IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TILLING AND SUBSOIL PLOUGHING
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lord Charles Beauclerk, of the Riding, Northum-
berland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TILLING
AND SUBSOIL PLOUGHING."
Sealed the 25th September 1855, and dated the 10th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lord Charles Beauclerk
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th April 1855.
I, Lord CHARLES BEAUCLERK, of the Riding, Northumberland, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
TILLING AND SUBSOIL PLOUGHING" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the use of axes with inclined or screw-
formed cutting blades thereon, in such manner that such axes on being drawn
on or under the surface of the land shall receive rotatory motion by reason of
the cutters or inclined or screw-formed blades cutting into the land. By the
application of these instruments, the ploughs or machines used in carrying out
my Invention may be arranged simply to employ these rotating and cutting
instruments alone, or they may be used in the same plough or machine with
other forms of ploughs or instruments for tilling land, and the rotating instru-
ments may be used on the land, or more or less under the surface of the land,
according to the effect desired to be obtained thereby. For this purpose, each
axis is to be formed with one or more cutting inclined or screw-formed or

page_text: screw-like blades, and the axis is to be supported by and to turn on or in
suitable bearings, so as to admit of its revolving freely when the axis is drawn
in the direction of its length on or in the land, such revolving of the axis
being caused by the inclined or screw-like or screw-formed blades or cutters
being resisted by the land..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lord Charles Beauclerk in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Lord
CHARLES BEAUCLERK, of the Riding, Northumberland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Beauclerk, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Beau-
clerk, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charles Beauclerk, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TILLING AND SUBSOIL PLOUGHING," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Beauclerk, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Beauclerk, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :-
This Invention has for its object the use of axes with inclined or screw-
formed cutting blades thereon, in such manner that such axes on being drawn
on or under the surface of the land shall receive rotatory motion by reason of

page_text: the cutters, or inclined or screw-formed blades cutting into the land. By the
application of these instruments, the ploughs or machines used in carrying out
my Invention may be arranged simply to employ these rotating and cutting
instruments alone, or they may be used in the same plough or machine with
other forms of ploughs or instruments for tilling land, and the rotating instru-
ments may be used on the land, or more or less under the surface of the land,
according to the effect desired to be obtained thereby. For this purpose, each
axis is to be formed with one or more cutting inclined or screw-formed or
screw-like blades, and the axis is to be supported by and to turn on or in
suitable bearings, so as to admit of its revolving freely when the axis is drawn
in the direction of its length on or in the land, such revolving of the axis
being caused by the inclined or screw-like or screw-formed blades or cutters
being resisted by the land. *
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a plan, and Figure 2 a side view, of a drain plough con-
structed according to my Invention. The Drawing shows the beam and
handles to be of wood strengthened with iron, but if preferred, the same may
be wholly of iron and may be varied in form. The plough is shewn to be on
four wheels; this, however, may be varied so long as the peculiarity of my
Invention be retained, that of employing a screw or portions of a screw on an
axis which is free to rotate, and in such manner that it may be caused to
revolve by the pressure of the earth on the screw inclined cutters when the
axis is drawn in the earth. a, a, is the beam, which has two pairs of wheels
b and c.
The height of the axes of the wheels b and c from the land in each
case is capable of adjustment, as shewn. d is a cutter, which divides the
upper part or surface of the land; e is the frame, which carries the rotating
axis with screw or inclined blades thereon. This frame e is capable of adjust-
ment as to the depth it shall penetrate into the earth, as will readily be
understood by reference to the Drawing. The fore part of this frame e is
made with or has affixed to it a coulter or cutting edge, and at the lower part
there is a mole or share, as shown. f is a rotatory axis, which is supported in
the frame e by points, as shown, or other forms of bearings may be used.
The axis fhas on it inclined or screw-like blades, which as the plough is
moved forward cause the axis f to rotate. The fore edges of these inclined or
screw-like blades are made with sharp or cutting edges to facilitate their
passage through the earth. In the Drawing, the axis f has on it three blades,

page_text: or parts of a three-threaded screw; but this may be varied, so long as the
object of my Invention is accomplished, which is, that an axis moved endwise
below or in the earth shall, by reason of having screw-formed blade or blades
thereon, be caused to rotate, and thus not only make a hole through the earth
by. the axis itself, but also by the blades, stir the soil around the axis of
motion, and at the same time to form or tend to form a female screw in,
the earth.
I would remark that I am aware that it has been before proposed to employ
a screw for the purpose of subsoiling land, but in such case the screw was
caused to rotate by mechanical means with a view to make it screw its way
into the earth, and not to act as herein described, by the axis being drawn or
moved through the earth. In the above description and Drawing, I have
shown the apparatus applied simply as a subsoil plough, but I would state that
apparatus according to my Invention may be applied to ploughs, which by
their mould boards turn over the land, or the same may be applied to other
forms of cultivators, so that the subsoiling according to my Invention may
be simultaneously going on with ploughing or tilling of the land.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is,
the combination of apparatus herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Beauclerk, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
L. B. MACKINNON,
Commander, R.N.,
CHARLES BEAUCLERK. (L.S.)
Ormley Lodge, Ham Common.