Ar INVENTION FOR THRESHING GRAIN, WHICH, WITH A LONG TRACT OF LABOUR, THOUGHT, AND EXPERIMENTS, JOINED TO A GOOD DEAL OF EXPENCE, HE HAS BROUGHT TO A GREAT SIMPLICITY AND PERFECTION; THAT THE SAID MACHINE IS MOVED BY ANY REGULAR POWER, AND THRESHES WITH COMMON SWIPPLES, BY WHICH THE GRAIN WILL BE THHED AT FARE LESS EXPENCE, AND. WAY, FROM BOTH WHICH A VERY CONSIDERABLE ADVANTAGE WILL ARISE TO ALL FARMERS, AND AT LENGTH TO OUR LANDED SUBJECTS
Year: 1734

page_text: presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved MICHAEL MEINZIES, Esquire, hath,
by his petition, humbly represented unto us that, having studyed mathe-
maticks and applyed himself some time to mechanicks, he fell upon "Ar
INVENTION FOR THRESHING GRAIN, WHICH, WITH A LONG TRACT OF LABOUR,
THOUGHT, AND EXPERIMENTS, JOINED TO A GOOD DEAL OF EXPENCE, HE HAS BROUGHT
TO A GREAT SIMPLICITY AND PERFECTION; THAT THE SAID MACHINE IS MOVED
BY ANY REGULAR POWER, AND THRESHES WITH COMMON SWIPPLES, BY WHICH THE
GRAIN WILL BE THRESHED AT FARE LESS EXPENCE, AND TWO PER CENT. (IF NOT
MORE) OF THE GRAIN WILL BE THRESHED OUT OF THE STRAW MORE THAN THE
COMMON WAY, FROM BOTH WHICH A VERY CONSIDERABLE ADVANTAGE WILL ARISE
TO ALL FARMERS, AND AT LENGTH TO OUR LANDED SUBJECTS;" that he is the sole
inventor of the said machine or invention for thrashing corn or other grains,
as mentioned in his said petition, which threshes the grain with a row of flails
fixed in an axis turned backwards and forwards and so threshes the grain
on both sides; and that he, having made several experiments thereof, verily
believes the same will be of publick use and benefit; he hath therefore most
humbly prayed us to grant him our Royal Letters Patents for the sole benefit
and advantage of his said new Invention for the term of fourteen years,
according to the statute in such case made and provided; wee, being willing to

page_text: give encouragement to all arts and inventions which may be for the publick
use and benefit, are graciously pleased to gratifye him in his request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain know-
ledge, and meer motion, have given and granted, and by these presents, for us,
our heires and successors, do give and grant, unto the said Michael Meinzies,
his executors, administrators, and assigns, our especial lycence, full power,
sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said Michael Meinzies, bis
executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by himself and
themselves, or by his and their deputy or deputyes, servants or agents, or such
others as he, the said Michael Meinzies, his executors, administrators, or
assigns, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times hereafter during the term of years herein expressed, shall and lawfully
may make, use, exercise, and vend his said new Invention, 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
Michael Meinzies, his executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them,
shall in their discretions seem meet, and that he, the said Michael Meinzies,
his executors, administrators, and assigns, shall and lawfully may have and
enjoy the whole profit, bencfit, comodity, and advantage from time to time
coming, growing, accrueing, and arising by reason of the said Invention;
for and during the term of years herein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and
enjoy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-beford
granted or mentioned to be granted unto the said Michael Meinzies, his
executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end
and term of fourteen years from the date of these presents next and ime-
diately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
statute in such case made and provided; and to the end that the said
Michael Meinzies, his executors, administrators, and assigns, and every
of them, may have and enjoy 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 us, our heirs and successors,
require and strictly command all and every person and persons, bodyes
politick and corporate, and all other our subjects whatsoever, of what estate,
quality, degree, name, or condition soever they be, within the said part of our
kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, that neither they or 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 put in practice the
said Invention, or any part of the same, so attained unto by the said Michael

page_text: Meinzies, as aforesaid, or in anywise 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 Michael Meinzies, his executors, administrators, or assigns, in writing
under his or their hands and seals first had and obtained in that behalf,
upon such pains and penaltyes as can or may be iustly inflicted on such
offenders for their contempt of this our royal comand, and further to be
answerable to the said Michael Meinzies, his executors, administrators, and
assigns, according to law, for his and their damages thereby occasioned; and
moreover wee do by theso presents, for us, our heires and successors, will and
comand all and singular the justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs,
constables, headboroughs, and all other officers and ministers whatsoever of
us, our heirs 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
anywise molest, trouble, or hinder the said Michael Meinzies, his executors,
administrators, or assigns, or any of them, or his or their deputyes, servants, or
agents, in or about the due and lawful use or exercise of the aforesaid
Invention, or any thing relating thereto: Provided. always, and these our
Letters Patent are and shall be upon this condition, that if at any time during
the said term hereby granted, it shall be made appear to us, our heirs or
successors, or any six or more of our or their Privy Council, that, this our
grant is contrary to law, or prejudicial or inconvenient to our subjects in
general, or that the said Invention is not a new invention as to the publick use
and exercise thereof in that said part of our kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid,
or not invented and found out by the said Michael Meinzies, as aforesaid,
then, upon signification or declaration thereof, to be made by us, our heirs or
successors, under our or their signet or privy seal, 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 contained, to the contrary.
thereof in anywise notwithstanding: Provided also, that these our Letters
Patents, or anything herein contained, shall not extend or be construed to
extend to give priviledge unto the said Michael Meinzies, his. executors,
administrators, or assigns, or any of them, to use or imitate .any invention
or work whatsoever which hath heretofore been found out or invented
by any other of our subjects whatsoever, and publickly used or exercised in
that said part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our domi-

page_text: nion 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
Michael Meinzies, his executors, administrators, and assigns, and all and
every other person and persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges
have been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly use and practice their
several inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true intent
and meaning of the same respective Letters Patents and of these presents:
Provided likewise, nevertheless, and these our Letters Patents are upon this
express condition, that if the said Michael Meinzies, his executors or admi-
nistrators, or any person or persons which shall or may, at any time or tinies
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 use and benefit of the said Invention hereby granted,
shall make any 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
us granted, into any number of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall
cōmitt or do, or procure to be comitted or done, any act, matter, or thing
whatsoever during such time as such person or persons shall have any right or
title, either in law or equity, in or to the said premisses which would bo
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, intitled (an Act for the better securing certain powers and priviledges
intended to be granted by His Maiestie by two charters for assurances of
ships and merchandizes at sea, and for lending money upon bottomry, and
for restraining several extravagant and unwarrantable practices therein
mentioned), if these our Letters Patents had not been granted, or in case the
said power, priviledge, or authority shall at any time hereafter become vested
op or in trust for more than the number of five persons, or their repro-

page_text: sentatives, 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 entitled to in right of such their testator or intestate, that then and in any
of the said cases these our Letters Patents, and all libertyes and advantages
whatsoever hereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and become void,
anything herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwith-
standing. And, lastly, wee do by these presents, for us, our heirs and
successors, grant unto the said Michael Meinzies, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or
exemplification thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid, suffi-
cient, and effectual in the law, according to the true intent and meaning
thereof, and shall be taken, construed, and adjudged in the most favourable
and beneficial sence for the best advantage of the said Michael Meinzies, his
executors, administrators, and assigns, as well in all our courts of record as
elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of us,
our heirs 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 subjects of us, our heirs and
successors, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and
certain describing the nature or quality of the said Invention, or of the
materialls thereto conducing and belonging.
February.
By Writt of Privy Seal.
WHIC
day or