AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE STAYSAILS GENERALLY IN USE FOR THE PURPOSE OF INTERCEPTING WIND BETWEEN THE SQUARESAILS OF SHIPS AND OTHER SQUARE-RIGGED VESSELS
Year: 1823

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SIR HENRY
HEATHCOTE, of No. 23, Surry Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Knight, and Captain in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirteenth day of December, in the fourth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Sir
Henry Heathcote, His especial licence, that I, the said Sir Henry Heathcote,
my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Sir Henry
Heathcote, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also
in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE STAYSAILS GENERALLY IN USE FOR THE PURPOSE OF
INTERCEPTING WIND BETWEEN THE SQUARESAILS OF SHIPS AND OTHER SQUARE-RIGGED
VESSELS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said Sir Henry Heathcote, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause
the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part

page_text: recited Letters Patent, as in and by the said, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
from
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Heathcote, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
doth consist in a particular form of such sails used on board square-rigged
vessels as are called staysails, and arrangement of the tacks and other appurts
thereunto belonging, which said form and arrangement increases their powers
of propulsion, and lessens the effect of the back wind which escapes
staysails as they are now formed and rigged, and which back wind, acting
against the topsails, considerably impedes the progress of the vessel; and in
further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Henry Heathcote, do
hereby describe the manner in which I perform my said Invention by the follow-
ing description thereof, reference being add to the Diagrams, that is to say:-
The exact form of my said improved staysails will depend, of course, upon
the dimensions and positions of the various spars and rigging of each ship to be
fitted with them; but the rules of measurement which determine the shape of
each staysail will be the same in all ships. I shall proceed to lay down those
rules as applicable to each staysail, that is to say,-first draw a side elevation
of the masts and yards as braced to an angle of thirty-three degrees for the
main and fore, and 28 for the mizen to a regular scale, they having been
first duly measured for that purpose, see Figure 1, Drawing marked A, and
this Figure will answer to ascertain the shape of all the staysails in manner
following, that is to say,―
Rule of Admeasurement for a Maintopmast Staysail.-Draw a line from
the maintopmast head m to such point on the foremast as will allow of
stowing this sail up and down abaft the mast, in the same manner as tho
old mizen staysail, see letter a; this will be the line of the head of this
'staysail;
for the foot of this sail let a horizontal line b be drawn aft from
the tack, and the breadth of the foot of this sail is subject to the same rule
as has heretofore guided sailmakers in this respect, while the swell will be
added in the usual manner; and here it may be necessary to observe the sail
makers' rule before alluded to is, that the leach of the staysail shall not come
'so far aft as to bear again the lee braces, nor so far aft as to prevent its travers-
ing easily over the stay immediately under it. For ascertaining the rake of the
leach of this sail, it will be the same when trimmed at an angle of 25 degrees,
as the line of leach of the mainsail, when trimmed at an angle of 33 degrees;
in this diagram c, is the leach of the mainsail. This, with the breadth as
before given, will of course determine the length of the head of this sail.
•

page_text: Rule of Admeasurement of a Maintopgallant Staysail.-Draw a line from.
the maintop gallant mast head n, to that point on the foremast to which
the whole middle and topgallant staysail used to be hauled down for
the purpose of stowing, see letter d; this will be the line of the head of
this staysail; for the foot of this sail let a horizontal line e be drawn aft
from the stay on a level with the top of the forecap f. and the breadth of
the foot of the sail is subject to the same rule as has heretofore guided sail-
makers in this respect, while the swell will be added in the usual manner for
ascertaining the rake of the leach of this sail; it will be the same when
trimmed at an angle of 25 degrees as the line of leach of the main topsail g,
when trimmed at an angle of 33 degrees, this, with the breadth, as before given,
will of course determine the length of the head of this sail.
Rule of Admeasurement of the Mainroyal Staysail.-Draw a line from the
mainroyal masthead p to a point r on the foretopmast below the crosstrees,
which will be one-third of the distance from the foretopmast cap to the
point on the head of the foremast to which the maintopgallant stay has
been herein-before described to lead; this will be the line of the head of
this staysail. For the foot of this sail draw a horizontal line S aft from the
stay on a level with the foretopmast futtock shaft t. For ascertaining
the rake of the leach of this sail, draw a line u from the peak of the main-
topmast staysail v cutting the peak of the maintopgallant staysail w, and
crossing all the upper stays, and the point at which it crosses the main-
The rake of the leach of
royal stay will be the peak of the royal staysail.
this sail must be determined by the breadth of the foot, which breadth must
be subject to the same rule, with regard to the stay next below it, that has
herein-before been mentioned, as the sailmaker's ordinary rule, as the sail-
maker's ordinary rule.
Having now described the rules by which I ascertain the shape of the
principal staysails on the mainmast, it will be necessary to observe that it is
part of my said Invention to employ intermediate or auxiliary staysails above
each of the three principal staysails herein-before described; and I will now.
proceed to describe the rules of admeasurement which determine the shape
of each of the said auxiliary staysails, that is to say,―
Rules of Admeasurement of a Maintopmast auxiliary Staysail.-Draw a
line from the maintopmast head m to close above the forecat harpings 3;
this will be the line of the head of the sail, the length of which will be
determined by the line the peak of the sail being at that point where the line
u intersects the auxiliary stay for the foot of the sail; let a horizontal line 4 be

page_text: drawn aft from the forecat harpings 3. The rake of the leach of this sail must
be determined by the breadth of the foot, which breadth must be subject to
the same rule, with regard to the stay next below it, that has herein-before been.
mentioned as the sailmaker's ordinary rule.
Rule of Admeasurement of a Maintopgallant Auxiliary Staysail.-Draw
a line 5 from the maintopgallant mast head n to a point on the fore-
topmast 6 which shall be exactly half the distance between the point on the
fore mast head d, to which the maintopgallant stay leads, and that part of
the foretopmast head 7, just above the topmast shrouds; this will be the line
of the head of this auxiliary staysail. For the foot of this sail let a hori-
zontal line 8 be drawn off from the point of the foretopmast 6, herein-before
last described. The rake of the leach of this sail must be determined by the
same rules as the last mentioned auxiliary staysail.
Rules of Admeasurement of a Mainroyal Auxiliary Staysail.-Draw a line
9 from the mainroyal mast head p to the aforesaid point on the foretop mast
head just above the topmast shrouds; this will be the line of the head of
this auxiliary staysail. For the foot of this sail let a horizontal line 10.
be drawn aft from the said last-mentioned point of the foretop mast head 7.
The rake of the leach of this sail must be determined by the same rules as the
last-mentioned two auxiliary staysails.
.
Rules of Admeasurement of a Mizen Topgallant Staysail.-Draw a line 2
from the mizen topgallant masthead g* to a point k on the mainmast just
above the catharpings; this will be the line of the head of this staysail. For
the foot of this sail let a horizontal line Z be drawn aft from the said line
of head on a level with the maintop rail j. The rake of the leach g
of this sail when trimmed at an angle of twenty-five degrees will be the same
as the rake of the leach of the mizen topsail o when trimmed at an angle of
28 degrees, and that point 18 of the said mentioned horizontal line l, where it
is intersected by the said line of leach 7, will determine the breadth of the foot
of this staysail, which being a light weather sail should be worked by a brail,
and is not therefore subject as regards the breadth of the foot to the sail-
maker's ordinary rule before-mentioned.
Rules of Admeasurement of a Mizen Royal Staysail.-Draw a line 14 from
the mizen royal masthead 15 to a point 16 on the mainmast head just
below the cap; this will be the line of the head of this staysail; let a horizontal
line 17 be drawn aft. from the said line of head 14 on a level with the first
reef band 18 of the mizen topsail; the rake of the leach 19 of this sail must
be determined by the breadth of the foot, which, breadth must be subject. to

page_text: the same rule with regard to the stay next below it that has herein-before
been mentioned as the sailmaker's ordinary rule.
Having now described the manner of ascertaining the precise shape of each
staysail,. I will now proceed to describe the manner of fitting and rigging the
same, and first of the fitting; I provide each principal staysail, except the
main topmast staysail with a running or veering tack which enables the sail
to be hoisted up the stay in the position of the sails A, B, C, D ;, the main top-
mast staysail and all the auxiliary staysails are fitted in the same manner as
ordinary staysails. The staysails on my improved form must not be set on
stays leading in the ordinary position, nor must they be trimmed in the usual
way, but must be rigged on stays, the position of which must be particularly
adapted for them, as shewn on the Diagram, Fig. 1; and with regard to
trimming my said improved staysails, I prefer that they should be trimmed,
when by the wind, at an angle of 25 degrees with the line of keel.
Now, whereas, what are termed gibized staysails have often been used before,
but the form of such gibized staysails as heretofore been determined by either
cutting off the tacks thereof or the nocks thereof. And whereas such stay-
sails, so gibized as aforesaid, have been heretofore furnished with the same sort
of tacks, and have been set on stays rigged in the same situation as for the
quadrangular staysails. And whereas it may be deemed that my said
improved staysails may come under the general head of gibized staysails; but
staysails gibized according to the rules berein-before laid down, and consequently
assuming the form herein-before described, which said form is necessary to
produce the effect of intercepting the wind between the square sails to the
greatest advantage, as also such mode of fitting and rigging the said improved
staysails as aforesaid, being to the best of my knowledge and belief entirely
new and never before used in these Kingdoms, I do hereby declare this to be
my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe my said Specifica-
tion in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise doth comply with the
proviso in my said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained. ;
wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sir Henry Heathcote, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.
HY HEATHCOTE. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of June, in the
year of our Lord 1824, the aforesaid Sir Henry Heathcote came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.