IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Clay, of Yardley, in the County of Worcester,
Saddler, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES."
Sealed the 22nd January 1867, and dated the 9th August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Clay at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th August
1866.
I, JOHN CLAY, of Yardley, in the County of Worcester, Saddler, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," to
be as follows:-
My Invention relates to that part of a saddle called the saddle-tree, and
consists in making the foundations of saddle-trees of metal, and hollow or
tubular, thereby securing great strength with lightness. I make the said
foundations by preference of iron, either forged, pressed, or cast in the
required form, but brass or other hard metal or alloy may be used instead of
iron. I prefer to make the said foundations in two shells or pieces, which
when joined together at their edges by soldering, brazing, or rivetting con-
stitute a foundation of the ordinary form but hollow. When I make the
hollow foundation of cast iron or other cast metal I make it either in one,
two, or more pieces, but I prefer to make it of two pieces. The hollow
metallic foundation may be coated with papier mâché, or the composition
called parkesine, or other material which will afford the required hold for the
nails used in attaching the webs and leather to the saddle-tree; or the hollow

page_text: metallic saddle-tree may be made into a saddle without the coating described.
In this case the webs and leather may be attached to [the said saddle-tree by
being rivetted or screwed thereto; or the webs and leather may be otherwise
attached to the hollow metallic saddle-tree by means of holes made for that
purpose in the said saddle-tree.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Clay in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th February
1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CLAY, of Yardley, in the County of Worcester, Saddler, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing. date the Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the
said John Clay, Her special licence that I, the said John Clay, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such-others as I, the said John
Clay, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," upon
the condition (amongst others)..that I, the said John Clay, 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.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that. I, the said John Clay, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to that part of a saddle called the saddle-tree, and.
consists in making the foundations of saddle-trees of metal, and. hollow .or.
tubular, thereby securing great strength with lightness. I make the said,
foundations of saddle-trees by preference of iron, but brass or other hard.

page_text: metal or alloy may be used instead of iron. I make the said foundations of
two or more pieces or shells. When I employ two pieces or shells, one of the
said pieces or shells, has the figure of the upper side of the foundation to be
made, and the other piece or shell has the figure of the under side of the said
foundation. I join the said pieces or shells together at their edges by
soldering or brazing, or rivetting, or turning the edge of one shell over the
edge of the other, and thereby produce a foundation of a saddle-tree of the
ordinary form but hollow. I'make the said pieces or shells by any of the
well known and commonly practised processes employed for shaping metals.
When I make the said pieces or shells of iron I either employ cast or wrought
iron. When I employ cast iron I prefer to make the foundation of the
saddle-tree in one piece, or of two pieces or shells. When I employ wrought
iron I take sheets of the said iron, and by forging form the required pieces
or shells; or I employ dies, or pressing or stamping tools of the form proper.
to shape the sheet iron to the required form, and by means of presses or
stamps I work the said pressing or shaping tools, and operate on the sheet
iron in the way commonly, practised for shaping sheet iron. When I employ
brass I either cast pieces or shells of the required form, or I press or
stamp or hammer sheet brass into the said shells or pieces. Although the
foundation of the saddle-tree may be made of two pieces or shells, yet I find
it more convenient to make it in more than two pieces, as the fore part or
shoulder of the foundation of the saddle-tree can be more conveniently made
separate from the other parts of the foundation, and afterwards attached
thereto. I prefer to attach the pieces or shells together by rivetting when
they are made of iron, and by soldering or brazing when they are made of
brass. Although I prefer to use iron or brass in making the foundations of
saddle-trees according to my Invention yet I do not limit myself thereto, as
other hard metals and alloys may be employed. The hollow metallic founda-
tion may be coated with papier mâché, or with the compound called parkesine, or
with other material which will afford the required hold for the nails used in
attaching the webs and leather to the saddle-tree. I prefer to coat the whole
of the hollow metallic foundation with the said material, making the coating
thicker at that part where the nails are to be driven than at the other parts;
or the said hollow foundation may be made into a saddle without the coating
described. In this case I make the metallic pieces or shells somewhat larger
than when a coating is to be employed; the hollow metallic saddle-tree thus
produced being of the size of the coated bollow metallic foundation described.
The webs and leather are attached to the hollow metallic saddle-tree by being
rivetted or screwed thereto; or the webs and leather may be otherwise

page_text: attached to the hollow metallic saddle-tree by means of holes made for-
that purpose in the said saddle-tree.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein dsscribed, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my
Invention the improvements in saddles herein-before described, that is to say,
making that part of the saddle called the saddle-tree or the foundation of the
saddle-tree of metal and hollow or tubular, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Clay, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN CLAY. (L.S.)