IMPROVEMENT UPON THE PLOUGH HERETOFORE USED FOR DRAINING LAND, AND THE MACHINE FOR DRAWING THE SAME THROUGH THE GROUND
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HICKFORD, of Chadacre Hall Farm, in the Parish of Shimpling, in the County
of Suffolk, Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and ten, and in the fiftieth year of
His reign, for Himself, and His successors, did give and grant unto me, the
said George Hickford, my exors, adññors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said George Hickford, my
exors, admors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves,
or by my and their deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or such others as
I, my exors, adñiors, 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, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my new Invented
"IMPROVEMENT UPON THE PLOUGH HERETOFORE USED FOR DRAINING LAND, AND THE
MACHINE FOR DRAWING THE SAME THROUGH THE GROUND;" in which Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said George Hickford, by an
instrument in writing, under my hand and seal, to particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately

page_text: after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the .said
George Hickford, do hereby declare that my said improvement upon the
plough heretofore in use for draining land consists in five particulars, that is to
say:
First, I apply two large wheels to the beam of my plough, instead of the
small roller commonly used, to keep the drain always of the same depth below
the surface of the earth, because I find these, wheels are not so subject to clog
up by the soil as the roller.
Secondly, I place the frame of my capstan or machine for drawing the said
plough upon three wheels only, so that it can conveniently and with ease be
removed for taking a fresh purchase by the power of the same horse, ass, mule,
or other animal, which turns round with and gives motion to the capstan.
Thirdly, my capstan can be inclined by altering the height of one of the said
three wheels which support the frame thereof, or by elevating or depressing the
pole by a perforated iron and pin, in such a manner as to wind the drawing
rope or chain, which is connected with the plough, upon that part of the
capstan barrel as is most convenient and applicable for the situation where my
plough is to be used, whether upon an ascent or declivity.
Fourthly, I make use of moveable segments of wood or other materials, to
be applied and fastened round my capstan to increase its diameter, when such
increase is found necessary to give the proper effect to the exertions of the
horse or other animal, either when cog wheels are used. or without.
:...
Fifthly, I apply to my capstan, when necessary, cog wheels to increase the
power of the horse, either by adding effect to his strength,-or-by-increasing-
the velocity with which the plough follows his motion; and this I can accom-
plish without rendering the diameter of the horse walk too, small for him to
turn conveniently in the circle, or too large to be inconvenient by the space
occupied with his circuit, I apply these wheels in any part of the machine as
is most convenient, and of
of such size, and number of teeth as I find best adapted
to the particular occasion.
...
These particulars I propose to apply conjointly or seperately as occasion
offers.
One of the forms by which the machine can be constructed is explained by
the Drawing in the margin hereof, in which A, A, Fig. 1, represents the
capstan or barrel on which the chain or rope B is wound, and draws forwards
the plough D, of which E, E, are the wheels mentioned as the first of the
above-mentioned improvements; F is the coulter; G, the share; and H, the

page_text: mole fixed at the lower end thereof, and adjustable by wedges or pin in the
beam K; L is a roller at the heel of the plough, to regulate the depth
of the mole; M are the handles of the plough, which move on a joint, and
can be fixed at any angle of elevation by the pin g, to suit the height of the
ploughman, or, when turned down, they serve to support the plough in a
vertical position before it enters the ground; a is a hook, with notches, from
which the purchase for the draught of the plough is taken. By the different
notches in this piece the height of the point of draught can be altered, as it
also may be to the right or left by the different notches in the iron frame b, into
which the chain of traction B is hooked; c is a piece of iron annexed to the
beam between the wheels, to keep the chain B in its place; d, see Fig. 2, is an
iron spindle to keep the wheels in their places; fis pin to prevent the chain
going backwards; e is a pin to keep the spindle d from turning.
+
In the machine for drawing the plough through the ground the horse is
harnessed to the end of the lever X, and as he walks round turns the axis Y,
which communicates motion to the capstan A by the cog wheels R, R, men-
tioned in the fifth article of my Invention; N, N, are two of the wheels for
the support of the frame of the capstan, see the second particular of my Inven-
tion. The third wheel P is at the end of the pole O, and can be raised or
lowered through the pole to incline the axis of the capstan from the perpen-
dicular, for the purpose mentioned in the third article above, namely, that the
rope or chain of traction B may wind upon the capstan A, regularly from one
end to the other, without accumulating at the lower end thereof. By these
wheels the capstan is also adapted to any uneven ground, raising or lowering
the roller P through the end of the polo O to suit the ground. It is not essen-
tial that the support P should contain a roller, and in some cases it may be
advantageously omitted. The end of the iron P, resting on the ground,
the frame of the capstan is prevented from moving by the purchase of the
draught by two stays L, L, from the back of the frame, which are pointed
at the ends, and thrust into the earth to prevent the frame slipping on arable
land. These stays are united by a cross bar to render them more solid, but the
principal strain is taken from an anchor M, placed in the ground, and con-
nected with the pole O by a chain N, or two, if the strain renders such addition
necessary.
The manner of removing the capstan and frame, to take a fresh purchase, is
as follows:-Suppose the chain wound up upon the capstan, and the plough
(as shewn in the Drawing) drawn up as near the capstan as it can come with-
out interfering with the horse walk. The horse is now unhooked from the
end of the lever X, and his harness hooked to the shank of the anchor at m;

page_text: he then draws the anchor out of the ground and walk forwards with it,
drawing the capstan frame along upon the wheels N, N, the chain or rope B
unwinding from the capstan as it recedes from the plough. When all the
chain is unwound in this manner, the horse is unhooked from the anchor and
returns to the lever X, which he begins to turn, and wind up the draught
chain or rope B. The power of doing this draws the anchor M into the earth,
and settles the stays L, L, into the ground, and by this means fixes the frame
firmly to the ground, so that it will take the strain of drawing the plough
through the ground without moving it from its place. The horse now proceeds,
turning the lever X and winding up the chain, until the plough is again
brought up to the machine in the manner shewn by the Drawing, when it is
advanced by repeating the same operation I have before detailed. The move-
able segments mentioned in the fifth article, are shewn at Fig. 3 and 4 of the
Drawing. They are made in two halves a, b, which are placed together upon
the capstan, and united by hooks, bolts, screws, ropes, or any other fastning.
The segments themselves may be made from one piece of wood or other matter,
or of several paralel ribs united together, so as to be flexible and apply them-
selves to the capstan. The flexible joints may be made by hinges, by fastning
the ribs to any flexible substance, as leather, iron plate, or any other joints,
and in such case the segment may be made in one part, as Fig 4, and its
ends e, f, united by bolts or otherwise. The cog wheels above mentioned may
be placed under the frame, or in any other position, as is found most
applicable. Another lever may be placed opposite to X, for a second horse to
work when the land proves so stiff as to require such additional power.
The construction of the work, as described by these Drawings on the margin,
I consider as the best for use, though I propose to use any other combinations
of the five improvements above recited, which being of my Invention are
secured to me by His Majesty's said Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this First
day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and ten.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1810, the aforesaid George Hickford came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowleged 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 Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and ten.