AN IMPROVED METHOD OF FASTENING AND SECURING BEDSTEADS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING.
I, GEORGE KING SCULTHORPE, of Frederick's Cottage, Cole Arbour Lane,
Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Thirteenth day of July, in the seventh year of Her reign, did give and grant
unto me, the said George King Sculthorpe, my exors, adñors, and assigns,
Iler especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
George King Sculthorpe, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and such others as
I, the said George King Sculthorpe, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alder-
ney, Sack, and Man, and the Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF FASTENING AND SECURING BEDSTEADS;" in which
said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso, that I, the said George King
Sculthorpe, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the

page_text: date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being had there-
unto, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George King Sculthorpe, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and
in the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
in and by the following instrument in writing :-
My Invention consists in securing bedsteads with a smaller number of
screws than that usually used at present, and yet better attaining the object
of the fastenings, videlicit, fixedness and stability; incidental to which im-
provement also, my method dispenses with laths or sacking. The common
four-post, French, or testor bedsteads are are all constructed with four upright
posts or pillars and four square rails, one at each end and one on each side.
To support the palliasse or inattrass and bedding, the area of the frame is fitted
up with sacking or laths. To fasten the rails to the posts, and keep the frame
of the bedstead together, in all cases eight, and in most full-sized articles,
sixteen screws are necessary; in bedsteads with sacking, two more; and, never-
theless, these fastenings are so insecure that in a little time, and after a little
use, the whole fabric becomes rickety; in addition to which, great damage is
frequently done to other articles of furniture and objects of value, with the
screws which are inserted into the holes, which receive them to prevent their
being mis-matched, when a bedstead is taken out and removed; and in the
event of their being so mis-matched, it is almost impossible to restore them to
their proper places. My bedstead has but eight screws in any case, and from
their arrangement mistake cannot be made nor injury done, except by great
carelessness. Besides which, by the nature of my improvement, the necessity
for laths or sacking will be done away, and in their stead a cleanly substitute
is adopted, with which a palliasse is absolutely unrequisite, and the elasticity
of which would even supersede spring mattrasses. All which I consider indis-
pensable and incidental to my improved method of fastening and securing
bedsteads.
In the screws themselves the difference is that a strong nut is fitted into
cach of the four rails at three or four inches from the end; a screw is then
let into the nut, where it is fixed, and a small hole equal in size to the screw
being made in the post, when the ends of the rails are let into the mortices, as
hereafter described, the end of the screw protrudes beyond the post; a nut
is then fixed on to the end of the screw thus beyond the post, and is screwed
tightly on, either by means of a common screw-driver, if a slit is made in
the face of the nut, or by an octagonal winch, if the nut be cut of that shape.
The harder and better the metal of which the screws and nuts are made, the

page_text: smaller will be the required size. In order to prevent the unsightly appearing
of the nut and screw on the outside, it may be let into the wood or covered
over, as usually done in carved bedsteads to conceal the screw-heads.
The next part of my principle, as I have before said, is in substituting webb
for laths or sacking; and whereas, laths or sacking, instead of being any
support to the frame of the fabric, are rather a strain upon it, and tend to
loosen it, my webbing when drawn tight, as hereafter described, contributes
to pull the sides and ends together, thus materially assisting the screws, which
are the mere holdfasts. Lengths of strong webb are nailed at regular intervals
at each end rail, thus attaching each to the other. The same is done with the
two side rails, so that when all four are properly fixed in the posts, the two
lines of webb from end to end and side to side cross each. The length
of the webb should be a little longer than either the length or breadth of the
bedstead, so as to allow of great facility in fitting the rails into the posts, and
the webb must also be nailed so that when tightened the ends may be rather
on the side or under part of the rails, whereby the hold is materially strength-
ened, and a greater degree of tension more easily attained. All four rails,
instead of being squared as usual, must be circular, and the four posts will be
of the usual size. Two of the rails, one end and one side, will have square
tenons at their ends to fall into mortices cut into the posts to receive them, and
are intended to be fixed, unless the webb should be much strained, when they
could be turned a whole quarter or half round. The other two rails will have
circular tenons to fit into circular holes in the posts, and so be capable of
turning round, and a hole in the centre of these two circular-ended rails suffi-
ciently deep to give good purchase to a small lever; and to strengthen the wood
it is lined with a metal ring. When it is desired that the webb should be
tightened, the lever is inserted, a strain is given, and the webb is immediately
drawn tight. But inasmuch as something is required to prevent the two cir-
cular rails from revolving backwards, one end of each is to be fortified with an
iron or brass collar, punched along its centre with holes as close as the metal
will bear, which are intended for a small pawl or drop, similar to that of a
windlass, or a common bolt to fall into each of the holes as the rail revolves,
and thus prevent any recoil. This drop may be placed either above or beneath
the rail on the side of the post; and when the size of the post will admit of it,
I intend that both drop and the metal collar shall be sunk into the post, so as
to out of sight. The way to fix the bedstead up will be therefore to fit the
rails into the posts (which, as two are square-ended and two circular, can be
done without any error much more casily than at present, when all are of the
same shape). The nuts are then screwed to the ends of the screws, and being

page_text: screwed up tight will immediately fix the fabric. The lever is then inserted
into the holes in the two rails, and the rails are thereby forced round, so that
the required tension is immediately procured, and the screws and webbing
thus act in concert, and contribute towards producing the same result, videlicit,
the tightening and strengthening the fastenings of the bedstead, for which pur-
pose the common screws are quite inadequate, and the laths or sacking not
only useless but prejudicial. In addition to which, other minor advantages, as
particularized in the preceeding part of my Specification, are gained.
In witness whereof, I, the said George King Sculthorpe, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
GEORGE KING SCULTHORPE
(L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid George King Sculthorpe came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowleged 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.
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.