A NEW ENGINE OR METHOD FOR GRINDING OF FLINT STONES, BEING THE CHIEF INGREDIENT USED IN MAKING OF WHITE WARES, SUCH AS POTS AND OTHER VESSELS, A MANUFACTURE CARRIED ON IN OUR COUNTY OF STAFFORD AND SOME OTHER PARTS OF THIS OUR KINGDOM; THAT THE COMMON METHOD HITHERTO USED IN PREPARING THE SAME HATH BEEN BY BREAKING AND POUNDING THE STONES DRY, AND AFTERWARDS SIFTING THE POWDER THROUGH FINE LAWNS, WHICH HATH PROVED VERY DESTRUCTIVE TO MANKIND, OCCASIONED BY THE DUST SUCKED INTO THE BODY, WHICH, BEING OF A PONDEROUS NATURE, FIXES SO CLOSELY UPON THE LUNGS THAT NOTHING CAN REM IT,
Year: 1732

page_text: GEORGE THE SECOND, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these
presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS THOMAS BENSON, Engineer, hath by his peticon humbly repre-
sented unto vs that he has, at a very great expense, invented and brought-to
perfecčon "A NEW ENGINE OR METHOD FOR GRINDING OF FLINT STONES,
BEING THE CHIEF INGREDIENT USED IN MAKING OF WHITE WARES, SUCH AS POTS
AND OTHER VESSELS, A MANUFACTURE CARRIED ON IN OUR COUNTY OF STAFFORD
AND SOME OTHER PARTS OF THIS OUR KINGDOM; THAT THE COMMON METHOD
HITHERTO USED IN PREPARING THE SAME HATH BEEN BY BREAKING AND POUNDING
THE STONES DRY, AND AFTERWARDS SIFTING THE POWDER THROUGH FINE LAWNS,
WHICH HATH PROVED VERY DESTRUCTIVE TO MANKIND, OCCASIONED BY THE DUST
SUCKED INTO THE BODY, WHICH, BEING OF A PONDEROUS NATURE, FIXES SO
CLOSELY UPON THE LUNGS THAT NOTHING CAN REMOVE IT, INSOMUCH THAT IT IS
VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND PERSONS TO ENGAGE IN THE SAID MANUFACTURE, TO THE
GREAT DETRIMENT AND DECAY OF THAT BRANCH OF TRADE, WHICH WOULD
OTHERWISE, FROM THE USEFULLNESS THEREOF, BB OF GREAT BENEFIT AND AD-
VANTAGE TO OUR KINGDOM; THAT BY THE PETITIONER'S INVENTION THE FLINT
STONES ARE SPRINKLED WITH WATER, SO THAT NO DUST CAN RISE, AND THEN
GROUND AS FINS AS SAND WITH TWO LARGE STONES MADE TO TURN ROUND UPON
THE EDGES BY THE POWER OF A WHEEL, WORKED EITHER BY WIND, WATER,
OR HORSES, WHICH IS AFTERWARDS CONVEYED INTO LARGE STONE PANS, MADE
CIRCULAR, WHEREIN ARE PLACED LARGE STONE BALLS, WHICH, BY THE POWER OF

page_text: BUCH WHEELS, ARE DRIVEN ROUND WITH GREAT VELOCITY, THAT IN A SHORT
SPACE OF TIME THE FLINT STONES SO BROKEN ARE REDUCED TO AN OILEY
SUBSTANCE, WHICH, BY TURNING OF A COCK, EMPTIES ITSELF INTO CASES PRO-
VIDED FOR THAT PURPOSE; THAT BY THIS INVENTION ALL THE HAZARDS AND
INCONVENIENCIES IN MAKING THE SAID MANUFACTURE IN THE COMON WAY WILL
BE EFFECTUALLY PREVENTED, AND IN EVERY PARTICULAR TEND TO THE MANIFEST
IMPROVEMENT AND ADVANTAGE THEREOF, AND PRESERVING THE LIVES OF OUR
SUBIECTS IMPLOYED THEREIN;" and having humbly prayed vs that in regard he
is the first and only inventor of the said new method, and that no other person
hath found out or discovered the same, wee would be graciously pleased to
grant unto him our Royall Letters Patent for the solo use and benefitt of his
said Invention for the term of fourteen years, according to the statute in such
case made and provided, wec, being willing to give encouragement to all arts
and inventions that may be for the publick use and benefit, are graciously
pleased to gratify him in his request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especiall grace, certain
knowledge, and meer motion, have given and granted, and by these presents,
for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant unto the said Thomas
Benson, his executors, administrators, and assignes, our especial lycence, full
power, solo priviledge and authority, that he, the said Thomas Benson, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of then, by himself or
themselves, or by his or their deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as he, the said Thomas Benson, his executors, administrators, or assignes,
shall at any time agree with, and no others, shall and lawfully may make, use,
and exercise his said new-invented engine or method for grinding of flint stones
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-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said Thomas Benson, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions seem
meet; and that he, the said Thomas Benson, 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 years
herein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence,
powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted, or mentioned to be
granted, unto the said Thomas Benson, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years 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.

page_text: And to the end that the said Thomas Benson, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, and every of them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the
sole use and exercise of the said Invention according to our gracious intention
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 whatsoever, of what
estate, quality, degree, name, or condition soever they be, within that said part
of our kindom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, that neither they nor any of them at
any time during the continuance of the said term of fourteen years hereby
granted, either directly or indirectly, do make, use, or putt in practice the said
Invention, or any part of the same, so attained unto by the said Thomas
Benson as aforesaid, nor in any wise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the
same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereunto or
substraction from the same, whereby to pretend himself or themselves the
inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the lycence, consent,
or agreement of the said Thomas Benson, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, in writing under his or their hands and seals first had and obteined
in that behalf, upon such pains and penalties as can or may be justly inflicted
on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal comand, and further to
be answerable to the said Thomas Benson, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, according to law, for his or their damages thereby occasioned. And
moreover wee do by these presents, for vs, our heires, and successors, will and
comand all and singular the iustices of the peace, mayors, sherriffs, 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 Benson, his executors,
administrators, or assignes, or any of them, or his or their deputies, servants, or
agents, in or about the due and lawfull use or exercise of the aforesaid Inven-
tion or any thing relating thereto. Provided always, and these our Letters
Patents are and shall be upon this express 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 Invention is not a new invention as to the publick vse 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 afores, or not invented
and found out by the said Thomas Benson as aforesaid, then upon significa-

page_text: tion or declaration thereof, to be mado by vs, our heires or successors, or by the
lords and others of our or their Privy Council, 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, anything herein-before con-
teined to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding. Provided also, that
these our Letters Patents, or any thing herein contained, shall not extend, or
be construed to extend, to give priviledge unto the said Thomas Benson, his
executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any
invenčon or work whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or invented
by any other of our subiects whatsoever, and publickly used and exercised in
that part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion
of Wales, or 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 Thomas
Benson, 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
inventions, by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and
meaning of the same respective Letters Patents and of these presents. Pro-
vided likewise nevertheless, and these our Letters Patents are upon this
express condition, that if the said Thomas Benson, his executors or adminis-
trators, or any person or persons which shall or may, at any timo 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 authority of
the sole vse and benefit of the said Invention hereby granted, shall make or
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 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 under
pretence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, 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 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 any right or title, either in law or equity,
in or to the said premisses, which will 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 Maiesty by two charters for assurance of ships and merchandizes at
sea, and for lending money upon bottomry, and for restraining severall
extravagant and unwarrantable practices therein mentioned), if these our
Letters Patents had not been granted, or in case the said power, privi-
ledge, 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 libertys, priviledges, and advantages
whatsoever hereby granted, shall vtterly 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 Thomas Benson, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exempli-
fication 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
sence for the best advantago of the said Thomas Benson, 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 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, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and
certain describing the nature or quality of the said Invention, or of the
materials thereto conducing and belonging.
a Walf at Westminster the Fourteenth day
of January.
By Writt of Privy Seal.