AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE- MENTS IN SADDLES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Houghton, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Saddler, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SADDLES."
Sealed the 26th October 1858, and dated the 12th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Houghton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
August 1858.
I, GEORGE HOUGHTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Saddler,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the method, herein-after described, of giving
elasticity to the seats of saddles. I attach to the webs constituting the
foundation of the saddle, springs of the kind herein-after described, the said
springs serving to connect the webs with the saddle-tree. The said springs are
situated, by preference, at the anterior part of the saddle. The springs which
I employ in carrying my Invention into effect are made of plates or strips of
steel of a suitable temper, the said plates or strips having an undulating or
wave-like figure. One end of each spring is attached to the end of a web, and
the other end of the spring is attached to the saddle-tree.
webs together constitute an elastic foundation to the saddle.
is pressed upon, the seat yields, the springs elongating in
The springs and
When the saddle
proportion to the

page_text: pressure applied. I sometimes attach webbing to each end of the spring,
connecting the springs to the saddle-tree at both ends by means of the said
webbing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Houghton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HOUGHTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Saddler, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Houghton, Her special licence that I, the said. George Houghton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Houghton, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN SADDLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George Houghton, 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 George Houghton, 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 consists of the method or methods herein-after particularly
described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, of giving elasticity to
the seats of saddles.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents a plan of the under side
of an unfinished saddle. constructed according to my Invention, and Figure 2

page_text: represents a vertical and longitudinal section of the same. a is the saddle-
tree, and b, b, the webs which constitute the foundation of the saddle. Onc
end of each of the webs b, b, is attached to the saddle-tree a at the points
marked c, c; the other end of each of the said webs is attached by rivetting
to springs d, d, the said springs having an undulating or wave-like figure, as
herein-after explained; the other ends of the said springs d, d, are attached
by rivetting to the plate e, fixed to the anterior part of the saddle-tree a. The
webs b, b, and springs d, d, constitute an elastic support or foundation to the
seat of the saddle, and permit of the said seat yielding under pressure.
The saddle is finished in the ordinary manner.
I sometimes carry my
Invention into effect in the manner represented in Figure 3 of the Drawing,
that is to say, I connect the webs g, h, to the anterior part of the saddle-tree
by nailing or otherwise fixing the same thereto, as represented at i in the
said Figure 3; and I connect each end of the webs g, h, to the posterior part
of the saddle-tree by means of springs k, k, the said springs being secured
by rivetting to the ends of the webs and to the saddle-tree.
Instead of connecting the springs d, d, Figures 1 and 2, and the springs
k, k, Figure 3, directly to the saddle-tree, I sometimes attach a piece of
webbing to each end of the springs, and connect the springs to the saddle-tree
by means of the said webbing. Springs may be placed at each end of the
webbing where great elasticity is required. One of the springs which I
employ in carrying my Invention into effect is represented in full size in side
elevation in Figure 4 of the Drawing. The said springs are made of plates or
strips of steel or other suitable metal or alloy having the desired elasticity, the
said plates or strips being bent into an undulating or wave-like figure, as
represented.
Figure 5 represents in side elevation and plan another spring of the kind I
employ in carrying my Invention into effect, the said spring Figure 5 having
a less number of undulations than that represented in Figure 4. I sometimes
employ springs having the form represented in plan and side elevation in
Figure 6 of the Drawing, that is to say, instead of making the springs of
single plates or strips of metal having an undulating or ware-like figure, I
employ two bow-shaped plates l, m, and join the said plates together in the
manner represented in the Drawing. When the springs Figures 4, 5, and 6
are attached to the saddle in the manner before explained, on pressure being
applied to the saddle, the seat of the said saddle yields, the said springs
elongating in proportion to the pressure applied, and by the tendency of the
said springs to return to their former position, give elasticity to the seat of the
saddle.

page_text: Although I prefer the methods described of carrying my Invention into:
effect, yet I do not limit myself to the precise details described and represented,
as the number, size, and length of the said springs and the number of undula-
tions in each spring may be varied, as well as the method of connecting them
to the webs or other materials of which the seat of the saddle is made, and
to the saddle-tree.
The essence of my Invention consists in giving elasticity to the seats of
saddles by means of webs or other material kept in a state of tension by
means of springs of the kind described and represented in the Drawing.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention the improvement or improvements in saddles herein-before described,
and represented in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, giving elasticity
to the seats of saddles by means of springs made of plates or strips of metal,
the said springs having the forms represented, the said springs being so applied
as to keep the webs or other material constituting the seat of the saddle in a
state of tension, whether the said springs be applied at the anterior or posterior
part of the saddle, or at both parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Houghton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
GEORGE HOUGHTON. (L.S.)