Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
3423 машо.
HARRY OWEN ROBERTS 4 Commercial Road, Gloucester, JOHN OWEN
ROBERTS, 8 Parliament Street, Gloucester, Manufacturers &c. of Parlour and other
Games, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The articles used in the game are as follows, viz. :
1. A bowl or basin, made of wood, papier machie, tin, or other suitable material,
this is called the porridge bowl.
2. A series of small plates made of wood, papier machie, strawboard or other
suitable material, bearing the pattern of a plate, such as the well known willow
pattern, or any other.
3. A stick made preferably of wood, the one end padded, after the manner of a
drum stick, this for the purposes of the game is called the spoon.
4. A series of square or round discs, made of cardboard, wood or other suitable
material, or it may be round or square sweets-these for the purposes of the game
are called the sugar.
The game is played as follows, the porridge bowl or basin, is placed in the centre
of the table, the players sitting or standing round it. Each player must have one
of the small plates, which is placed on the table immediately in front of him. If
the table is a large one, the plates must be placed so that they can easily be reached
by players sitting opposite, when they have the spoon. The sugar must be
arranged around the porridge bowl or basin.
In commencing the game one of the players takes the spoon (padded stick) and
from his place stirs the imaginary porridge in the bowl, he then gives one of the
players an imaginary spoonful by touching the player's plate with the spoon, having
done this he immediately places the spoon back into the bowl, takes up quickly a
piece of the sugar from near the bowl, and places it on his own plate, the player
whose plate was touched and who it is presumed received the porridge, must take
hold of the spoon after it has been placed again in the basin or bowl, and endeavour
to touch with the padded end the hand of the player before he can place the sugar
on his plate, if he succeeds in touching his hand before the player can do this, he
receives the piece of sugar, but if he fails to touch the hand, the piece of sugar is
retained by the one who has placed it on the plate.
When all the sugar is gone from the centre of the table, the game ends. The
player who has the most lumps wins the game.
Special note should be taken of the following points.
The porridge must be stirred, and the pieces of sugar taken up with the right
hand only.
The stirrer of the porridge must be careful that the spoon when placed again in
the bowl, does not fall out; if it does, he must stir again, and forfeit one of the
lumps of sugar he may have previously gained, the same being again placed with
those round the bowl.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
The hereinbefore mentioned articles, used in the manner herein before described
for the purposes of an improved table game..
Dated this 24th day of March 1897.
HARRY OWEN ROBERTS.
JOHN OWEN ROBERTS.