IMPROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES OR FASTENERS FOR STRAPS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Marshall, of Kirton, near Boston, in the
County of Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES
OR FASTENERS FOR STRAPS."
Sealed the 26th September 1873, and dated the 31st March 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Marshall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
81st March 1878.
I, HENRY MARSHALL, of Kirton, near Boston, in the County of
Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN BUCKLES OR FASTENERS FOR STRAPS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct buckles or fasteners for
joining straps for harnesses and for other purposes, by the use of which
the leather is less liable to break or crack than heretofore, while at the
same time a straight draught is afforded, and in case of need, say, by

page_text: the falling of a horse, the straps can be quickly disengaged without
cutting or other injury to the harness.
The fastener constructed according to my Invention consists of a
bottom plate, two sides, and a top plate or lid. I form the bottom plate
with a tongue at one end opposite the draught, which tongue is stitched
in between the underneath or bottom and the following or top thickness
of leather. In the bottom I fasten, by rivetting or casting in, or other-
wise, a stout upright draught pin, by preference oval, as usual for such
pins, or two or more pins may be used. The bottom plate has a
projecting flange underneath at each side, and the underneath layer of
leather rests between these flanges. The lid is fastened with a catch so
as to be easily opened. I prefer to arrange this catch in the form of a
bar or bolt passing along the under side of the lid, with its end fitting in
a notch or hole formed in one of the sides of the fastener, while its other
end is turned up and passes through a slot hole in the centre of the lid, 1
terminating in an ornamental knob covering the slot hole. A spiral
spring keeps the bar in; a thin metal plate covers and protects both
spring and bar. The lid is hinged at the end opposite to the catch hole,
and is opened by pushing the knob back in its slot hole. The lid is
closed by pressing it down. When constructed as described no strain 2
comes on the lid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Marshall in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY 2
MARSHALL, of Kirton, near Boston, in the County of Lincoln, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty- 3
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Marshall, Her special licence that
I, the said Henry Marshall, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Henry Marshall, my executors, adiminis-

page_text: IN
trators, 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 " IMPROVEMENTS
BUCKLES OR FASTENERS FOR STRAPS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Marshall, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Henry Marshall, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:—
The object of this Invention is to construct buckles or fasteners for
joining straps for harness and for other purposes, by the use of which
the leather is less liable to break or crack than heretofore, while at the
same time a straight draught is afforded, and in case of need, say, by the
falling of a horse, facility is given for quickly disengaging the straps
without cutting or otherwise injuring the harness.
And in order that this my Invention may be more fully understood,
I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a buckle con-
structed according to my Invention; Figure 2, a plan section of same
shewing the form of the bottom plate of the buckle; Figure 3, a vertical
cross section; Figure 4, a vertical longitudinal section; Figure 5, end
elevation of one end of the buckle; and Figure 6, end elevation of the
other end.
Figure 8ª is a vertical cross section of a buckle of a slightly modified
form.
The buckle or fastener consists, as will be observed, of a bottom plate

page_text: with a tongue at one end opposite the draught, which tongue is stitched
in between the bottom or underneath thicknes of leather and the
following or top thickness of leather, as shown. In the bottom plate a
I fasten, by rivetting, or casting in, or otherwise, a stout upright draught
pin e, by preference oval, as here shewn and as usual for such pins; or
two or more such pins may be used if preferred. The bottom plate a
has a projecting flange f underneath at each side as shewn on Figure 3,
and the underneath layer of leather rests between these flanges.
In some cases I make the bottom plate a without flanges, as shewn
on Figure 3A.
g
The lid d is fastened with a catch so as to be easily opened. I prefer
to arrange this catch as here shewn, namely, in the form of a bar or
bolt 9 passing along the under side of the lid, with its end fitting in a
notch or hole formed in the side o of the fastener, while its other end is
turned up and passes through a slot or oblong hole in the centre of the 1
lid d, terminating in an ornamental knob covering the slot hole. A
spiral or other spring keeps the bar in its notch or hole, a thin metal
plate covers and protects both spring and bar, or the same object may be
attained by the arrangement here shewn, where the bar g and spring i
are placed in a cavity formed in the lid.
2
Instead of the bolt end turning up, as shewn at Figures 3 and 84, the
ornament is provided or cast with two clasps or prongs, as shewn at
Figure 7, which prongs or clasps are clasped round the bolt and secured
thereto by brazing or otherwise. By this arrangement the bolt may be
detached, if necessary, to fit a new spring through a space left in the 2
centre of the cavity immediately under the fastening of the prongs. The
lid d is hinged at the end opposite to the catch hole, and is opened by
pushing or drawing the knob back in its slot holes; it is closed by
pressing it down. Other catch arrangements than the one here described
and shewn may be employed, but I have found this one to answer, and 3
when thus made no strain comes on the lid. The lid might also, if
desired, be made to draw in and out instead of turning on a hinge.
And having now described and ascertained the nature of this Invention,
I declare that I claim the construction and application of buckles or
strap fasteners consisting of a tongued bottom part and two side parts, 3
the former with one or more fixed upright draught pins, and with a lid

page_text: to open and close with a catch, substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Marshall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.