NEW-INVENTED METHOD OF MAKING PAN AND PLAIN OR FLAT TILES, OF THE SAME KIND AND EQUAL IN GOODNESS TO THOSE MADE IN HOLLAND, COMMONLY CALLED DUTCH GREY OR BLUE TILES OR PANTILES, OF THE SAME KIND AND EQUAL IN GOODNESS TO THOSE MADE IN HOLLAND
Year: 1777

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, ROBERT
TURNER, of the Town and County of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by Letters Patent, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, gave and granted to the
said Robert Turner, his executors, adñiors, and assigns, His Majesty's special
licence, full power, solo priviledge and authority, that the said Robert
Turner, his executors, adñiors, and assigns, and every of them, by himself and
themselves, or by his or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as he, the said Robert Turner, his executors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
hereafter during the term of years therein expressed, to make, use, exercise, and
vend, within that part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, and His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, his
"NEW-INVENTED METHOD OF MAKING PAN AND PLAIN OR FLAT TILES, OF THE SAME
KIND AND EQUAL IN GOODNESS TO THOSE MADE IN HOLLAND, COMMONLY CALLED DUTCH
GREY OR BLUE TILES OR PANTILES, OF THE SAME KIND AND EQUAL IN GOODNESS TO
THOSE MADE IN HOLLAND," for and during the term of fourteen years from the
date of the said grant or Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and
fully to be compleat and ended according to the Statute in that case made and
provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the said
Robert Turner should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
his said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo performed, by an
instrument in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be

page_text: inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as by the said Letters Patent
may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert.Turner, in pursuance of the
said proviso in the said Letters Patent contained, do hereby describe my said
Invention for Making Pan or Plain or Flat Tiles, of the same Kind and
Equal in Goodness to those made in Holland, commonly called Dutch Grey
or Blue Tiles or Pantiles, of the same Kind and Equal in Goodness to those
made in Holland, in manner following, that is to say:-
The tiles, in the first place, are made in the usual and accustomed manner
of making pantiles or flat tiles of a reddish-colour'd clay, and laid on wooden
shelves to dry. After the same are dryed and fit for burning or annealing,
they are put into a kiln constructed and erected for that purpose, the nature
of which erection may be understood by a referrence to the Plan or Drawing
hereunto annexed. After the tiles are so put into the kiln a fire is made
with common pit coal in each of the fireholes marked in the annexed Plan
with the letters A, which continues to burn for three days, in which time the
tiles are burnt to a sufficient degree of hardness, and by this time are quite red
in colour, like the common tile. In this state the following process for
staining the tiles is put in execution:-First, by making and preparing a com-
position of the materials and in the proportions following; to wit, two New-
castle chaldrons of strong sulphurous small coals; five hundredweight of kelp,
which is made from sea weed, usually called sea ware; five hundredweight of
soapers' waste ashes; and two hundredweight' of common refuse salt, such as
the salt makers scrape off their pans when cleaning them. These are to be
mixed and blended together with a shovel. After the tiles have been burnt
three days, as above mentioned, the tops of the chimneys, marked in the
annexed Plan with the letters B, B, B, B, are stopt at the top with iron plates
large enough to cover the apertures or openings of the chimneys; and then,
with an iron rake, the fire cinders are pulled or drawn out from the several
fireholes marked A. The pores of the clay, by the heat, are rendered capable
of receiving the effluvia of the said composition; and which composition is
immediately introduced or thrown into the six several fireholes marked A, and
which holes are then closed up with iron plates, which fall down before such
holes, and prevent the access of the exterior 'air, which would otherwise blow
the composition into a flame. The chimneys and fireholes being all stopt by
iron plates, the composition, by the intense heat of the kiln, which remains

page_text: after the cinders are drawn out, and by the assistance of the small portion of
air which is admitted (notwithstanding the chimney and fireholes are stopt
and covered) consumes without burning, and the effluvia arising therefrom
pervades and goes through the pores of the tiles, fills up the same with salts
and sulphurious substances, and changes the colour from red to grey or blue,
and gives them a hardness and quality capable of resisting the severest
weather, and consequently a durability equal, if not superior, to the Dutch or
Holland tiles. The kiln stands in the last-described state for the space of four
days, and is then opened out in order to cool the tiles.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Turner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven.