NEW DISCOVERED AND INVENTED METHOD OF MAKING EARTHENWARE, WHEREBY THE ARTICLE OF EARTHEN- WARE MAY BE MADE AT A LESS COST THAN HITHERTO, TO THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF THE MANUFACTURER THEREOF AND OF THE PUBLIC
Year: 1796

page_text: TO ALL PEOPLE TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
RALPH WEDGWOOD, of the Hill, in Burslem, in the County of Stafford, Potter,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Letters Patent under His Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Third day of October, in the thirty-sixth year of His reign, did
grant unto me, the said Ralph Wedgwood, my exors, adññiors, and assigns,
His said Majesty's especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority,
that I, the said Ralph Wedgwood, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and every
of them, by myself and themselves, or by mine and their deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Ralph Wedgwood, my exors,
adññiors, 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 "NEW DISCOVERED AND
INVENTED METHOD OF MAKING EARTHENWARE, WHEREBY THE ARTICLE OF EARTHEN-
WARE MAY BE MADE AT A LESS COST THAN HITHERTO, TO THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF THE
MANUFACTURER THEREOF AND OF THE PUBLIC," 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 Ralph Wedgwood,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or any of them, should in his or their dis-
cretions seem meet, and that I, the said Ralph Wedgwood, 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, accru-
ing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of

page_text: years therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licenec,
powers, priviledges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to
be granted unto me, the said Ralph Wedgwood, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from
the late thereof next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and
ended according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said recited Letters Patent is contained a provisoc that if 1, the said Ralph
Wedgwood, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, 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 thereof, that then the said recited Letters
Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shouldi
utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-before contained
to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said recited
Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at largo
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Ralph Wedgwood, do hereby declaro
my said Invention, and declare the same is of the description and to be per-
formed in manner following (that is to say:-
My new method of making earthenware 1 perform, by casing over inferior
compositions with compositions commonly used for making cream-colored
ware, white ware, or china. And, first, I mäke thick bats or lamina of the
inferior composition, and afterwards I lay on each side of each bat a thin bat
of the composition or clays generally used for cream-colored wares, white
wares, or china. And if I wish to have the edges of the ware also cased, I
surround the clges of each bat of the inferior composition with a square piece;
commonly called a wad, of the composition or clays used for cream-colored
wares, white, wares, or china. When this is done, I beat, press, or roll out
the bats thus ensed into such dimensions as are proper for the wares to be
made from the same. The square bats I make by pressure from the squeezing
box through a dod. The wads are made of the same thickness as the bats
of the inferior compositions. I make the inferior compositions in the common
method, partly of inferior or dirty clays, such as could not be properly used
in making either cream-colored wares, or white wares, or china; and as to the
residue, of common or inferior silecious, gritty, or quartzose stones, pitchers,
or sands, and I use these articles in such proportions and in the same manner
as flint and clay are commonly used. For pressing the bat into the proper.
form of the intended ware, either double moulds or the single mould may be

page_text: used; I prefer the double moulds, which may be made of wood, wood cased
with plaister, of metal, or any material or composition which will admit of
considerable pressure. I use that kind of press generally used by button
manufacturers for stamping buttons. The glazing I apply in a state of
powder, spread on both sides of the bats after they are cased and while they
are soft, by gently pressing the powder on the bats by means of a batter or
roller. After the bat is so cased and the glaze applied, the bat is put under
the press to receive the form of the intended ware, and if the edges of the
intended ware are not sufficiently covered with the glazing powder, I supply
the defective parts with wet glaze, by means of a pencil. The ware is after-
wards to be stoved and burnt.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ralph Wedgwood, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Second day of November, in the thirty-seventh
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-six.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named Ralph Wedgwood
(being first duly stamped), in the
RA. WEDGWOOD. (L.S.)
JOSEPH LANE YEOMANS,
Clements Inn..
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of November, in
the year of our Lord 1796, the aforesaid Ralph Wedgwood came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
abovo written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to
the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Second day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and ninety-six.