IMPROVEMENTS IN FENCING LAND AND IN HANGING GATES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John King, of Chadshunt Farm, near Kineton, in
the County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FENCING
LAND AND IN HANGING GATES."
Sealed the 8th December 1863, and dated the 2nd July 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John King at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd July 1863.
I, JOHN KING, of Chadshunt Farm, near Kineton, in the County of
Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FENCING LAND AND IN HANGING GATES," to be as follows:-
In constructing fencing I employ wood hurdles arranged to be attached to
each other, and to be supported in the following manner :-A cast or other
metal eye is formed in such manner as to be readily fixed on the upper end
of a stake or prop of wood, and these props are used to support the
neighboring end uprights of two hurdles, the props and the hurdles being
inclined towards each other, and their lower ends being forced into the ground.
Through openings in the uprights or standards a bolt is passed, which also
passes through the eye of the prop above mentioned, or merely through a hole
formed in the end of the prop. On the bolt teeth or notches are formed, into
which the end of a slide applied to one of the uprights or standard ends can be
pushed, and so lock the two hurdles and the inclined prop together; when the

page_text: hurdles and prop are in their place, I connect together the lower ends of the
prop and of the hurdles by a chain, so that they cannot separate from each
other beyond the length of the chain; this will allow of a strong fence being
erected in hard ground without the necessity of driving the uprights of the
hurdles and the props hard into the ground. The neighboring ends of wood
hurdles may also in some cases be connected together by one hurdle being
provided with a bolt formed with notches, which bolt can be passed through a
hole in the upright of the hurdle next to it, and be retained by the end of a
slide carried by this second hurdle being pushed into one of the notches of
the bolt.
The improvements in hanging gates consist in improved gate books and
gate hinges. The first improvement in gate hooks consists in making them
adjustable, so that the hook can be set at any required distance from the post;
this is done by making the hook upon a stem having a screw thread upon it,
upon which two nuts work, one nut comes on one side, and the other on the
other side of the post; the hook can thus be set at any distance from the post
and can also be set at any angle to it; a gate hinge can also be made in the
same manner. When two pairs of gate hooks and gate hinges such as above
described are used in setting up a gate, the gate can be both raised or lowered
and also lengthened and shortened.
I also in some cases construct a gate hook in two parts, one part composed
of the hook formed on a rod or stem, and the other part composed of a tube,
which is to be fixed in the post; the stem on which the hook is formed is
passed through the tube carried by the post, and both on the tube and on the
stem of the hook is formed a disc, having notches on it; the hook can then be
set at any angle, and can be retained at that angle by causing the notches on
the stem to enter the notches on the tube; the stem can then be prevented
from being drawn out of the tube by a nut on its end or by a key.
In place of making the bearing surface around the stem or pin of a gate
hook flat, as is usual, I make it of a rounded form, that is to say, the outer
edges of the surface are rounded off, and the surface immediately around the
pin is hollowed out; a.rounded surface is thus left all round the pin. The ring
or hinge to work with a hook made in this way I make circular in section;
by this means the friction between the hiuge and the hook will be considerably
diminished; the gate can also be set to work at an angle without increasing
the friction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John King in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd
January 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KING, of Chadshunt Farm, near Kineton, in the County of Warwick, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John King, Her special licence that I, the said John King, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
King, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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, aud Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FENCING LAND
AND IN HANGING GATES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John King, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John King, 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 :-
In constructing fencing I employ wood hurdles arranged to be attached to
each other and to be supported in the following manner:-A cast or other
metal eye is formed in such manner as to be readily fixed on the upper end
of a stake or prop of wood, and these props are used to support the neigh-
bouring end uprights of two hurdles, the props and the hurdles being inclined
towards each other and their lower ends being forced into the ground.
Through openings in the uprights or standards a bolt is passed which also
passes through the eye of the prop above mentioned, or merely through a holo
formed in the end of the prop. On the bolt teeth or notches are formed, into

page_text: which the end of a slide applied to one of the uprights or standard ends can
be pushed and so lock the two hurdles and the inclined prop together. When
the hurdles and prop are in their place I connect together the lower ends of
the prop and of the hurdles by a chain so that they cannot separate from each
other beyond the length of the chain; this will allow of a strong fence being
erected in hard ground without the necessity of driving the uprights of the
hurdles and the props hard into the ground. The neighbouring ends of wood
hurdles may also in some cases be connected together by one hurdle being
provided with a bolt formed with notches, which bolt can be passed through a
hole in the upright of the hurdle next to it, and be retained by the end of a
slide carried by this second hurdle being pushed into one of the notches of
the bolt.
The improvements in hanging gates consist in improved gate hooks and
gate hinges. The first improvement in gate hooks consists in making them
adjustable so that the hook can be set at any required distance from the post;
this is done by making the hook upon a stem having a screw thread upon it,
upon which two nuts work; one nut comes on one side and the other on the
other side of the post; the hook can thus be set at any distance from the post
and can also be set at any angle to it. A gate hinge can also be made in the
same manner. When two pairs of gate hooks and gate hinges such as above
described are used in setting up a gate the gate can be both raised or lowered
and also lengthened and shortened.
I also in some cases construct a gate hook in two parts, one part composed
of the hook formed on a rod or stem and the other part composed of a tube
which is to be fixed in the post. The stem on which the hook is formed is
passed through the tube carried by the post, and both on the tube and on the
stem of the book is formed a disc having notches on it. The hook can then
be set at any angle, and can be retained at that angle by causing the notches
on the stem to enter the notches on the tube, the stem can then be prevented
from being drawn out of the tube by a nut on its end or by a key.
In place of making the bearing surface around the stem or pin of a gate
hook flat, as is usual, I make it of a rounded form, that is to say, the outer
edges of the surface are rounded off and the surface immediately around the
pin is hollowed out, a rounded surface is thus left all round the pin; the ring
or hinge to work with a hook made in this way I make circular in section;
by this means the friction between the hinge and the hook will be considerably
diminished; the gate can also be set to work at an angle without increasing
the friction.

page_text: And in order that the nature of my said invention may be more runy
understood and readily carried into effect I will proceed to describe the
Drawings annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a sectional end view, and Figure 2 a front view of two
hurdles having the first part of my improvements applied thereto. a, a, are
two hurdles having the neighbouring uprights or standards 6 connected together
and supported in the following manner :-c is a prop, which may be of wood,
having a metal piece c¹ fixed on the upper end thereof, through which a hole c³
is formed, it has also a metal shoe c³ on the lower end thereof, as more clearly
shewn at Figures 3 and 4, or the prop may be altogether of wood or of metal,
having simply a hole c formed through the upper end thereof. In some cases
I prefer that the shoe should be cranked, as shown by dotted lines in
Figure 1. The part c¹ is passed between the neighbouring uprights 6 of two
hurdles, and a bolt d is passed through holes formed in the uprights b,
and through the hole or eye c² in the prop c. The bolt d has teeth or
notches formed thereon, as more clearly shewn at Figure 5, into one
or other of which a bolt e, sliding in guides f, carried by one of the uprights
is passed, by which means the two hurdles a and the prop c, which it will
be seen are inclined to each other, are securely locked together. A chain g
attached at one end to the prop c is passed round the two neighbouring
uprights b, the other end of the chain has a hook attached thereto, which
is passed into one or other of the links of the chain, thereby preventing
the hurdles a and the prop c separating from each other, and by which they
may be supported at any required angle. In some cases I connect together
two hurdles, without the use of a prop c, a bolt d carried by one hurdle being
passed through a hole in the upright of the hurdle next to it, and there
retained by a bolt e carried by the second hurdle being pushed into one or
other of the notches d' in the bolt d. Instead of employing bolts d and e for
connecting together two hurdles a and a prop c, a screw bolt may be passed
through suitable holes formed in the uprights 6 and prop c, and then retained
in possition by means of a fly nut screwing the parts firmly together.
Figure 6 is a front view of a gate post and part of a gate having my
improved gate hooks and hinges applied thereto. i is a gate book formed
with a stem j, upon which screw threads j³, js, are formed; the stem j passes
through a hole in the gate post, and is secured with the hook i projecting the
required distance from the gate post by means of the nuts j³, by these means

page_text: also the hook can be fixed at any angle to the gate post. Figure 7 is a
separate view thereof to a larger scale. k is a gate hinge having a screw
thread formed on its stem ². This stem is passed through a hole in the
upright of the gate, and secured with the hinge the required distance therefrom
by the nuts. Figures 8 and 9 are separate views of the gate hinge k to a
larger scale. When two pairs of gate hooks and gate hinges, such as above
described, are used in setting up a gate, the outer end of the gate can be raised
or lowered, and also the gate may be lengthened or shortened. The bearing
surface of the gate hook and the bearing serface of the hinge I make of
a rounded form, as shewn. In some cases I construct a gate hook in two
parts, as shewn at Figure 6. 1 is a tube fixed in the gate post; through this
tube a stem of a gate hook i is passed, there are notches or teeth j* formed
on a disc js fixed on the stem ; of the gate hook, as more clearly shewn at
Figure 10; these notches or teeth take into corresponding teeth & formed on
the tube l, and may be secured at any desired angle in relation to the gate
post by turning it partly round on its stem, and then screwing up the nut *
against the end of the tube l. The tube 7 may also be capable of adjustment
by having a screw thread formed on each end thereof, and secured in position
by nuts screwing thereon.
In witness whereof, I, the said John King, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.