AN IMPROVEMENT ON OR ADDITION TO SADDLES, SADDLESTRAPS, SADDLE GIRTHS, AND SADDLE CLOTHS, BY THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN KNOWN MATERIALS HITHERTO UNUSED FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
FLETCHER, of Walsall, in the County of Stafford, Saddler's Ironmonger, send
greeting:...
.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster,
the Eleventh day of July, in the first year of His reign, give and grant
unto me, the said Samuel. Fletcher, my exors, admors, and assigns, His
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Samuel-Fletcher; my exors, admors, and assigns, during the term of years
therein mentioned, should- and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England; Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVEMENT ON OR ADDITION TO SADDLES, SADDLE STRAPS, SADDLE GIRTHS,
AND SADDLE CLOTHS, BY THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN KNOWN MATERIALS HITHERTO
UNUSED FOR THAT PURPOSE in which said Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso that if I, the said Samuel Fletcher, shall not particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which 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 four 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, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel Fletcher, 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 annexed Drawings, and following description
thereof (that is to say):-
My improved girth consists of an apparatus by the use of which saddles
are more permanently secured on the horse's back than can be done by the
girths heretofore in use. The materials employed in the manufacture of these
improved girths, and the manner of putting them together, I now proceed to
describe.
A piece or strap of leather of convenient breadth (say one inch), and ten
inches long, as drawn half way through the lower part of the buckle a, and
being doubled together is stitched in that position, as represented by Fig. b.
To form an outward case a piece of leather, twelve inches long and two inches
broad, made a proper substance, is required, as in Fig. 9; an aperture, as
represented at k, is then to be made transversely in the centre of the outside
case to admit the double leather strap b, attached to the buckle a, to run
through. Figure d represents a stop or guard made of iron, steel, brass,
or any other metal, with an orifice corresponding with that of the outside
case g, represented at k, to receive through it the said leather strap 6 and a
nick at each end. These nicks are intended to receive the ends of two small
pieces of leather of moderate substance, about five inches long and about
one quarter of an inch wide, as represented by h, h, which ends are to be
secured in the above-named nicks by two rivets f, f. The stop d, with the
pieces of leather h, h, so attached to it, is then placed within the outside g
with its aperture exactly opposite or against to that represented at K, and
serves as a stop or guard for the action of the spring e; the two pieces of
leather h, h, fastened as before explained to the stop d, will extend themselves
along the inner edges of the outside case g, as delineated in Fig. C. The two
sides of the outer case 9 are now brought together and stitched firmly down
the edges, the small pieces of leather just described being also stitched
between them. It will be obvious that the use of these pieces of leather is
to keep open a sufficient cavity in the outside case for the free action of the
spring, in the application of which to girths and saddle straps consists the
fundamental principle of my Invention. The spring itself is of a worm or
spiral shape, about three and a half inches long, made of steel wire, as repre-
sented by Fig. e. The spring is now to placed within the cavity formed as

page_text: above described within the leather case g; one end of the spring will then
rest against the stop or guard d particularized above. The first described
leather strap b, with the buckle attached to it, is then introduced through the
aperture in the outer case 9, and that in the stop d down the interior space
of the spring e, until that part of the strap on which the buckle is fixed is
brought against the edges of the orifice k in the outer case, the buckle alone
appearing. The spring is now to be forced down or compressed about half
an inch, and kept in that situation, whilst another stop or guard, as Figure c,
is fixed upon the end of the said leather strap b, close up to the spring in its
O compressed state, by two rivets at N, N. The spring being now released rests
at each end against the two guards or stops, and is thus fixed securely in its
place, as in Fig. B, which being stitched or sewed to a leather girth, or to the
web. I in Figures D and E, renders the girth complete. The web required
for these new-invented girths differs in no respect from that in general use,
and is attached to the apparatus already described in the ordinary way of
making girths. The improved saddle girths being now completed according
to the above description, they are to be buckled to the saddle in the usual
manner, and when it is girthed tight upon the horse, the strap, with the buckle
attached to it, should be drawn about one inch and a half out of the leather
case at each end of the girths, as represented by Figure E. It will then
be found that when the horse's carcase shrinks up, the elastic nature of
the girths being brought into action will still cause then to press closely to the
horse, and thus prevent the saddle from moving out of its proper place.
It is now to be understood that in the foregoing description I have laid down
certain proportions which seem to me best calculated to answer the purpose of
my Invention; but as other persons may be of opinion that different shaped
springs (as longer or shorter, round or flatter than those I have proposed)
might be more suitable, or that the form of the exterior case might be advan-
tageously altered, I hereby declare that my Invention of adopting the worm
or spiral spring for the purpose of keeping saddle girths or surcingles tight,
embraces, in addition to the spring above mentioned, the use of that kind of
spring for the beforesaid purpose of whatever shape or dimensions, in what-
ever place or manner it can or may be affixed to the saddle, saddle girths, or
surcingles.
The component part of the patent saddle straps are precisely the same
as those of the patent saddle girths, except that instead of the strap b, (with.
a buckle attached to it) which passes through the orifice of the case g
to the top of the spring, a plain strap is introduced, as represented by p, p, in
Fig. F, and is fastened at the top of the spring in the same manner as here-

page_text: tofore described in the Specification of the improved patent.girths, and instead
of this apparatus being attached to a web or: leather girth it is fixed to the
saddle. N.B. The patent saddle straps are made either single or double as
convenience may require FigoF represents a double one.
1
REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS.
a. a polished steel-barred buckle. b, a strap of leather turned round the
under bar of the buckle a, and the flesh sides of the leather being brought
together to be stitched firmly on each side or edge.' C, a small stop of brass
or iron perforated N, N, with an aperture to admit the extremity of the
double leather b, to which it is secured by being collapsed and rivetted. It
then holds the leather firm, as represented in Fig. A, for the purpose of keeping
the spring in its proper place: d, a brass or iron stop with an aperture in the
centre to admit of the double leather 6 passing freely through it, and placed
close up to the buckle at the top of the leather b; which runs through it, as
represented in Figs. A, B, and C, the stop to be perforated f, f,.near each end
to take the rivets which secure it in its place. There is likewise a niche.cut
at each end of this stop d to receive the leathers h, h. e, a steel wire worm
spring made rather flat, but with a sufficient space within the tube just to
admit the double leather 6 to work freely, and strong enough to require
fifty or sixty pounds weight to compress it close together. When the spring
is placed in its proper situation it must be so drawn up or compressed between
the two stops c and d, Fig. A, as to take twenty-five or thirty pounds weight
hung at the buckle before the leather strap b can be the least drawn forward,
or the spring be the least affected by the pressure. ff, rivetts in the stop d
for fixing it in its proper place. g, the outer case of leather which encloses the
whole machine with the exception of the buckle. K, a small hole out of the
top of the outer case, in the shape k, through which the double strap b can
freely pass. h, h, two pieces of stiff leather to be stitched. between the two
edges of the outer case g, as represented in the section Figures B'and C.
The upper end of these pieces of leather fall into the niches at each end of
the stop d, and are there secured by the rivetts f. f. These are found necessary
to keep open a cavity in the outer case large enough to admit the spring to
lie and work conveniently therein. I, the girth made in the usual way of
linen or woollen or leather, and sewed firmly on between the leather of the
outer case g. Fig. A represents the instrument without the side pieces or
outer case. Fig. B is a section of the machine quite complete, but with the
upper side of the outer case cut away to shew its contents. It is here
supposed to be at rest. Fig. C is a section of the machine complete, with the

page_text: exception of the upper side of the outer case being taken away to shew its
action; it is here in an active state, the spring, as may be seen, brought down
nearly close, and the leather 6 drawn out. Figure D represents the machine
as it appears in a finished state and affixed to the girth i and at rest. Fig. E
represents the machine as it appears when finished and affixed to the girth;
it is now supposed to be in full action. Fig. F is the representation of the
saddle straps. o is the outer case that contains the machines, and which
is securely affixed to the saddle p, p. The straps each twelve inches long.
This machine is exactly the same in every respect as the section Fig. B, without
the buckle, and contains all all the before-mentioned parts so amply described,
having one machine attached to each strap.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Fletcher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and twenty.