MAKING VERY GOOD SOLID AND MERCHANTABLE STEELE, MOST FITT FOR VSE, AND TO BEE VSED IN THE MAKEING OF ALL MANNER OF CUTTING INSTRUMENT AND EDGED TOOLES WHAT- SOEVER
Year: 1665

page_text: CHARLES THE SECOND, &c., to all to whome theise presente shall come,
greeting.
WHEREAS wee have beene informed by the humble peticon of our trusty
and welbeloved subiecte, Sř JOHN REARESBY, Barronett, and Sŕ THOMAS
STRICKLAND, Knight, that they, by their greate industry and study, with much
charge and expences, have attained to the perfeccion of "MAKING VERY GOOD
SOLID AND MERCHANTABLE STEELE, MOST FITT FOR VSE, AND TO BEE VSED IN THE
MAKEING OF ALL MANNER OF CUTTING INSTRUMENT AND EDGED TOOLES WHAT-
SOEVER," being theire owne Invenčon, and never before done or practised in
this our Kingdome of England, or any the dominions or territories thereof:
And whereas the said Sir John Rearesby and Sir Thomas Strickland have
humbly besought vs, for theire better encouragement to exercise and put in
practise the said Invenčon, that wee would bee graciously pleased to grant
them our Letters Patente of priviledge, for the sole vse and benefitt thereof
throughout our said Relme of England, and Dominion of Wales, for the time
and terme of fowerteene yeares, according to the Statute in that case made
and provided.
NOW KNOW YEE, that wee, being willing to give all lawful and fitting
encouragement to the inventors of such arte and misteries as may be of
publique vse and benefitt, of our especiall grace, certaine knowledge, and
meere močon, and vppon the humble peticon of the said Sř John Rearesby
and Sr Thomas Strickland, have given and graunted, and by theise Presente,

page_text: for vs, our heyres and successors, doe give and graunt vnto the said Sr John
Rearesby and Sř Thomas Strickland, theire executors, adñistrators, and
assignes, and every of them, especiall licence, full power, priviledge, and
authority, that they and every of them, by themselves or theire deputy and
deputies, servante & workemen, att all tymes, and from time to times here-
after, dureing the terme of yeares hereafter in theise Presente expressed, shall
and lawfully may have, vse, exercise, imploy, and enioy the said new Inven-
tion of makeing steele as aforesaid, in such manner as to them, or any of them,
in theire discrecons shall seeme meete, and shall and may have and cuioy the
sole benefitt and advantage comeing or ariseing by reason thereof, durcing the
terme of yeares hereby graunted: And to ye end the said Sř John Rearcsby
and Sĩ Thomas Strickland, theire executors, admistrators, and assignes, and
every of them, may the better enioy the full and whole benefitt, and the sole vse
and exercise of theire said-Invencon, wee doe by theise Presente, for vs, our
heyres and successors, require and straightly command all and every person and
persons, bodyes politique and corporate, of whatsoever quality, degree, name,
or condicon soever they bee, that neither they nor any of them, dureing the
terme of yeares hereby graunted, either directly or indirectly, doc vse or put in
practice the said Invenčon of makeing steele as aforesaid, doc by ye said Sř
John Rearesby and Sĩ Thomas Strickland attained vnto as aforesaid, nor
shall counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make any addicon
thereunto or substraccon from the same, whereby to pretend themselves the
'inventors or derivors thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of the
said Sr John Rearesby and Sř Thomas Strickland, or theire executors, adíñ-
strators, or assignes, in writeing vnder theire hande and seales first had and
obteined in that behalfe, vppon such paines and penalties as can or may bee
inflicted on such offenders for theire contempt of this our command in that
behalfe; and further to be answereable to the said Sř John Rearesby and
Sř Thomas Strickland, their executors, adiñstrators, and assignes, according
to lawe and iustice for theire damages thereby susteined; to have and to
hold all the said licences, powers, priviledges, and authorities hereby graunted
as aforesaid vnto them, the said Sř John Rearesby and Sĩ Thomas Strickland,
'theire executors, administrators, and assignes, for and dureing the terme of
fouerteene yeares from the makeing of theise Presente next ensueing and
fully to be compleate and ended, according to the Statute in such case made
and provided. And further wee doe by theise Presente, for vs, our heyres and
successors, give and graunt vnto the said Sr John Rearesby and Sir
Thomas Strickland, theire executors, adññstrators, and assignes, full power
and authority, that they and every of them, and theire and every of theire

page_text: deputies, servante, and agente, haveing first obteined a warrant in this
behalfe from the Lord Cheife Justice of the Court of Kinge Bench for the
time being, may, with the assistance of a constable or any other lawfull officer,
att convenient times of the day dureing the terme aforesaid, and in lawfull
manner, enter into and make search in any house or other places where there
shalbe iust cause of suspicon, for discovering and finding out of all such persons
as shall imitate or cause to bee imitated, or shall vsc or put in practice the said
Invencon soe by the said Sr John Rearesby and Sr Thomas Strickland invented
and attained vnto vs as aforesaid, that soc such offenders may bee proceeded
against and punished according to theire demeritte, and theire inveṇcons and
workes then and there found, to be seized vppon, broken in peeces, and defaced,
and the materialle thereof left in the hande and custody of some constable
or officer, to bee disposed in such manner and forme as wee, our heyres and
successors, shall from time to time direct and appoint. And further, wee doe
by theise Presente, for vs our heyres and successors, will, authorize, and requie
all and singuler justices of the peace, mayors, sherriffes, bayliffes, constables,
headbouroughs, and all other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heyres
and successors for the time being, that they and every of them respectively be
from time to time dureing the said terme hereby graunted, in theire respec-
tive places favouring, aydeing, helpeing, and assisting vnto the said Sĩ
John Rearesby and Sr Thomas Strickland, theire executors, admistrators, and
assignes, and to theire and every of theire deputy and deputies, servant and
agente, in and by all thinge, in and about the accomplishment of our will
and pleasure herein declared, and in the exercise and execucon of the powers
and priviledges herein and hereby graunted or menconed to be graunted as
aforesaid. And moreover wee will and command by theise Presente, for vs, our
heyres and successors, that our said officers and ministers or any of them doc
not molest, trouble, or interrupt the said Sř John Rearesby and Sř Thomas
Strickland, theire executors, adñistrators, or assignes, or any of them, theire,
or any of theire deputy or deputyes, servante or agente, or any of them, in or
aboute the vse or exercise of the said Invencon, or in any matter or thing
concerneing the same. Provided alwayes, that if att any tyme dureing the
said term of foureteene yeares it shall bec made appeare vnto us, our heyres
or successors, that this our graunt is contrary to law, or preiudiciall or
inconvenient, and not of publique vse or benefitt, or that the said perfeccon
of makeing of steele as aforesaid is not a new Inventon of the said Sř John
Rearesby and Sř Thomas Strickland, as to the publique vse and exercise
thereof, within our said Realme of England, or any the dominions or territores
thereof, aforesaid, then vppon significacon and declaraĉon thereof to be made

page_text: by vs, our heyres or successors, theise our Letters Patente shall forthwith
cease, determine, and be void in law, to all intent and purposes, any thing
herein-before menconed to the contrary notwithstanding. Provided alsoe,
that theise our Letters Patente or any thing herein contained shall not
extend or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Si
John Rearesby and Sř Thomas Strickland, theire executors, adiñistrators, or
assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any Invenčon or worke found out
and invented by any other person or persons, and publiquely exercised within
our said Realme of England, or any the dominions or territores thereto
belongeing, for the perfect makeing of steele or such like worke as aforesaid,
vnto whome wee have already graunted or like Letters Patente of priviledge
for the sole vse, exercise, and benefitt thereof, it being our will and pleasure
that the said Sr John Rearesby and Sĩ Thomas Strickland, theire executors,
adnistrators, and assignes, and all and singuler other person or persons
to whome wee have already graunted our like Letters Patente of pri-
viledge, as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice theire several! Inven-
cons by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and
meancing of the said severall and respective Letters Patente and of theise
Presente. And lastly, wee doc by theise Presente, for vs, our heires and
successors, grant vnto the said Sr John Rearesby and Sř Thomas Strickland,
their executor, adñistrators, and assignes, that theise our Letters Patente,
or the inrollment thereof, shalbe in and by all thing good, valid, sufficient,
and effectuall in the law, according to the true intent and meaneing thereof,
and shalbe taken, construed, and adiudged most favourable and beneficiall
for the best benefitt and advantage of the said Sř John Rearesby and Sr
Thomas Strickland, their executors, administrators, and assignes, aswell in all
our Court of Record as elswhere, notwithstanding the not full and certaine
describing the manner and quality of the said steele, or of the materialle,
way, and manner of makeing thereof, and of the yse and benefitte thereof,
and notwithstanding any other defecte, incertaintyes, or imperfeccons in theise
Present contained, or any act, statute, ordinance, provision, proclamacon, or
restraint, to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
In witnesse, &c. Witnesse our selfe att Westminister, the Twentieth day
Sen man
02D QUOS ING assamuT A4
Jo
ax fassamars