CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON LADDERS
Year: 1818

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MOTLEY, of the Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Letter Manu-
facturer (one of the people called Quakers), send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster, the Nine-
teenth day of May, in the fifty-eighth year of His reign, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Motley, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Motley, my exors, admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the
term of years therein mentioned, make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON LADDERS," in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso, that if I, the said Thomas Motley, shall 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 two calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease, determine, and

page_text: become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Motley, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that
is to say):-
If made of iron, to be constructed of sheet iron or wrought iron hoops, or
of iron roll'd or drawn, with one, two, or more ribs, either on one or both
sides, to be in any given lengths that may be required; the rounds or steps to
be composed of hollow iron or metal tubes of any required diameter, to be
fixed either in round or other holes made in the said side plates, composed as
aforesaid, either with a shank or sholder welded or bored inside of the end of
the round or step, or with a collar or shoulder brazed or made outside of each
end to prevent the round or step slipping through, and the ends of the same
rivetted down on the outside, cither on a collar or ring or immediately on the
outer side of the side pieces, or fastened by a nut and screw, or otherwise, by
making a screw thread inside of the end of the round or step, with a screw, so
as to fasten the sides and rounds or steps to each other. And for the purpose
of making the said ladder or ladders more portable I make a mortice and
tenon joint or joints, as may be required, by fixing on the bottom of the
outside of the upper succeeding part of the ladder or mortice, rivitted, ar
brazed, or both, as may be preferred; and the top part of the two sides of the
lower part of the ladder I reduce to a tenon so as to fit the aforesaid mortice,
and on either the mortice or tenon part I fix a spring ketch to fasten the
parts together, with a brass or other knob communicating thereto, pressing
which, or drawing it, allows the parts to be seperated. Or the mortices and
tenon may be reversed, if preferred; or cach alternate part may be at both ends
morticed or tenoned, so as all the joints or parts in one ladder may fit cach
other. In like manner I make the joints applicable to wood ladders, or by having
a dovetail or mortice of cast iron or brass, with wrough iron or brass tenon to
fit therein, and fastened with a spring as aforesaid, screw or bolt, as may be
respectively preferred; or otherwise, by making the ladder or ladders in parts
or different lengths, with joints, to be secured by a spring bolt or collar.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Motley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
THOMAS (L.S.) MOTLEY,

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1818, the aforesaid Thomas Motley, came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighteen.