A NEW KIND OF SHIP BLOCKS, WHICH TURN UPON IRON OR STEEL PINS OR AXLES CASED WITH METAL
Year: 1778

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, WILLIAM
BENT, of Saint Martin's Lane, in the Liberty of Westminster, Ironmonger,
sends greeting.
WHEREAS His Majesty did, by Royal Letters Patent, under the Great
Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of
December, in the nineteenth year of His reign, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, give and grant unto the said William Bent, his executors,
administrators, and assigns, His Majesty's especial licence, full power, sole
priviledge and authority, that he; the said William Bent, his executors,
administrators, and assigns, by himself and themselves, or by his and their
deputy or deputies, servants, or agents, or such others as he, the said William
Bent, his executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all timos thereafter, during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend his Invention of "A NEW KIND OF SHIP BLOCKS, WHICH TURN UPON IRON
OR STEEL PINS OR AXLES CASED WITH METAL," within Great Britain called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in
such manner as to him, the said William Bent, his executors, administrators,
and assigns, or any of them, should in his or their discretions seem meet; and
that he, the said William Bent, his executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: shou'd and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, com-
modity, and advantage, from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and
arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of years
therein mentioned; to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers,
priviledges, and advantages 'therein-before granted or mentioned to be
granted unto the said William Bent, 'his executors, administrators, and
assigns for and during and unto the full end of fourteen years from
the date of the said Letters Patent, according to the Statute in such case
made; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the said
William Bent should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an
instrument in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be
inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within four 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,
should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the said Letters
Patent, referrence being thereto had, may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Bent, in pursuance of the said
proviso in the said Letters Patent contained, do hereby describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention,. and the manner in which the same is to be
performed as follows (that is to say):-
The Invention consists chiefly in the pin bolt or axle on which the shive
turns being made of steel, iron, or cast metal called cast iron, and covered or
cased with copper, brass, block tinn, or pewter, or a mixture of the aforesaid
metals, which is done in the following manner :-The pins of the blocks are
made of iron or steel, which may be prepared for covering with metal by
pickling, tinning, fluxing, or otherwise, or without such preparations, though
the same thought to be preferable; after which a proper quantity of metal,
consisting of brass, copper, tinn, pewter, lead, or other metal, or a composition
of all or any of the said metals, is melted and poured or cast upon the pins,
which are previously put into a flask or mould, to which pins the said metal
adheres, and thereby the pins become free from the inconvenience of rusting,
which iron pins not covered are very liable to, and such pins so covered
preserve a sufficient strength; and pins cased or covered as above specifyed
may be applied to the purpose of bolting ships. The shives of the said blocks
may be made of mahogany, lignum vitæ, or other wood, with or without
pieces or plates of metal fixed on each side in the centers to strengthen the
wood; or the whole shive may be made of metal or of cast iron. If of cast
iron the holes in the middle should be lined with metal, which may be done

page_text: either by casting in the same manner as above described for covering the pins.
The block case may be made of elm or any other wood.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bent, have hercunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine.
Inrolled the said Twenty-third day of April, in the year above said.