CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS, CONSISTING OF A METHOD OF FURLING AND UNPURLING THE CLOTH WHICH IS MADE USE OF UPON THE SAILS,EITHER WHEN THE MILL IS OR IS NOT AT WORK, OF RAISING AND FALLING THE ACTING MILL STONES IN THE MILL, SO AS TO CAUSE THEM TO GRIND TO MUCH GREATER ADVANTAGE BY THE MOTION OF THE MILL ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT FORCE AND PRESSURE OF THE WIND UPON THE SAILS THEREOF, AND A REGULATING NUT OR WHEEL FOR TURNING THE STONES SO AS TO CAUSE THE MILL TO WORK IN A MORE UNIFORM MANNER THAN BY ANY OTHER METHOD HITHERTO USED OR KNOWN
Year: 1785

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HILTON, of Preston, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Flour Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS, I, the said Robert Hilton, did, by my petition, humbly repre-
sent unto His Majesty, that, after very great labor and expence, I had found
out and invented "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WINDMILLS, CONSISTING OF A METHOD
OF FURLING AND UNPURLING THE CLOTH WHICH IS MADE USE OF UPON THE SAILS,
EITHER WHEN THE MILL IS OR IS NOT AT WORK, OF RAISING AND FALLING THE
ACTING MILL STONES IN THE MILL, SO AS TO CAUSE THEM TO GRIND TO MUCH
GREATER ADVANTAGE BY THE MOTION OF THE MILL ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT
FORCE AND PRESSURE OF THE WIND UPON THE SAILS THEREOF, AND A REGULATING
NUT OR WHEEL FOR TURNING THE STONES SO AS TO CAUSE THE MILL TO WORK IN A
MORE UNIFORM MANNER THAN BY ANY OTHER METHOD HITHERTO USED OR KNOWN,"
and that the same have never been invented by any other person; I therefore
most humbly prayed His Majesty that He would be graciously pleased to
grant to me, my exors, admors, and assigns, His Majesty's Royal Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole benefit and
advantage of my said Invention, within England, His Dominion of Wales

page_text: and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, pursuant
to the Statute in that case made and provided: And whereas, by the said
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the
Eleventh day of June, in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of His said
Majesty, after reciting the said petition, and also reciting that His 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, His
Majesty, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant 'unto me, the said Robert
Hilton, my exors, admors, and assigns, His special licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Robert Hilton, my exors, admors,
and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my or their
deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Robert
Hilton, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, in such manner
as to me, the said Robert Hilton, my exors, admors, and assigns, or any of
them, should in my or their discretions seem meet; and that I, the 'said
Robert Hilton, my exors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might
have and enjoy the whole benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to
time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Inven-
tion, for and during the term of years therein mentioned; to have; hold,
exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-
before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Robert Hilton,
my exors, admors, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term
of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next' and imme-
diately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the Statute
in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, that if I, the said Robert Hilton, 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 seal, and cause
the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one
calendar month next and immediately after the date of those His said
Majesty's Letters Patent, that then His said Majesty's Patent; and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine,
and become void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in
anywise notwithstanding.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Hilton, in compliance with the
said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention
in manner following (that is to say):-
The several Drawings hereunder delineated, marked Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, are so
many sections, in which are displayed the nature and use of the machinery in
method of furling and unfurling the cloths made use of upon the sails;
the particulars of which they consist being as follows, viz:-
my
A is a wind shaft; B is the sail; C, the sail cloth; D, D, are two rods of
iron, upon which are rings that the cloth is made fast to at each end; E, E,
are furling pullies; F, F, are unfurling pullies; G, G, are the purchase wheels;
H, H, are cords that are fastened to the furling and unfurling pullies, which
are made fast to the side of the cloth; I are two pullies; K is the collar of
the shaft; L, wind wheel; M, a frame upon the end of the shaft (see Fig. 4),
where it's more fully described from a contrary point of view; N are wheels,
fixed in that frame; O, P, are two drums, fastened upon each of the axis of
the wheel N, N; Q is a rope, that is lapped round each of the purchase
pullies G, G, passes under the collar K, K, one end of which is fastened to the
drum O, and the other to P; R, a large wheel, toothed on both sides, which
turns round upon the gudgeon; S, a wheel, that works into the wheels N, N;
T, a catch wheel. N.B.-The wheels S and T always turn round with the
large wheel R, to which they are made fast. V, V, are two springs; W, an
iron catch, which is fastened to the spring V, V; X is a clasp, in which the
neck of the catch turns round; Y is two iron rods, fastened to the clasp at
each end, to prevent its turning round; Z, a pully; 1, a cord, which is
fastened to the clasp X; 2, a canting wheel; 8, a small face wheel, which
always works into the canting wheel; 4, a spur wheel; 5, a moving head-
stock; 6, the rope, which raises or falls the headstock; 7,7, a break; 8, a
break sweep; 9 is an upright; 10 is a lever, to which the upright is fastened;
11, a weight, which lifts the break from off the wheel; 12, a nut; 13, a long
shaft, on which the nut is fastened; 14 is a wheel, fast upon the shaft 13; 15,
an endless rope; 16, an upright headstock; 17, an horizontal piece of wood,
into which 16 is fastened; 18 is a piece of wood, made fast into 17; 19 is
the lath laver, moving upon a pin; 20 is a rope, made fast to the upright
headstock 16; 21 is the break rope; 22, the springs, which operates in the
manner following:-If the mill is at work and the cloth required to be furled,
by pulling at the break rope (21), the upright (9) presses upon the laver (10),
which, pressing down the catch laver (19), draws back the catch, immediately
after which the break (7, 7,) begins to press upon the wheel with a friction,
according to the weight applied to the break rope, which stops or retards the

page_text: wheel at pleasure. The sails continuing the motion, the wheels (n, n,) then
begins to work round in the wheel (S), which causes the drums (O, P,) to
receive and deliver the rope (Q), which being kept tight by the springs (Q, Q)
draws round the purchase wheels (G, G,) which consequently cause, the same
motion in the furling and unfurling pullies which are fast upon the same axis,
and likewise causes the cords (H, H,) to be drawn from off the unfurling to
the furling pullies, which cords being made fast to the cloth on the side
(H, H,) furls or draws them up to the sail yard. To unfurl the cloaths when
the mill is working is done by pulling at the rope (6), which raises the nut (4)
into the teeth of the wheel (R), which is immediately exhilerated thereby, and
causes the drums (O, P,) to work the contrary way to that of furling them, and
which spreads the cloth. And when the mill is not at work, by pulling down
at the rope (20), which throws the teeth of the nut into the wheel (R), this
rope being made fast, then the cloths are furled and unfurled at pleasure by
pulling down at the endless rope (15).
Fig. 5 is what relates to my method of raising and falling the millstone.
A is a wind box, in which are flyars; B, a wind trunk, through which
there there is a communication with the wind box; C, a pully upon the axis
of the flyars; D, an axis; E, a pully fastened upon the axis D; F, a laver,
likewise fastened into the axis D; G, a thin board made fast to the end of the
laver F; H, the nut through which the laver passes; K, the cord fastened to
the end of the lift I; I, the laver to which the cord is fastened; L, a weight;
M, two pieces of wood crossing the center of the wind box, which supports
the axis of the flyars and the laver; N, a large pully; O, a band which turns
the flyars; P, the mill stone. When the mill is at work the flyars in the
box (A) are turned round by the band O. According to the motion of the
mill, a greater or less quantity of wind is.dispatched from the flyars, which
wind passing up the trunk acts upon the board G, which gives motion to
the pully (E) round which the rope (K) is fastened, and raises or falls the
weight (L), which likewise raises or falls the lift (I), and also raises and falls
the stone according to the motion of the mill.
Fig. 6 represents the regulating nut or wheel. A, the wheel; B, a ratched
wheel; C is the spring; D is the catch; E, the spindle; F, the large spur
wheel. Whilst the mill is increasing the motion of the stone (P), the catch
(D) holds fast in the teeth of the ratched (B), into which it is pressed by
the spring (C); but when the motion of the stone (P) is greater than that
of the mill, by which the catch is drawn back out of the teeth of the ratched,
the nut or wheel then giving liberty to turn round with the stone by which
it is regulated. N.B.-Those words that are marked under with red ink

page_text: Invention is connected.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Hilton, have hereunto put my
hand and seal, the Fourth day of July, in the twenty-fifth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the Grace of God of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c.,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-five.
IN CHANCERY.
Peter Melling, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Gentleman, maketh
oath and saith, that he did see Robert Hilton, in the deed poll annexed
named, sign and seal and as his act and deed deliver the said deed poll in the
presence of John Cross, of Preston aforesaid, Gentleman, and of this deponent;
and that the names Robert Hilton appearing to be set and subscribed at the
foot of the said deed poll as the party executing the same, and Jn°. Cross
and Peter Melling endorsed on the back thereof, as witnesses attesting the due
execution of the same, are of the respective hands writing of the said Robert
Hilton, this deponent, and John Cross respectively.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that upon the oath of Peter Melling, the
Specification aforesaid was inrolled word for word as above written. And also
the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the Statutes
modo for that purpose
Inrolled the Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and eighty-five.