CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF MAKING ARTIFICIAL STONE, FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KENT, of the Town and County of the Town of Southampton, Architect, 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, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of
July, in the fiftieth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
John Kent, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Kent, my exors,
adñiors, or 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE METHOD OF MAKING ARTIFICIAL STONE, FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said John Kent
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 become void, any thing therein contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Kent, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention for
making artificial stones consists in mixing quick lime, made of any kind of
materials of which lime can possibly be made with a certain portion of the
substance or material of which any kind of stone is formed in a natural
manner, and thereby speedily uniting such component parts together, which
in a natural way would require many years to become sufficiently hard so
so as to be brought into general use, and which operation I perform in manner
following, viz*:
I take one measure of quicklime, which I reduce to powder, to which
powdered lime I add three measures of fine sand (or any other material
of which any kind of stone is formed in a natural way); when I have well
mixed the powdered lime and fine sand (or other materials before described)
together, in a dry state, I then add six parts more of coarse sand, small
gravel, or any other substance of which any kind of stone is naturally
composed (or any other materials that will answer the same purpose, which
materials I mix all together, only in a damped state, and not mixed up
into a more wet state, like morter or stucco, or with more water or other
liquid than will allow these articles to be very powerfully rammed or other-
wise compressed together, which I do into a mould of any shape or figure that
occasion may require; I then put the artificial stones so formed under cover
or in the open air till they are sufficiently seasoned, and thereby become fit
for use; and although I have found the mixture before described to be the
best proportions in a general way, when the lime is just burned, yet it will
require more or less quicklime in proportion to the bulk of the particles of
matter of which the stones may be composed, and also in proportion to the
time the lime has been taken from the kiln or exposed to the open air, viz*,
if the lime is not used immediately from the kiln, it will require more lime,
and if the component parts that are to be added to the mixture of dry lime
and dry sand (or other materials before described) be coarser or larger it
will require more of the dry lime and dry sand, when mixed together, to
fill up the spaces unoccupied by such component parts, so that where the
materials can be conveniently obtained; the best and most perfect stones I
make when each of the six component parts that are added to the quick lime
and fine sand (or other materials before described) are gradually larger and
larger from the smallest to the largest particles, so as to lessen the spaces
between cach component particle, and by that means to make the artificial
stones, before described, of a more close and firm texture when thus powerfully

page_text: rammed or otherwise compressed together into the moulds; which moulds I
make to any dimensions or form required, either to represent stone buildings,
or into the dimensions and form of bricks, as occasion requires.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of September, in
the year of our Lord 1810, the aforesaid John Kent came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and ten.