A NEW METHOD OF BURNING BRICKS AND TILES, AND CALCINING CHALK, EARTH, STONE, AND LIMESTONE WITH A CERTAIN MATERIAL NEVER BEFORE MADE USE OF FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1791

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
PARKER, of Christchurch, in the County of Surry, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said James Parker, did, by my Petition, humbly repre-
sent to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that,
after much trouble, labour, and expence, I had found out, invented, and
discovered "A NEW METHOD OF BURNING BRICKS AND TILES, AND CALCINING
CHALK, EARTH, STONE, AND LIMESTONE WITH A CERTAIN MATERIAL NEVER BEFORE
MADE USE OF FOR THAT PURPOSE;" and that in regard I was the first and true
Inventor thereof, and that the same had never been used or exercised by any
other person or persons, to my knowledge or belief, I therefore most humbly
prayed His said Majesty that he would be graciously pleased to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of my
said Invention, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for
the term of fourteen years, according to the Statute in that case made and
provided, and His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all
arts and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously pleased
to condescend to my request, and His said Majesty did, therefore, by His
Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of
May, in the thirty-first year of His reign, of His especial grace, certuin know-
ledge and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said James Parker, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: IIis especial licence, full power, solo priviledge and authority, that I, the said
James Parker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of them,
by myself and themselves, or by my or their deputy or deputies, servants or
agents, or such others as I, the said James Parker, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 James Parker, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or any of them, should seem meet; and that I, the said James Parker,
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, accruing, or 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, privileges and advantages therein-before granted or
mentioned to be granted unto me, the said James Parker, iny executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 James Parker, should not particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 one
calendar month 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,
anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwith-
standing, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had,
may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Parker, in compliance with the
said provisoe, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and declare that the same is to be performed in manner following, that is to say:
My method for burning of bricks and tiles, and calcining chalk, earth,
stone, and limestone, is with peat or bog, which I make use of as fuel for
the purposes before mentioned, and in the following manner, (viz³) :—
The peat or bog must be taken out of the ground in sods or other loose
pieces, and laid to dry in the sun or under sheds, in stacks, rowes, &c., or in

page_text: some convenient place, till all the watry particles are exhaled out of it; when
that is effected, and the bricks and tiles are also thoroughly dried and fit for
the fire, they may be placed in any common kiln, or in clamps in the usual
manner, making use of the before-mentioned dried peat, &c. for fuel, or the
peat may be mixed with coals, brushwood, charcoal, and all mineral and
vegetable inflammable or non-inflammable substances, instead of coals, wood,
ling, or gorse, which are the common materials made use of for the purposes.
aforesaid. The bricks and tiles, when prepared, are to be placed in the kiln or
in clamps, in separate rowes or otherways, with stratas of dried peat or bog
inder or between every row of bricks or tiles, leaving a tunnell or tunnells at.
the bottom for a draught of air, and for lighting or feeding the fire. The
quantity of peat generally required to burn a thousand of bricks is about
sixty six bushels, more or less, as the strength of the peat and size of the bricks
require. The burning of tiles will be similar to that of bricks, only with al-
smaller proportion of the fuel before described, as fifty bushels of peat will
generally be found sufficient to burn a thousand of tiles, if placed in the kilns
in the manner before described for the burning of bricks. The peat or bog,
when prepared and dried as aforesaid, for the purpose of calcining chalk, earth,
stone, or limestone, may be used, as follows: In any common kiln, (viz³) either
round, square, conical, horizontal or otherways, or even without a kiln, provided
the matter is so placed as described for the burning of bricks, with tunnels
formed at the bottom of the mass to give it a proper draught of air, which must
be regulated by the person that attends the burning. The best method of
using peat or bog for the purpose of calcining chalk, &c. is thus:-the peat, &c.
to be reduced into lumps about two, three, or four inches in diameter, the chalk,
earth, stone, or limestone to be got and prepared in the usual manner, in small
lumps about an inch or inch and half thick, that the fire may penetrate them
the more easily; when this is done, let a quantity of wood or other inflammable
matter be put at the bottom of a conical kiln with some peat or coals for the
purpose of lighting the fire, then add a basket of the chalk, earth, stone, or
limestone thus prepared, and then a bushell of peat alternately till the kiln.is
full, and when the fire is nearly got through to the top, let a part be drawn off
at the bottom at discretion, and more of the former ingredients added
in the same proportion before described, and in this manner keep up a
continual fire. If the peat is very good, and the chalk, earth, stone, or
limestone easily calcined, less peat will effect the same purpose, which must
be varied by adding to or diminishing the quantity of fuel in proportion
to the effect it produces, which will be seen on drawing. The lime, bricks,
and tiles may also be burnt in the same kiln, and at the same time and

page_text: manner as aforesaid. Peat or bog may be used in the same manner, and
produce the same effect in proportion, either with or without the addition
of any vegetable or mineral, inflammable or non-inflammable substance
or fluid whatever; as for instance, if it requires thirty-six bushels of coals to
burn two hundred and twenty bushels of line, the same may be burnt or
calcined with two hundred bushels of peat, with the addition of three bushels
of coals. The method of burning or calcining chalk, earth, stone, or limestone
is to let it remain in the kiln about twenty-four hours, more or less, according
to the nature and size of the pieces and strength of the fuel. If vegetable
substances are used with peat or bog for the purposes before mentioned, it will
require a quantity of strong wood fuel equal in weight to the quantity of peat
required; and if other vegetables are used of the lighter and more inflammable
kind, such as furze, gorse, ling, heath, reeds, rushes, straw, &c., they must also
be of equal weight with the quantity of peat used.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Parker, have hereunto se my hand
and seal, the Sixteenth day of June, in the thirty-first 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 ninety-one
Sealed and delivered, being first duly
stumped, in the presence of
ROD LONG, Att,
Symonds Inn.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of June, in the
thirty-first year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, the said
James Parker came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified in form above written. And also the Instrument
aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the several Statutes made in
the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen William and Mary
of England, and so forth, and in the seventeenth and twenty-third years of the
reign of His present Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the said Sixteenth day of June, in the year abovo written.