A PORTABLE ROOF FOR VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
PARSONS, of West Lambrook, near South Petherton. in the County of Somerset,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of July, in the seventh year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Parsons, Her especial licence, that I, the said George Parsons, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Parsons, my
exors, adors, or assigns, should at 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 in the Islands of
Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Ier said Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "A PORTABLE ROOF FOR
VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said George Parsons, 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 performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
George Parsons, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention consists
in a peculiar arrangement of roof or covering built or framed round a sliding
socket, and designed principally for the protection of hay, corn, bark, or other
agricultural produce from the action of the weather without the necessity of
thatching, the said roof being so formed or arranged that it shall be capable
of being moved up or down at pleasure to suit any required height, and being
portable and thus capable of removal from one farm or other situation to
another, as may be desired, without injury; and in further compliance with
the said proviso, I, the said George Parsons, do hereby describe the manner
in which my said Invention is to be performed, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation in section of a construction of roof which I
prefer for covering a rick or stack of hay, corn, or other agricultural produce.
Figure 2 is a plan of the light wooden framework of the same, the top
covering, which may be of canvas, light boarding, or the like, being removed
in order to show more clearly the construction. Figures 3, 4, 5, are views
in elevation, plan, and section of a central socket for the pole to pass through,
and from which socket the various parts of the roof are framed or suspended.
Figures 6 and 7 are views in elevation and section on an enlarged scale of a
portion of the pole, by which the complete roof is supported; and Figure 8
is a vertical section of the roof, mounted in its proper position on the pole,
as it would appear during the building of the stack or rick, in all of which
Figures similar letters and figures denote the like parts. The central
sliding socket a, a, I prefer of cast iron; in the upper part thereof are
formed a series of mortices b, b, b, b, in which mortices are placed a like
number of rafters c, c, c, c, supported by trusses d, d, d, d, which trusses are
supported in mortices e, e, e, e, formed in the lower part of the socket a, a,
The outward ends of the rafters c, c, c, c, are attached to a hoop f, ƒ ƒ ƒ,
forming the outward circumference of the roof, and the whole is strengthened
by cross pieces g. 9, 9, 9. The roof so formed is covered with thin boards
and brown paper soaked in tar, or with asphalted felt with or without boards,
or with oiled cloth or any other light waterproof material. The roof having
been so constructed is placed in the required situation, and a central pole
h, h, h, passed through the socket a, a, a; upon the circumference of this
pole a spiral projection in the nature of the screw thread i, i, i, i, is placed,
which I prefer of iron cast in segments, and attached thereto by means of
nails or screws. Upon this spiral projection an antifriction roller k, projecting
from within the socket a, a, rests, by which arrangement, on turning round

page_text: the roof backwards or forwards, the roller k will be caused to travel upon.
the spiral projection i, i, i, i, and thereby raise or lower the roof to any
required height. On commencing to build a stack or rick the workman
arranges the roof in the first instance sufficiently high to enable him to lay
a portion of the material upon the ground or staddle, after which he raises
the roof by pushing it round on the pole, and builds up another portion of the
stack or rick, and so on until the whole is completed. The roof is then
turned down firmly upon the top, when the hay, corn, or other material will
be protected from the weather until required for use without the necessity of
thatching. In order to enable the workmen to build his stack of a regular
and proper form, the following contrivance is adapted in the roof:-Upon the
lower end of the socket a, a, a, a circular groove 1, 1, is framed, within which
groove is mounted loosely one end of a rod m, m; towards the outward end
of this rod is placed a projecting piece n, which piece is capable of sliding
backwards or forwards upon the rod m, m, and of being confined in any
desired position thereon means of a tightening screw. By this contrivance
the workman can adjust the piece n to any required diameter, and by turning
round the rod m, m, within its groove l, or as the roof itself is turned round,
regulate the form of the stack or rick to any required varying diameter. For
the purpose of obtaining ventilation for the stack or rick, an annular opening
is formed in the boards or other top covering of the roof, as shewn at o, o;
and in order to prevent rain or snow from passing through this channel, a
covering p, p, supported by legs q, q, is mounted upon the top of the roof.
In the Drawings above described I have shown the pole h, h, h, mounted
in the central cast-iron staddle pillar, but it will be obvious that if staddles
are used they may be of any construction, or that the pole h may, if desired,
be placed in the ground, and the stack or rick built on the surface thereof.
The advantage of a roof or covering of this arrangement will be found to be
very considerable, when a sufficient quantity of agricultural produce is not
ready to finish the stack or rick, as in such cases the workman has simply
to lower it, as above described, to the level of the partly-finished stack or
rick (as shown by red lines in Figure 8), when the material will be as
perfectly protected from the weather as if the whole were brought in and
thatched as in the ordinary way; or if it be desired at the ordinary season of
thrashing, or when straw or chaff is required for cattle, a portion of the
stack only may be removed, and the remainder left perfectly secure from the
weather, by simply lowering the roof or covering, and on the removal of the
remaining portion, the roof or covering may be lowered down on the staddle,
thereby protecting it from the effects of weather until again wanted for use;

page_text: and, if so required, the whole being perfectly portable, may be removed to any
adjoining farm or other situation.
Figure 9 shews in sectional elevation another modification of my Inven-
tion. In this case the roof or covering is of an oblong form; there are
therefore two sockets with two poles upon which the roof is caused to slide up
and down. The sockets, from which the rafters and trusses c, c, and d, d,
extend, are shown at a, a, sliding upon poles h, h; in this case, however, the
spiral projection i, i, and roller k, before described, are dispensed with, the
sockets a, a, simply sliding freely upon the poles h, h, to the upper end of
each of which are firmly attached chains or cords, a, which chains or cords
pass downwards through grooves y, y, formed in the poles h, h, under guide pullies
, mounted within the sockets a, a, and from thence around rollers 1, 1, which
rollers turn in brackets attached to the roof, which should be strengthened
in this part to receive them. Upon the axes of the rollers 1, 1, are mounted
ratchet wheels 2, 2, within the teeth of which palls 3, 3, mounted on pivots
attached to the roof, are placed. At the other extremity of the axes of the
collars 1, 1, are mounted winch handles 4, 4, by turning which either separately
(a short space at a time) or together, the chains or cords x, x, wll be wound
upon the rollers 1, 1, and the roof or covering caused to ascend; and when it
is desired to lower the same, the palls 3, 3, on being removed from the
ratchet wheels 2, 2, will allow it to fall by its own gravity if thought desirable;
but one cord or chain and its appendages may be employed, passing in such
case from one guide pulley, over other guide pullies *, *, mounted at the
upper ends of the poles h, h, (as shewn by red lines in Figure 9), and from
thence to the socket a*, to which it must be attached; in this case but one
roller 1 will be required, by turning which the roof or covering will be raised
as before. It will be obvious that precisely this arrangement may be employed
where one central pole is used, as before described.
Figure 10 represents in side elevation another modification of my Inven-
tion. The sockets to which the roof is framed are shewn as before at a, a,
sliding upon poles h, h, which poles have in this instance a series of circular
holes 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, formed through them. When the roof is required to be
kept in a fixed position, pins 6, 6, are passed into certain of the holes 5, 5,
upon which pins the sockets a, a, will then rest, and thus support the roof at
the proper elevation, as shewn in the Figure 10.
When it is desired to raise
it, the workman places other pins 7, 7, in holes, at corresponding distances
above, to which pins are then hooked the cords or chains 8, 8, the lower end
of which cords or chains constitute the fulcra of levers 9, 9, one end of such
levers being of a forked shape, and projecting under the lower ends of the

page_text: sockets a. a. The parts being thus arranged (as shewn in the Figure), the
levers 9, 9, are to be pressed down into the position shewn by dots, by which
operation the roof will be carried up to the required height, and may be
supported in that position by placing the pins 6, 6, in those of the holes 5, 5,
next in rotation; after this, when it is desired again to raise the roof, the pins
7, 7, are to be shifted into the holes next above their former position, and the
same operation repeated. Under this arrangement it will be seen that the
poles are outside of the rick.
Although I have described my Invention as above to the purposes of
protecting agricultural produce, it will be evident that the same arrangements
may be applied to other purposes where protection from the weather is
necessary; for instance, a roof or covering of this description will be found
of great utility where bricks, tiles, or other such articles are manufactured;
in such cases it may be raised during the day for the entrance of the
workman, and brought closely down at night in order to protect the partly
manufactured goods from the action of frost or other injurious effects of
weather. It may also be used with like effect in all cases where it is
desired to protect erections in progress from the injurious effects of weather, and
it will be evident that the roof or covering may be round, square, oblong, or of
any other form, supported by one, two, or more guide poles; and in the event
of two being used that the poles may be either built in with the rick, or
placed outside of it.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I claim
as my Invention, and secured to me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, is,--
Firstly, an arrangement of roof or covering frames round a sliding socket
or sockets, capable of being moved up or down at pleasure on a pole or poles,
such roof or covering being portable and capable of being conveyed from one
situation to another.
Secondly, I claim the peculiar methods of raising and lowering the roof,
first, by a spiral worm on the pole and antifriction roller in the socket;
secondly, by the ratchet and pulley in the roof; and, lastly, by the lever acting
upon the socket, as herein-before described; and,
Lastly, I claim the application to the roof, when used for agricultural
purposes, of the guage rod, described with reference to Figure 8, for the
purpose of regulating the form and size of the stack or rick intended to be
made under it.
And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,

page_text: entirely new and never before used within that part of Iler said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, nor in the Islands
of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, nor in any of Her said
Majesty's Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my
Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specifi-
cation doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with
the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained;
wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to the said
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Parsons, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.