IMPROVEMENTS IN ENTRENCHING OR DIGGING TOOLS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Henry Selwyn, of Woodland Crag, Grasmere,
in the County of Westmoreland, Captain in the Royal Navy, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENTRENCHING OR DIGGING TOOLS."
Sealed the 15th April 1871, and dated the 24th October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jasper Henry Selwyn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th October 1870..
I, JASPER HENRY SELWYN, of Woodland Crag, Grasmere, in the
County of Westmoreland, Captain in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention. for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENTRENCHING OR
DIGGING TOOLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in entrenching or
digging tools, and relates to the combination in one instrument of a
pick, a hoe, and a digging spade whose blade and handle when detached
may be used respectively, the blade as a cuirass or breast plate, and the
handle as a pick, a walking staff, or to assist in supporting, a
" tente
d'abri" or a "
hammock," or for other purposes... The handle of the
instrument, which may be made on the ordinary centre bar principle,, has
a metal spike jointed to it, which when the instrument is in use as a
spade is held firmly in position as a continuation of the handle, and

page_text: enters a suitable recess in the blade, to which it is then firmly secured
(preferably by a nut and screw arrangement in which the nut partially
covers the joint), but when the instrument is to be used as a pick the
blade is removed and the spike placed and firmly held at a suitable angle
to the handle. When the spike is used in this position the blade may be
attached to it by arrangements provided for the purpose so that the instru-
ment may serve as an efficient hoeing implement. The instrument is also
provided with a metal strap, which besides other uses serves to retain the
spike in its proper position when the instrument is used as a pick or hoe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jasper Henry Selwyn in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JASPER
HENRY SELWYN, of Woodland Crag, Grasmere, in the County of
Westmoreland, Captain in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn, Her
special licence that I, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jasper Henry
Selwyn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENTRENCHING OR DIGGING TOOLS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in entrenching or
digging tools, and relates to the combination in one instrument of a pick,
a hoe, and a digging spade, whose blade and handle when detached may
be used respectively, the blade as a cuirass or breast plate, and the handle
as a pick, a walking staff, or to assist in supporting a "tente d'abri" or
a "hammock," or for other purposes. The handle of the instrument,
which may be made on the ordinary centre bar principle, has a metal
spike jointed to it, which when the instrument is in use as a spade is
held firmly in position as a continuation of the handle, and enters a
suitable recess in the blade, to which it is then firmly secured (preferably
by a nut and screw arrangement in which the nut partially covers the
joint), but when the instrument is to be used as a pick the blade is
removed and the spike placed and firmly held at a suitable angle to
the handle. When the spike is used in this position the blade may be
attached to it by arrangements provided for the purpose so that the
instrument may serve as an efficient hoeing implement. The instrument
may be also provided with a metal strap (x), which besides other uses
scrves to retain the spike in its proper position when the instrument
is used as a pick or hoe, but I prefer for this purpose to use the nut
already mentioned as herein-after described.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 represents the spiked
handle of the instrument; Figs. 2 are separate views of the blade
which serves also as a cuirass or breast plate; Figs. 3 the nut employed
for securing the spike and blade in position; and Fig. 4 shews one of
the thin slotted steel plates for attaching the blade in position for
use as a breast plate. The handle a is made on the ordinary centre
bar principle, and has a metal spike 6 jointed to it at c. When the
instrument is in use as a spade the spike 6 is held firmly in position
as a continuation of the handle a, and enters a suitable recess or
socket d in the blade e, the part of the metal mounting of the
handle a and the part d' of the recess d in the blade e being made
hexagonal, or otherwise formed to prevent the handle from turning in
the blade. In putting the parts together the nut g is held in the
opening h, and the spike is then passed through d¹ and the nut until the

page_text: screwed portion f¹ reaches the nut, which on being then turned draws
the handle to and retains it in its proper position, the nut is formed
with small holes or recesses in its periphery to receive the end of any
suitable instrument or rod serving as a lever for screwing the nut tight
up. The red lines in Fig. 1 represent the position of the spike when
the instrument is used as a pick. To form a hoe the spike is turned
into the same position and the blade is then attached to it by means of
the nut as in the case of the spade, the part f of the handle resting in
the recess a¹ formed in the upper part of the blade. The other applica-
tions of the tool will be readily understood on reference to the Drawings.
When the blade is used as a breast plate the slotted steel plates (Fig. 4)
are attached to any convenient portion of the soldier's accoutrements,
and being passed over the button-shaped rivet heads i will securely hold
the upper part of the blade, whose lower end or point rests in and is
supported by a suitable sheath carried by a belt or otherwise.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I desire to point out that I do not confine myself to the precise
details shewn in the accompanying Drawings, nor do I lay any claim
to the use of the individual parts, except when forming portions of my
improved digging or entrenching tool, but what I do claim and desire
to have secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the novel combination of parts forming the improved tool
herein before described for the purposes specified, or any mere modifica-
tion thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jasper Henry Selwyn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Third day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
J. E. MAYNE,
Clerk to Messrs. Wise & Co.,
Chandos Chambers,
Adelphi, W.C..
J. H. SELWYN. (L.S.)