A NEW ENGINE FOR SPINNING, WORKING, AND WEAVING OF HEMP, FLAX, AND HAIRE, BY A MORE EASY AND DIFFERENT METHOD THAN HAS HITHERTO BEEN FOUND OUT
Year: 1729

page_text: GEORGE THE SECOND,
Presents shall come greeting.
WHEREAS MARTIN BEDWELL, Gentleman, has by his petition hambly
represented vnto vs that he hath invented, found out, and brought to per-
feccon "A NEW ENGINE FOR SPINNING, WORKING, AND WEAVING OF HEMP, FLAX,
AND HAIRE, BY A MORE EASY AND DIFFERENT METHOD THAN HAS HITHERTO BEEN
FOUND OUT;" and which will prove very advantagious to the poor: That the
said Invenčon is an easier and truer way of bringing the threade down to the
shuttle, with less knotte than the common way, and by that discharge
will make the work run even, and without retarding the motion: That this
engine is so contrived that the invalids in the hospitals, forts, guards, and
garrisons may be employed in spinning and weaving linnen cloath for tents,
sails, sheeting, and shirting, whereby the demande of our navy, guarde, and
garrisons, which now are supplied by foreign manufactures, at the expence of
many hundred thousand pounde p ann. may be saved: That the present
method of weaving and spinning of hemp, flax, and hair hath been found
tedious and heavy, and at this day is so entirely regulated that they cannot
deviate, nor can hardly get bread, whereby the poor in most parts of our
kingdome are become very burthensome. And having humbly prayed vs to
grant him, his executors, administrators, and assignes, our Royal Letters
Patents for the sole vse and benefit of his said new invented engine, for the
term of fourteen years, pursuant to the Statute in that case made-and-pro-
vided, wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions

page_text: that may be for the publick benefit, are gratiously pleased to gratify him in
his request.
KNOW YEE, THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain
knowledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these Presente,
for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto tho said Martin
Bedwell, his executors, administrators, and assignes, our especial lycence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that he, the said Martin Bedwell, his
executors, administrators and assignes, and every of them, by himselfe or
themselves, or by his or their deputy and deputies, servante, or agente, or
such others as ho, the said Martin Bedwell, his executors, administrators, or
assignes, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times hereafter, during the term of yeares herein expressed, shall and
lawfully may make, vse, and exercise his said new invented engine for spinning,
working, and weaving of hemp, flax, and hair, as above described, within that
part of our Kingdome of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the
said Martin Bedwell, his execs, administrators, and assignes, or any of them,
shall in their discrečons seem meet, and that he, the said Martin Bedwell, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enioy
the whole profit, commodity, benefit, and advantage from time to time comeing,
growing, accrewing, and ariseing by reason of the said Invenčon, for and
during the term of yeares herein menconed: To have, hold, exercise, and
enioy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before
granted, or menčoned to be granted vnto the said Martyn Bedwell, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, for and during and vnto the full
end and term of fourteen yeares from the date of these Presents next and
immediately ensueing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the
Statute in such case made and provided; and to the end that the said
Martin Bedwell, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of
them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse and exercise of
the said Invenčon, according to our gracious intenčon herein-before declared,
wee do by these Presents for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly
command all and every person and persons, bodies politick and corporate, and
all other our subiects whatsoever, of what estate, quality, degree, name, or
condicon soever they be, within that said part of our Kingdome of Great
Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed, aforesaid, that neither they or any of them at any time during the con-
tinuance of the said term of fourteen yeares hereby granted, either directly or
indirectly do make, vse, or put in practice the said Invencon, or any part of

page_text: the same so attained vnto by the said Martin Bedwell, as aforesaid, nor in any-
wise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make or cause to be
made any addition thereunto or substraction from the same, whereby to
pretend himselfe or themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors
thereof, without the lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Martin Bed-
well, his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writing vnder his or their
hande and seales first had and obtained in that behalfe, vpon such pains and
penalties as can or may be iustly inflicted on such offendors for their contempt
of this our royal command. And further to be answerable to the said Martyn
Bedwell, his executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law, for his
and their damages thereby occasioned; and moreover wee do by these Pre-
sents, for vs, our heires and successors, will and command all and singular the
justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffes, bayliffes, constables, headboroughs, and
all other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors for
the time being, that they or any of them do not nor shall at any time
hereafter during the said term hereby granted, in anywise molest, trouble, or
hinder the said Martin Bedwell, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or
any of them, or his or their deputies, servante or agente, in or about the due
and lawfull vse or exercise of the aforesaid Invention, or anything relating
thereto Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shall be
vpon this condition, that if at any time during the said term hereby granted it
shall be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our
or their Privy Council, that this our grant is contrary to law or preiudicial or
inconvenient to our subiccts in general, or that the said Invention is not a new
Invention as to the publick vse and exercise thereof, in that said part of our
Kingdom of Great Britain called England, our Dominion of Wales, or Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, aforesaid, or not invented and found out by the said
Martin Bedwell, as aforesaid, then vpon significačon or declaration thereof to
be made by vs, our heires or successors, or by lorde and others of our or
their Privy Council, or any six or more of them, vnder their hande, these our
Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all
intents and purposes, anything herein-before contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding: Provided also, that these our Letters
Patent, or anything herein contained, shall not extend or be construed
to extend to give priviledge vnto the said Mastin Bedwell, his execu-
tors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any
invention or work whatsoever which hath hath heretofore been found out or
invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever, and publickly vsed or exer-
cised in that said part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called England; our
:

page_text: Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, aforesaid, vnto whom
like Letters Patent or priviledges have been already granted for the sole vse,
exercise, and benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said
Martin Bedwell, his executors, administrators and assignes, and all and every
other person or persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have
been already granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their several
inventions by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and
meaning of the same respective Letters Patente and of these Presents:
Provided likewise neverthelesso, and those our Letters Patente are vpon this
expresse condicon, that if the said Martin Bedwell, his executors or admini-
strators, or any person or persons which shall or may at any time or times
hercafter during the continuance of this grant have or claim any right, title,
or interest in law or equity in or to the power, priviledge, and authority of the
sole vse and benefit of the said Invenčon hereby granted, shall make any
transferr or assignment or pretended transferr or assignment of the said liberty
and priviledge, or any share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof, or shall
declare any trust thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, or shall open or cause to be opened any booke or books for
publick subscripcons, to be made by any number of persons exceeting the
number of five, in order to the raising any sume or sumes of money vnder
pretence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall
by him or themselves, or his or their agent or servants, to receive any sume
or sumes of money whatsoever, of any number of persons exceeding in the
whole the number of five, for such or the like intent or purposes, or shall
presume to act as a corporate body, or shall divide the benefit of these our
Letters Patents, or the liberty and priviledges hereby by vs granted, into any
number of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall comitt or do or do
or procure to be committed or done, any act, matter, or thing whatsoever
during such time as such person or persons shall have any right or title,
either in law or equity, in or to the said premisses, which would be contrary
to the true intent and meaning of a certain Act of Parliament made in the
sixth year of the reign of our late Royal Father King George the First,
intituled (An Act for the better securing certain Powers and Priviledges
intended to be granted by His Maiestie by Two Charters for Assurance of
Ships and Merchandizes at Sea, and for lending Money vpon Bottomry, and
restraining several extravagant and vnwarrantable practices therein menconed),
if these our Letters Patents had not been granted, or in case the said power,
priviledge, or authority shall at any time hereafter become vested in or in
trust for more than the number of five persons or their representatives at any

page_text: one time (reckoning executors or administrators as and for the single person
whom they represent as to such interest as they are or shall be intituled to in
right of such their testator or intestate), that then, and in any of the said
cases, these our Letters Patents, and all liberties, priviledges, and advantages
whatsoever hereby granted shall vtterly cease, determine, and become void,
anything herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwith-
standing. And lastly, wee do by these psents, for vs, our heires and succes-
sors, grant vnto the said Martin Bedwell, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, that these our Letters Patents, or the inrollment or exemplification
thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firme, valid, sufficient, and effectuall
in the law, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be
taken, construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficial sense
for the best advantage of the said Martin Bedwell, his executors, admini-
strators and assignes, as well-in all our Courts of Record as elswhere, and by
all and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and
successors, in that part of our said Kingdome of Great Britain called England,
our Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, and
amongst all and every the subiects of vs, our heires and successors, whatsoever
and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and certain describing the
nature or quality of the said Invencon, or of the materials thereto conducing
and belonging.
In witnoce a