IMPROVED COMBINATION IMPLEMENTS FOR GARDENING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harry Farncombe Hodson, of Hayward's Heath,
in the County of Sussex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED COMBINATION
IMPLEMENTS FOR GARDENING AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 24th June 1873, and dated the 8th January 1873.
I, HARRY FARNCOMBE HODSON, of Haywarus cavi,
of Sussex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
FOR GARDENING AND OTHER PURPOSES," to
"IMPROVED COMBINATION IMPLEMENTS
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the combination of many hand tools used in
gardening and for other like purposes in one implement.
The combination implement or tool is made somewhat in the form of
an anchor or mattock, and the various tools which it comprises may be
combined in various different ways. The two arms are slightly forked

page_text: at the extremities to hook or pull up weeds, and one may be flattened
like the palm of an anchor, or one may be forked and the other not.
Inside the arms I form a curved or sickle-shaped knife useful for cutting
brambles or trimming hedges; or one arm only may be formed with a
knife edge, and forked at the extremity or not. The knife edge may
extend along the shank if desired, and the opposite side of the shank
may be serrated or provided with saw teeth for sawing small branches.
At the extremity of the shank from which the arms spring a small pro-
jecting blade is provided having sharpened edges (and which may or may
not have a small recess in the edge) to spud up weeds, or it may be used
for cutting the edges of grass plots. One of the arms may be forked
and provided with a knife edge, whilst the other may be formed to serve
as a hammer.
This combined implement or tool which is fitted in a suitable handle
is also useful for a variety of other purposes. When set in a long
handle it may be used as a corn or hay fork or rake or for hoeing or
drilling in garden seeds, or as a climbing hook, or in crossing ditches and
other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Harry Farncombe Hodson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARRY
FARNCOMBE HODSON, of Hayward's Heath, in the County of Sussex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Harry Farncombe Hodson,
Her special licence that I, the said Harry Farncombe Hodson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Harry Farncombe Hodson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED COMBINATION IMPLEMENTS FOR GARDENING
AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Harry Farncombe Hodson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
1
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Harry Farncombe Hodson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to the combination of many hand tools used in
gardening and for other purposes in one implement.
The combination implement or tool is made somewhat in the form of
an anchor, and the various tools which it comprises may be combined in
various different ways. The two arms are slightly forked at the
extremities to hook or pull up weeds, and one may be flattened like the
The
palm of an anchor, or one may be forked and the other not.
flattened or palm-shaped arm is gradually tapered to enable it to easily
penetrate the ground covering the root to be extracted, and so make a
way for the hook of the opposite arm, which is made the reverse shape,
being widest at the points. Thus in hard ground the tapered or palm-
shaped end is used to give access to the root, which is then extracted by
means of the hook. Inside the arms I. form a curved or sickle-shaped
knife useful for cutting weeds and brambles or trimming hedges, or one
arm only may be formed with a cutting edge and forked at the extremity
or not. The cutting edge may extend along the shank if desired, and
the opposite side of the shank may be serrated or provided with saw
teeth for pruning or sawing small branches, or the cutting edges may be
entirely dispensed with. At the extremity of the shank from which the
arms spring a small projecting blade is provided having cutting edges
(and which may or may not have a small notch in the edge) to spud
or cut up weeds, or it may be used for cutting the edges of grass

page_text: that by it the weed or plant only may be extracted, without disturbing
or damaging the adjacent ground or vegetation, as is the case with the
ordinary spud. g, g, are cutting edges formed on the inside of each
arm b, which cutting edges may or may not extend along the shank, or
one of them only may be so continued at g', the other edge being left
plain or provided with saw teeth, as shown; g2, cutting edge for lopping
weeds. The tool is preferably made of steel and provided with a screw h,
as shown, to fit a corresponding socket in a suitable handle. The tools
may, however, be attached to their handles in other ways, as shown in
the Figures.
Figure 2 shows a similar implement, the cutting edge on one arm
being omitted, as also the saw teeth on the shank, the cutting edge of
the other arm being continued along the shank, as shown.
Figure 3 shows a somewhat modified pattern of the same implement,
both arms having cutting edges, one of which extends along the shank
(which is made of increased width) to serve as a chopper or hedge
hook.
Figure 4 shows a further modification, one arm only having a cutting
edge, and the shank being left plain.
In Figure 5 one cutting edge is provided, which however is not
formed on either of the arms, but on a small projecting blade i of the
form shown, to be used as a bramble or weed hook, springing from the
root of the arm, which serves as a guard to protect it, the shank being
left plain.
In all the foregoing Figures both arms are forked, and a spud is
provided as in Figure 1, the same letters of reference indicating similar
parts where they recur.
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, show similar implements, but with only one arm
forked at the extremity. In Figure 6 arm b' is flattened and forked at
the end, as in Figure 1, but without a cutting edge, the other arm being
sickle shaped with a cutting edge g, which is continued a short way
only along the shank, and formed with a cutting edged notch g² or weed
hook. In Figure 7 the cutting edge is continued quite along the shank,
which is sharpened on the opposite side also, and a projecting blade i is
also provided inside arm b, as before described; Figure 8 is a modi-
fication of Figure 6. Lastly, Figure 9 shows a tool with one arm b

page_text: flattened and forked, the other arm b¹ being made in the form of a
hammer, chiefly to give weight in using the tool. A bill hook is also
formed on the shank. The shanks of the several tools may be made
either straight or cranked, as desired.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the several arrangements and combinations of tools or
implements herein-before described and illustrated in the Drawings, or
any mere modifications thereof, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I; the said Harry Farncombe Hodson, have
.hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
HARRY FARNCOMBE HODSON. (L.S.)