY CATCHING, PRESERVING, AND STOWING OF ALL SORTS OF FISH, WITH FEWER HAND, AND WITH MUCH TROUBLE THAN VSUAL, WHICH WILL BE OF VAST ADVANTAGE AND BENEFIT TO THIS OUR KINGDOM, AND TO OUR SUBIECTS IN GENERAL, BY SUPPLYING MARKETS BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD AT MUCH QUICKER AND CHEAPER RATES THAN HAS HITHERTO BEEN DONE; THAT THE METHOD OF BUILDING SHIPS AND VESSELLS IN THIS NEW WAY OR MANNER INVENTED BY THE PETITIONER BEING A SECRET NEVER YET FOUND OUT OR PRACTISED BY ANY OTHER PERSON OR PERSONE WHATSOEVER, WHICH HE HATH HOW HROUGHT TO THE VIMOST PERFECTION
Year: 1730

page_text: GEORGE THE SECONE
presents shall come, greeting.
by the grace of God, &c., to to whom these
WHEREAS WILLIAM HOLMES, of our city of London, Gentleman, hath,
by his peticon, humbly represented vnto vs that he hath been at very great
expence and labour in contriveing and inventing "A POLE MAST VESSELL FOR
THE BETTER AND MORE EXPDITIOUS AND EASY CATCHING, PRESERVING, AND STOWING
OF ALL SORTS OF FISH, WITH FEWER HAND, AND WITH MUCH TROUBLE THAN
VSUAL, WHICH WILL BE OF VAST ADVANTAGE AND BENEFIT TO THIS OUR KINGDOM,
AND TO OUR SUBIECTS IN GENERAL, BY SUPPLYING MARKETS BOTH AT HOME AND
ABROAD AT MUCH QUICKER AND CHEAPER RATES THAN HAS HITHERTO BEEN DONE;
THAT THE METHOD OF BUILDING SHIPS AND VESSELLS IN THIS NEW WAY OR
MANNER INVENTED BY THE PETITIONER BEING A SECRET NEVER YET FOUND OUT
OR PRACTISED BY ANY OTHER PERSON OR PERSONE WHATSOEVER, WHICH HE HATH
HOW HROUGHT TO THE VIMOST PERFECTION;" and haveing most humbly prayed
that wee would be graciously pleased to grant him our Royal Letters Patents
for the sole building and vsing of ships or vessells in the said new method for
the term of fourteen yeares, wee, being willing to give encouragement to all
arts and inventions which may be for the publick vse and benefit, are gratiously
pleased pleased to gratify him in his request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain
knowledge, and meer moĉon, have given and granted, and by these přents,
for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the said William

page_text: Holmes, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especial lycence, full
power and authority, that the said William Holmes, his executors, adminis-
trators, and assignes, and every of them, by himselfe and themselves, or by
his or their deputy and deputies, servants, or agents or agents, or such others
as he, the said William Holmes, his executors, administrators, 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 lawfully may
build, exercise, work, and vse such pole mast ships and vessells for the purposes
aforesaid, as above described, within that part of our kingdom of Great
Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said William Holmes, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seem
meet, and that he, the said William Holmes, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enioy the whole profit,
comodity, benefit, and advantage from time to time coming, growing,
accrewing, and arising by reason of the said Invention for and during the term
of yeares herein menconed, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence,
powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted or menconed to be
granted vnto the said William Holmes, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, for and during and vnto the full end and term of fourteen yeares
from the date of these presents next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be
compleat and ended, according to the statute in such case made and provided.
And to the end that the said William Holmes, 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 intencon
herein-before declared, wee do by these psents, for vs, our heires and succes-
sors, require and strictly comand all and every person and persons, bodies
politick and corporate, and all other our subiects whatsoev, 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-vpon-Tweed 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
Invenčon, or any part of the same, so attained vnto by the said William
Holmes as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the
same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereunto or substrac-
tion from the same, whereby to pretend himselfe or themselves the inventor or
inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the lycence, consent, or agree-
ment of the said William Holmes, his executors, administrators, or assignes,

page_text: in writing vnder his or their hande and seales, first had and obtained in that
behalfe, vpon such pains and 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 William Holmes, his executors, administra-
tors, and assignes, according to law, for his and their damages thereby occasioned.
And, moreover, wee do by these presents, for vs, 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 what-
soever 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 anywise molest, trouble, or hinder the said William Holmes, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, or his or their deputies,
servants, or agents, in or about the due and lawfull vse or exercise of the afore-
said Invenčon, or anything relating thereto. Provided always, and these our
Letters Patents are and shall be vpon 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 preiudicial or inconvenient to our subiects in
general, or that the said Invenčon is not a new invention as to the publick vse
and exercise thereof within that said part of our said kingdome of Great
Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed aforesaid, or not invented and found out by the said William Holmes
as aforesaid, then vpon signification or declaration thereof, to be made by vs,
our heires or successors, or by the lordf and others of our or their Privy
Council, or any six or more of them, vnder their hands, these our Letters
Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and be utterly void, to all intents
and purposes, anything herein contained to the contrary thereof in anywise
notwithstanding. Provided also, that these our Letters Patents, or anything
herein contained, shall not extend or be construed to extend to give pri-
viledge vnto the said William Holmes, his executors, administrators, admi-
nistrators, or assignes, or of them, to vse or imitate any invention or work
whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or invented by any other
of our subiects whatsoever, and publickly vsed or exercised in that part of
our kingdome of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, or
town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, vnto whom like Letters Patents
Patents or priviledges have been already granted for the sole vse, exercise, and
benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said William Hólmes,
his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all 'and every other person or
persons to whom like Letters Patent or priviledges have been already granted

page_text: as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practise their several 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 vpon this express condition, that if the said
William Holmes, 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 claime any right, title, or interest, in law or equity, of, in, or
to the power, priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and benefit of the said
Invention hereby granted, shall make any transferr or assignement, or any
pretend transferr or assignement, 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 booke or books for publick subscriptions to be
made by any number of persons exceeding the number of five, in order to
the raising any sume or sumes of money vnder pretence of carrying on the
said liberty or priviledge hereby, or shall by him or themselves, or his or
their agents or servants, 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 privi-
ledges hereby by vs granted, into any number of shares exceeding the number
of five, or shall comitt or do, or procure to be cōmitted or done, any act,
matter, or thing whatsoever during such time as such person or persons shall
have any 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 reign of our late Royal Father King
George the First, intituled (An Act for the better securing certain powers and
priviledges intended to be granted by His Maiestie by two charters for assurance
of ships and merchandizes at sea, and for lending money vpon bottomry, and for
restraining several extravag and vnwarrantable practices therein menconed),
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 intitled 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
whatsoever hereby granted, shall vtterly cease, determine, and become
void, anything herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise

page_text: notwithstanding. And lastly, wee do by these presents, for vs, our heires and
successors, grant vnto the said William Holmes, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exemplificacon
thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firme, 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 William Holmes, his executors, administrators,
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 sd kingdome 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, whatsoever and wheresoever,
notwithstanding the not full and certain describing the nature or quality of the
said Invenčon, or of the materials thereto conducing and belonging.