A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SOUTHWELL, of No. 5, Winchester Row, New Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom called
England, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of August, in
the first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Southwell, Her especial licence that I, the
said William Southwell, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Southwell, 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 within all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN PIANOFORTES ;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said William Southwell, 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 per-
formed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Southwell, do hereby declare, that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and
ascertained by the Drawing annexed, and the words following, that is to
say:
The three Figures in the Drawing shew my Invention in three positions.
Fig. 1 shews when the hammer A is at rest. B is the common piano-
forte lever, resting in the notch a; D is the common escapement button; and
C is the butt of the hammer, in which my improvement is principally
performed. I introduce into the butt a moveable tong b, which is pressed
upon by a spring c. I also add a spring E, to act as a semi-check.
Fig. II. shews my Invention when the string F is lightly struck by the
hammer A, in which position the end of the tong 6 is a little farther and higher
removed from the notch a by the motion of the end of the lever B. In this
Fig. II. the hammer A. is freed from the notch a, but is still suspended by the
spring c pressing on the tong b, so that by the slightest motion of the finger
the key rises, and the lever instantly glides into the notch a, ready for the
repetition of the blow. In this state, the tail of the butt C acting on the end
of the spring E, prevents any rebound of the hammer A, by which the
tone might be injured, and thus the spring E acts as a semi-check.
Fig. III. shews my Invention, when the string F is so hard struck as that
the hammer A is in check. In this position of the action, the spring c in the
butt C pressing the tong on the end of the lever B, is sufficiently strong to
hold the hammer A until the lever B returns into the notch a, and thereby
enables the player to repeat the blow without the necessity of the key rising
more than half the usual height; the butt C acting upon the spring E (when
the hammer A is near the string F and escaped,) causes the hammer A
to return with greater rapidity, and thereby produces a firmer touch and
clearer tone, and prevents the possibility of the hammer A blocking against
the string.
I disclaim the sole use of any of the common mechanical powers introduced
by me, but I claim as my Invention, in the improvement of pianofortes, the
new combination of the tong 6 with the spring c in the butt C of the hammer.
of a pianoforte, which butt, so altered, is acted on by the spring E. The
effect of this combination is to enable the player on a pianoforte to repeat the
blow with greater facility, and thus to improve the touch in playing that instru-
ment. My Invention is applicable to grand, semi-grand, and square pianofortes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Southwell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.
WILLIAM SOUTHWELL. (L.S.).

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1837, the aforesaid William Southwell came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, 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.
Inrolled the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One thou-
Inrolled the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and thirty-eight.