A NEW ENGINE FOR THE BETTER AND MORE EXPEDITIOUS CUTTING THE WOOLL FROX BEAVER, COKEY, AND HARE SKINS, IN ORDER TO MAKE HATS
Year: 1721

page_text: come, greeting.
WHEREAS our trusty and welbeloved JOHN WATLINGTON, Citizen and
Skinner, of our City of London, hath by his petičon humbly represented vnto
vs that he hath been for many years concerned in the trade of a skinner in the
cutting the wooll from the beaver, coney, and hare skins, and hath at great
pains and the expence of one thousand pounde or thereabout invented and
found out "A NEW ENGINE FOR THE BETTER AND MORE EXPEDITIOUS CUTTING
THE WOOLL FROX BEAVER, COKEY, AND HARE SKINS, IN ORDER TO MAKE HATS,"
which will be of great benefit to the said trade and advantage of this dur
kingdom, and the advancement of our revenue, and especially for that the
duty of importacon vpon beaver is one shilling and threepence per skin or
thereabouts, and the drawback on exportačon of the same vncut is one
shilling and one penny or thereabouts, which amount to twenty-five pounde
per cent. ad valorem or thereabout?; that by reason of such drawback great
quantities of beaver skins are sent vncut beyond sea to foreign parts, which
enables the foreigners to sell the wooll twenty-five pounds p cent. cheaper
than it can be sold in England, which is a manifest iniury to the skinner's
trade, and also a detriment to our Customes, for that the wooll when cut from
the beaver skin here pays vs five pound per cent. duty on the export, which
is lost to our Customes as to all the skins exported vncut, besides the twenty-
five pound per cent drawback on the vncut skins as aforesaid; and there is
also a duty on the pelte, which are after dressed into leather, and pay vs a

page_text: duty of thirty poundſ p cent. ad valorem. That the said new invented engine
will employ the same number of people in preparing and cleaning the skins
as now; and its great dispatch and cheap working prevent the great
exportacon of beaver, and instead thereof occasion the greater export of
beaver, coney, and hare wooll, the demand for the same in foreign parts being
very great, whereby there will be not only thirty pounde p cent. advantage to
vs in the Customes, but also will be of very great encouragement to the said
trade, and for the benefit of the nation; and therefore having humbly prayed
vs to grant him our Royal Letters Patent for the sole vse, benefit, and
enioyment of the said new invented engine for the term of fourteen years, wee
being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions which may be
for the public vse and benefit, have thought fit to gratify him in his request.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, of our especiall grace, certain
knowledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these Presents
for vs, our heiros and successors, do give and grant vnto the said John
Watlington, his executors, administrators, and assignes, especial lycence, full
power, sole priviledge, and authority, that he, the said John Watlington, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by himselfe, or
themselves, or by his or their deputy and deputies, servants, or agents, or such
others as he the said John Watlington, his executors, administrators, or
assignes, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years herein expressed, shall and lawfully may make,
vse, exercise, and vend his said new invented engine for the better and more
expeditious cutting the wooll from beaver, coney, and hare skins, in order to
make hate as above described, within that part of our Kingdom of Great
Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
vpon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said John Watlington, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discretions
seem meet; and that he, the said John Watlington, his executors, adminis-
trators, and assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enioy the whole profit,
benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accrewing
and ariseing by reason of the said Invenčon for and during the term of years
herein menconed; to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted or menconed to be granted
vnto the said John Watlington, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for
and during and vnto the full end and terme of fourteen yeares from the date
of these Presente next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and
ended according to the Statute in such case made and provided. And to the
end that the said John Watlington, his executors, administrators, and assignes,

page_text: and every of them; may have and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse and.
exercise of the said Invention according our grations intenčon herein-before
declared, wee do by these psents, for vs, our heirs and successors, require and
strictly command all and every person and person, bodies politick and corporate,
and all other our subiect whatsoever, of what estate, quality or degree, name
or condition soever they be, within that said part of our Kingdom of Great.
Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-.
Tweed aforesaid, that neither they or any of them at any time during the
continuance of the said term of fourteen yeares hereby granted, either directly
or indirectly, do make, vse, or put in practice the said Invenčon so attained.
vnto by the said John Watlington as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit,
imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addition
thereunto or substracčon from the same, whereby to pretend himselfe or
themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the
lycence, consent, or agreement of the said John Watlington, his executors,
administrators, or assignes, vnder his or their hand and seales first had and
obtained in that behalfe, vpon such pains and penalties as can or may be
iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal command,
and further, to be answerable to the said John Watlington, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assignes, according to law, for his or their damages thereby
occasioned; and moreover, wee do by these Presents, for vs, our heirs and
successors, will and command all and singular the justices of the peace, mayors,
sheriff's, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other officers and ministers
whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, for the time being, that they
or any of them do not nor shall at any time hereafter, during the said
term hereby granted, in any wise molest, trouble, or hinder the said John
Watlington, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them,
their, or any of their deputies, servante, or agents, in or about the due.
and lawfull vse or exercise of the aforesaid Invenčon, or any thing relating
thereto Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shall
be vpon this condition, that if, at any time during the said terme hereby
granted, it shall be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six
or more of our or their Privy Council, that this our grant is contrary to law or
preiudicial or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Inven-
tion is not a new invention as to the publick vse and exercise thereof in that
said part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or not invented and found out by
the said John Watlington as aforesaid, then vpon signification. and declaraton
thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signet

page_text: or privy seal, or by the Lorde and others of our or their Privy Council, or:
any six or more of them, vnder their hande, these our Letters Patents shall
forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all intents and purposes, any.
thing berein-before contained to the contrary in any wise notwitstanding:
Provided also, that these our Letters Patents, or any thing herein contained,.
shall not extend or be construed to extend to give priviledge vnto the said
John Watlington, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to
vse or imitate any invention or work whatsoever which hath heretofore been
found out or invented by any other of our subiecte whatsoever, and publickly
vsed or exercised in that said part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, vnto"
whom like Letters Patente or priviledges have been already granted for the
sole vse, exercise, and benefit thereof; it being our will and pleasure that the
said John Watlington, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and
every other person and persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges
have been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their
several inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true
intent and meaning of the same respective Letters Patents and of these Pre--
sents: Provided likewise, nevertheless, and these our Letters Patents are vpon
this express condition, that if the said John Watlington, his executors or
administrators, or any pson or persons which shall or may at any time or times
hereafter during the continuance of this grant, have or claime any right, title,
or interest in law or equity of, in, or to the power, priviledge, and authority of
the sole vse and benefitt of the said Invention hereby granted, shall make any
transferr or assignment, or any pretended transferr or assignement of the said
liberty and priviledge, or any share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof,
or shall declare any trust thereof, to or for any number of persons exceeding
the number of five, or shall open or cause to opened any book or books for
public subscriptions, to be made by any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, in order to the raising any sume or sumes of money vnder
pietence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall
by him or themselves, his or their agents or servant(, receive any sume or
sume or sumes of money whatsoever of any number of persons exceeding in the
whole the number of five, for such or the like intents or purposes, or shall
presume to act as a corporate body, or shall divide the benefitt of these our
Letters Patents, or the liberty and priviledges hereby by vs granted, into any
number of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall comit or do, or
procure to be committed or done, any act, matter, or thing whatsoever during
such time as such person shall have any right or title either in law or equity

page_text: in or to the said premisses, which will be contrary to the true intent and
meaning of a certain Act of Parliament made in the sixth year of our reign,
intituled (An Act for the better securing certain Powers and Priviledges
intended to be granted by his Maiestie by Two Charters for Assurance of Ships
and Merchandizes at Sea, and for lending Money vpon Bottomry, and for
restraining several extravagnt and vnwarrantable Practices therein menconed),
if these our Letters Patente had not been granted, or in case the said power,
priviledge, or authority shall at any time hereafter become vested in or in
trust for more than the number of five persons or their representatives at any
one time (reckoning executors or administrators as and for the single person
whom they represent as to such interest as they are or shall be intituled to in
right of such their testater or intestate), that then and in any of the said cases
these our Letters Patents, and all liberties, priviledges, and advantages what-
soever hereby granted, shall vtterly cease, determine, and become void, any
thing herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstand-
ing: And, lastly, wee do by these Presente, for vs, our heires, and successors,
grant vnto the said John Watlington, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exemplificacon
thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectual
in the law, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be
taken, construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficial sense for
the best advantage of the said John Watlington, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, as well in all Courts of Record as elsewhere, and by all and
singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heirs or successors, in
that part of our said Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, and amongst all and every the
subiects of vs, our heires, and successors whatsoever and wheresoever, not-
withstanding the not full and certain describing the nature or quality of the
said Invenčon, or of the materials thereto conducing or belonging.
In witness, &c. Witness our selfe at Westminster, the Ninth day of
September.