A PARTICULAR MANNER OF SECURING BUILDINGS FROM DAMAGE BY FIRE, AND WHICH I APPREHEND GREATLY VARIED FROM ANY OTHER METHOD NOW USED FOR THE LIKE PURPOSE, AND MAY BE DONE AT A MUCH LESS EXPENCE
Year: 1779

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
JOHNSON, of Berners Street, in the Parish of Saint Marylebone, otherwise
Marybone, in the County of Middlesex, Architect, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said John Johnson, did, by my humble Petition, represent
to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that by
study, application, and expence in trying experiments, found out and invented
"A PARTICULAR MANNER OF SECURING BUILDINGS FROM DAMAGE BY FIRE, AND
WHICH I APPREHEND GREATLY VARIED FROM ANY OTHER METHOD NOW USED FOR THE
LIKE PURPOSE, AND MAY BE DONE AT A MUCH LESS EXPENCE," and that in regard
I was, as I believed, the first and sole Inventor of the said manner of
securing buildings from damage by fire, and as I apprehended the same
would be of publick use and benefit to His Majesty's subjects, I therefore most
humbly prayed His Majesty that he would be graciously pleased to grant unto
me, my executors, admors, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent for the sole
use and exercise of my said Invention, within that part of His Majesty's
Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, according to the
Statute in that case made and provided; His said Majesty being willing to give
encouragement to all arts and inventions which might be for the publick good,
was graciously pleased to condescend to my request, and therefor His
Majesty, by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the

page_text: Fifteenth day of October, in the nineteenth year of His reign, of His especial
grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, for Himself, His heirs and suc-
cessors, did give and grant unto me, the said John Johnson, my exors,
admors, and assigns, His especial lycence, full power, sole priviledge and
authority, that I, the said John Johnson, my exors, admors, and assigns, and
every of them, by myself and themselves, and by my or their deputy
or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said John Johnson,
my exors, adñors, and 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 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 John Johnson, my exors, adñors,
and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretion seem meet; and that I,
the said John Johnson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should and lawfully
might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, 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 me, the said John Johnson,
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 to the
Statute in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that if 1, the said John Johnson, 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 said Majesty's 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, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in
anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent, relation' being
thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Johnson, in compliance with the
said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and declare the same to be as follows (that is to say) :-
To rail or any otherwise (fix on the surface of all ceilings, partitions, or any
other kind of timber work) thin tiles, slate, or stone, and to point between or

page_text: plaister over the same; and where the surface of joists or other timbers, or any.
part of them, are required to be left uncovered, in such case to fix in the
intersitices thin tyles, slate, or stone, and to point between or plaister over the
same, so as to be as near as possible to the surface of the said timbers, as is
more particularly shewn by the Drawing in the margin of these Presents.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Johnson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and eighty, and in the twentieth year of
the reign of our said Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of
God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defer.der of the
Faith, and so forth.
Inrolled the Third day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and eighty.