SEVERALL ENGINES, BY CERTAIN MULTIPLYING WHEELS, WHICH WERE NEVER BEFORE MADE OR VSED IN THAT PART OF GREAT BRITAIN CALLED ENGLAND, TO SPIN AND MIX IN THE FIRST THREAD WOOLL. FLAX, COTTON, SILK &c., INTO A FINE, EVEN, AND BETTER THREAD THAN HAD HITHERTO BEEN EVER KNOWN OR PRACTICED IN THIS KINGDOK, WHEREBY THE WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES THEREOF MIGHT BE BROUGHT TO MUCH GREATER PERFECTION AND THE LINNEN AND CN MANUFACTURES WHICH ARE NOW IMPORTED FROM FOREIGN PARTS MIGHT BE MADE HERE AS CHEAP AND GOOD AS THOSE BROUGHT FROM ABROAD, WHEREBY THE EXPORTATION OF OUR MONEY TO PURCHASE THOSE GOOD IN FOREIGN PARTE WILL BE PREVENTED, AND MANY THOUSAND OF THE POOR OF THIS KINGDOM EMPLOYED IN NEW MANUFACTURES
Year: 1723

page_text: come, greeting.
WHEREAS THOMAS THWAITES, of London, Weaver, and FRANCIS CLIFTON, of
Yarmouth, in the County of Norfolk, Merchant, have by their peticon humbly
represented vnto vs that the petitioners or one of them has at great pains and
expence found out and brought to perfection, "SEVERALL ENGINES, BY CERTAIN
MULTIPLYING WHEELS, WHICH WERE NEVER BEFORE MADE OR VSED IN THAT PART OF
GREAT BRITAIN CALLED ENGLAND, TO SPIN AND MIX IN THE FIRST THREAD WOOLL.
FLAX, COTTON, SILK, &c., INTO A FINE, EVEN, AND BETTER THREAD THAN HAD
HITHERTO BEEN EVER KNOWN OR PRACTICED IN THIS KINGDOK, WHEREBY THE WOOLLEN
MANUFACTURES THEREOF MIGHT BE BROUGHT TO MUCH GREATER PERFECTION AND THE
LINNEN AND COTTON MANUFACTURES WHICH ARE NOW IMPORTED FROM FOREIGN PARTS
MIGHT BE MADE HERE AS CHEAP AND GOOD AS THOSE BROUGHT FROM ABROAD, WHEREBY
THE EXPORTATION OF OUR MONEY TO PURCHASE THOSE GOOD IN FOREIGN PARTE WILL
BE PREVENTED, AND MANY THOUSAND OF THE POOR OF THIS KINGDOM EMPLOYED IN
NEW MANUFACTURES;" and having therefore humbly prayed vs to grant them our
Letters Patente, vnder the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole making
and vsing their said Invenčon according to the statute in that case made and
provided, wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions
which may be for the publick vse and benefit, are gratiously pleased to gratify
them in their request.

page_text: KNOW YEE THEREFORE that wee, of our especial grace, certain
knowledge, and meer močon, have given and granted, and by these presents,
for vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant vnto the said Thomas
Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, and assignes,
especial lycence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that they, the
said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, and
every of them, by themselves, or by their deputy and deputies, servante or
agente, or such others as they, the said Thomas Thomas Thwaites and Francis
Clifton, their executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years herein expressed, shall and lawfully may make vse, exercise, and
vend, their said said several new-invented engines by certain multiplying
wheels, to spin and mix in the first thread wooll, flax, cotton, silk, &c.
into a fine, even and better thread, as above described, within that part of our
kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and town
of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, in such manner as to them, the said Thomas
Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, and assignes, or
any of them, shall in their discretions scem meet, and that they, the said
Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, and
assignes, shall and may have and enioy the whole profit, benefit, comodity, and
advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising, by
reason of the said Inventions, for and during the full term of years herein
mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers, privi-
ledges, and advantages herein-before granted or menčoned to be granted vnto
the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators,
and assignes, for and during and vntill the full end and term of fourteen
years from the date of these presents, next and immediately ensueing, and fully
to be compleat and ended according to the statute in such case made and
provided. And to the end that the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton,
their executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, may
and enioy the full benefit and the sole vse and exercise of the said Inventions,
according to our gracious intenčon herein-before declared, wee do by these
pres nts for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly comand all
and every person and persons, bodies politick and corporate, and all other our
subiecte whatsoever, of what estate, quality, or degree, name, or condicon
soever they be, within that part of our said kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, aforesaid,
that neither they or any of them, at any time during the continuance of the
said term of fourteen years hereby granted, either directly or indirectly do
have

page_text: make, vse, and put in practice the said Inventions or any part of the same
so attained voto by the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, or one of
them, as aforesaid, nor shall in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the
same, nor shall make or cause to be made any addition thereunto or sub-
stracčon from the same, whereby to pretend himselfe or themselves the
inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof, without the lycence, consent,
or agreement of the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors,
administrators, or assignes, in writing vnder their hande and seale first had
and obtained in that behalfe, vpon such pains and penalties as can or may be
iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal comand,
and further to be auswerable to the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis
Clifton, their executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law, for their
damages thereby occasioned. And, moreover, wee do by these presents, for
vs, our heires and successors, will and command all and singular our iustices
of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other
officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, for the time
being, that they or any of them do not nor shall, at any time hereafter during
the said term hereby granted, in anywise molest, trouble, or hinder the said
Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, or
assignes, or any of them, or their deputies, servante, in or about the due and
lawfull making vse or exercise of the aforesaid Inventions or anything relating
thereto. Provided always, and these our Letters Patente are and shalbe
vpon this condition, that if, at any time during the said term hereby granted,
it shall be made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more
of our or their Privy Council, that this our grant is contrary to law, or
preiudicial or inconvenient to our subject in generall, or that the said
Invention is not a new invention as to the publick vse and exercise thereof
within that part of our said kingdom of Great Britain called England,
our dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-vpon-Tweed aforesaid, or
not invented and found out by the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis
Clifton, or one of them, as aforesaid, then, vpon significačon and declaračon
thereof, to be made by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signet
orprivy seal, or by the lorde and others of our or their Privy Council, or any
six or more of them vnder their handf, these our Letters Patente shall
forthwith, cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all intent and purposes,
any thing herein-before contained to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding:
provided also that these our Letters Patente or anything herein contained
shall not extend or be construed to extend to give priviledge to the said
Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, or assignes, or

page_text: any of them to vse or imitate any invention or work whatsoover which hath
heretofore been found out or invented by any other of our subiecte whatsoever,
and publickly vsed or exercised within that part of our said kingdom of Great
Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-vpon-
Tweed aforesaid, vnto whom like Letters Patente or priviledges have been
already granted, for the sole vse, exercise, and benefit thereof, it being our
will and pleasure that the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their
exccutors, administrators, and assignes, and all and every other person and
persons to whom like Letters Patente or priviledges have been already
granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vsc and practice their severall inventions
by them invented and found out according to the true intent and meaning of
the same respective Letters Patent and of these presents: provided likewise
nevertheless, and these our Letters Patente are vpon this express condition,
that if the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, the executors, or
administrators of them, or either of them, or any person or persons which
shall or may, at any time or times hereafter during the continuance of this
grant, have or claim any right, title, or interest in law or equity of, in, or to
the power, priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and benefit of the said
Invention hereby granted, shall make any transferr or assignment, or any
pretended transferr or assignment of the said liberty and priviledge or any
share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof, or shall declare any trust
thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding the number of five, or
shall open or cause to be opened any book or books for publick subscriptions
to be made by any number of persons exceeding the number of five, in
order to the raising any sume or sums of money vnder pretence of carrying
on the said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall, by him or themselves
or his or their agents or servante, receive any sume or sumes of money
whatsoever of any number of persons exceeding in the whole the number of
five, for such or the like intent or purposes, or shall presume to act as a
corporate body, or shall divide the benefitt of these our Letters Patent, or the
liberty and priviledges hereby by vs granted, into any number of shares
exceeding the number of five, or shall comitt or do or procure to be cōmitted
or done any act, matter, or thing whatsoever during such time as such person
or persons shall have any right or title, either in law or equity, in or to the
said Pmisses, which will be contrary to the true intent and meaning of a
certain Act of Parliament made in the sixth year of our reign, intitled (An
Act for the better securing certain powers and priviledges intended to be
granted by His Maiestie by two charters for assurance of ships and merchan-
dizes at sea, and for leading money vpon bottomry, and for restraining several

page_text: extravagant and vnwarrantable practices therein mentioned) if these our
Letters Patente had not been granted, or in case the said power, priviledge, or
authority shall at any time hereafter become vested in or in trust for more
than the number of five persons, or their representatives at any one time
(reckoning executors or administrators as and for the single person whom
they represent, as to such interest as they are or shall be intitled to in right of
such their testator or intestate), that then and in any of the said cases these
our Letters Patente, and all liberties, priviledges, and advantages whatsoever
hereby granted, shall vtterly cease, determine, and become void, anything
herein-before contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
And lastly, wee do by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant
vnto the said Thomas Thwaites and Francis Clifton, their executors, adminis-
trators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patente, or the inrollment
or exemplification thereof, shall be in and by all things good, firm, valid,
sufficient and effectual in the law, according to the true intent and meaning
thereof, and shall be taken, construed and adiudged in the most favourable
and beneficial sense for the best advantage of the said Thomas Thwaites and
Francis Clifton, their executors, administrators, and assignes, as well in all
court of record as elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers and
ministers whatsoever of vs, our heirs and successors, within that part of our
said kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, and
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, and amongst all and every the subiecte
of vs, our heires and successors whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding
the not full and certain describing the nature or quality of the said Invention,
or of materials thereto conducing and belonging.
In witness, &c. Witness William Archbishop of Canterbury, &c., at