HORIZONTAL WHEEL OF A CONSTRUCTION ENTIRELY NEW, WHICH, WHEN PROPERLY FIXED, NEVER NEEDS EITHER MOVING OR SHIFTING TO FRONT THE WIND, BY WHICH IT IS TURNED, BUT IS ALWAYS OPEN AND READY TO RECEIVE IT FROM EVERY POINT OF THE COMPASS, AND CAPABLE OF PERFORMING ALL THE LIGHT AND HEAVY WORK OF THE COMMON WINDMILLS, AND ALL OTHER MILLS AND ENGINES NOW IN USE, WITH MUCH MORE EASE AND AT LESS EXPENCE, AND WITH THIS GREAT ADVANTAGE, THAT IT WILL NEITHER DAMAGE OR SHAKE THE BUILDING UPON WHICH IT IS ERECTED IN ITS SWIPTEST MOTION, OR UPON ITS BEING INSTANTANEOUSLY STOPT IN THE SMARTEST GALE: SUCH IS THE UTILITY OF IT, THAT I CONCEIVE IT WOULD BE OF GREAT AGE TO THE PUBLICK IN GENERAL
Year: 1764

page_text: THORNHILL, of Fenchurch Street, in the Farish of Saint Cathe
in the City of London, Mariner, send greeting.
Coleman,
WHEREAS I, the said Joseph Thornhill, did, by my petition humbly repre-
sent unto Ilis present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that I,
after many years' hard labour, study, close application, and great expence, had
compleated a certain "HORIZONTAL WHEEL OF A CONSTRUCTION ENTIRELY NEW,
WHICH, WHEN PROPERLY FIXED, NEVER NEEDS EITHER MOVING OR SHIFTING TO FRONT
THE WIND, BY WHICH IT IS TURNED, BUT IS ALWAYS OPEN AND READY TO RECEIVE IT
FROM EVERY POINT OF THE COMPASS, AND CAPABLE OF PERFORMING ALL THE LIGHT
AND HEAVY WORK OF THE COMMON WINDMILLS, AND ALL OTHER MILLS AND ENGINES
NOW IN USE, WITH MUCH MORE EASE AND AT LESS EXPENCE, AND WITH THIS GREAT
ADVANTAGE, THAT IT WILL NEITHER DAMAGE OR SHAKE THE BUILDING UPON WHICH IT
IS ERECTED IN ITS SWIPTEST MOTION, OR UPON ITS BEING INSTANTANEOUSLY STOPT IN
THE SMARTEST GALE: SUCH IS THE UTILITY OF IT, THAT I CONCEIVE IT WOULD BE OF
GREAT ADVANTAGE TO THE PUBLICK IN GENERAL;" I did, therefore, most humbly
pray His said Majesty that He would be graciously pleased to grant unto me,
my heirs, exors, adñiors, and assigns, Ilis Royal Letters Patent under His
Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole making, erecting, and vending the
said horizontal wheel within that part of Great Britain called England, the
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of
fourteen years; His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all
arts and inventions which may be for the publick good, did, by His Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifteenth day of March, in

page_text: the fourth year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and
meer motion, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Thornhill, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Joseph Thornhill, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, and every of us, by myself and ourselves, or by mine and our deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Joseph Thornhill,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend my said Invention, within that part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of
Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Joseph Thornhill, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretion seem meet,
and that I, the said Joseph Thornhill, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit,
commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, and arising by
reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein men-
tioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges,
and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me,
the said Joseph Thornhill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for and
during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the
said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat
and ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a provisoe that if I, the said Joseph Thorn-
hill, should 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 four kalendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters
Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly
cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained to the con-
trary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said recited Letters
Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Thornhill, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to performed, in manner
and form following (that is to say):-
First, there being fixed in any building the main shaft or axletree of the
wheel of any convenient length, so as to reach from the bottom (if occasion

page_text: should require) to above the top of such building; at each end of the shaft or
axletree is fixed a strong gudgeon; the bottom gudgeon runs in a metal box,
and the top one in a collar, that it may turn steady and easy upon the shaft or
axletree, and above the building must be fixed a round peice of wood, in the
shape of a drumhead of the capstern of a ship, into which round peice of wood
are fixed a convenient number of arms or spokes. Above this round peice of
wood or drumhead is likewise fixed to the shaft or axletree, at any convenient
distance, (according to the length of the fans or flyers of the wheels, as the
nature of the work to be performed by it may require,) another round peice of
wood, in the shape and form aforesaid, into which are also fixed a like convenient
number of arms or spokes. Between these arms or spokes the fans or flyers
of the wheel are fixed, and work upon a gudgeon fixed at the top and bottom
of each fan or flier. The fans or fliers being so fixed, receive the wind by
which the wheel and main shaft or axletree thereof are turned round, and from
whence the various moveable parts of any mill, engine, or machine receive their
motion. As the wheels turn round the fans or flyers open on one side to let
the wind pass, and shut on the other that the wind may have full force and
power against them. The fans or flyers are always ready to receive the wind
from every point of the compass without shifting. If the work to be performed
by the wheel requires great force, there may be two or more tier of fliers, one above
another. The fans or fliers have one or more spring or springs fixed on them,
which spring or springs shut against and are stopt by an upright peice of wood
fixed for that purpose, or the fliers may shut against and be stopted by ropes
fixed to weights or springs at the bottom of each rope, which said springs or
ropes, when there is more wind than required, will give way and let the
superfuous wind pass through, by which means, tho' the gale be ever so
strong, no more than a sufficient quantity of wind will act upon the fliers, and
thereby the wheel and the mill engine or machine will be preserved from
danger. The fans or fliers may likewise be fixed horizontal, to lay flat on the
wind on one side, and be close shut on the other, and in such case the gudgeons
of each flier work in two upright peices of wood fixed in each of the arms or
spokes before mentioned, or the fans or fliers may be fixed to move in a hori-
zontal position upon the arms or spokes themselves. The fans or fliers may
likewise be all fixed upon their centers, so as not to move upon their gudgeons,
and in that case, upon the end of the gudgeon, at the top of the main shaft or
axletree, must be a socket, to which socket is fixed a peice of wood equal in
length to the diameter of the wheel, at the end of which must be fixed a semi-
circle of wood or canvas equal to half the circumference of the wheel, and
which said semicircle, by means of a vane or tail, is moved and turned round as

page_text: the wind shifts, the bottom of which said cemicircle moves upon castors, upon
a circular frame built for that purpose; and by this means one half of the fans
or fliers are inclosed or covered, that the wind may have full force and action
on the open side to give motion to the whole machine.
In witness whereof I, the said Joseph Thornhill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twentieth day of June, in the fourth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the Grace of
God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the
Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven
hundred and sixty-four.
Inrolled the Tenth day of July, in the fourth year of the reign of His
Majesty King George the Third, 1764.