IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Kesterton, of Long Acre, in, the
County of Middlesex, Carriage Builder, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 7th April 1854, and dated the 5th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Kesterton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition,.
on the 5th November 1853.
I, EDWIN KESTERTON, of Long Acre, in the County of Middlesex,"
Carriage Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES" to be as follows:-
In two-wheeled carriages, instead of the shafts being continued to the
back of the carriage, according to the method generally followed with
the shafts of two-wheeled carriages, I only carry them back to about one
half or two thirds; more or less, of the length of the body of the carriage,
and join a spring thereto, which I carry to or beyond the end of the
body. To this spring I bolt or otherwise attach the hind scroll iron."
Instead of fastening the fore scroll iron rigidly to the shaft and body
iron, I allow the shafts a little play up and down between the top and '

page_text: bottom of the collar attached to or forming part of the body iron. The
top of the scroll iron is fastened by a bolt or pin to the under part of
the collar. By this improvement applied to two-wheeled carriages the
motion of the horse is compensated or absorbed by the joint spring
attached to the back end of the shaft, consequently a comparatively
rigid shaft may be employed with as much, if not greater, ease to the
body of the carriage than if a lancewood shaft were used. In the case
of four-wheeled carriages I apply my Invention to elliptical springs to
that part of the spring which forms the upper half of the ellipse by
inserting a joint at or about the centre.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edwin Kesterton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
EDWIN KESTERTON, of Long Acre, in the County of Middlesex, Carriage
Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edwin Kesterton, Her special licence
that I, the said Edwin Kesterton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edwin Kesterton, 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
SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Edwin Kesterton, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-

page_text: forined, 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 Edwin Kesterton, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention, when applied to two-wheeled carriages, consists in
carrying the shafts back to about one half or two thirds, more or less, of
the length of the body of the carriage, and in joining thereto a spring
or length of wood, which I carry to or beyond the end of the body;
and in the case of elliptical springs my Invention consists in making a
joint at or about the centre of the upper ellipse.
In the Drawings annexed I have shewn the manner in which my
Invention may be performed. Figure 1, is a side elevation of a dog
cart with my Invention fitted thereto; Figure 2, is a side elevation,
and Figure 3, a plan of part of a shaft and spring; Figure 4, is a sec-
tion through the line a, y, of Figure 2; and Figure 5, is a modification
of Figure 2. A, is the shaft which terminates at a; and B a spring or
plate connected to it by the joint C; D, is the back scroll iron forged
on to the plate B. In the modification shewn at Figure 5 a piece of
lancewood is joined to the shaft, and has the back scroll iron rivetted to
it. Instead of fastening the fore scroll iron rigidly to the shaft and
body iron, I allow the shaft a little play up and down in the collar D,
attached to or forming part of the body iron, as shewn in the sectional
view Figure 4. The top of the scroll iron E is attached by a bolt or
pin e to the under part of the collar. When my Invention is fitted to
the shafts of a two-wheeled carriage the motion of the horse will be
compensated or absorbed by the joint spring attached to the back end
of the shafts, consequently comparatively rigid shafts may be employed
with as much, if not greater, case to the body of the carriage than if
lancewood shafts of the ordinary construction were used. Figure 6, is
a side view of my improved elliptical springs, the upper set of plates
A and B being connected by the joint C.

page_text: And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,
First, the improved shaft spring shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, and
modification thereof shewn at Figure 5, and herein-before described.
And, second, the improved elliptical spring represented at Figure 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Kesterton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
EDWIN KESTERTON. (L.S.)