CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN COVERING THE RIDGES AND HIPS OF ROOFS OF BUILDINGS WITH SLATE AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1843

page_text: DAVEY, of Bath, in the County of Somerset, Slate Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirty-first day of July, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Davey, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Davey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said William Davey, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention, of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN COVERING THE RIDGES AND HIPS OF ROOFS OF BUILDINGS WITH SLATE AND
OTHER MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
obliging me, the said William Davey, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and scal 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 Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Davey, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,

page_text: reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
These improvements consist in a peculiar mode of combining slates for
forming the hips or upper angular ridges of roofs of buildings.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a detached portion of my
improved hip or ridge as it would appear in perspective. Fig. 2 is a section
taken transversely through the same. The slabs of slate to form the hip or
ridge of a roof are shewn at A, A; they may be from about half an inch in
thickness, as circumstances shall render desirable. In area I have found
lengths of from three to six feet by from five to eight inches in width will
answer very well, but do not intend to confine myself to those dimensions.
Having straightened and squared the edges of these slabs, I cut the edges of
the two slabs which are to meet in an angle above to suitable bevils according
to the required expanse or angle of the roof, and having brought these edges
together, connect the two slabs by any convenient means, as, for instance, by
internal angle irons, or angular plates of metal, as represented at B, B, in the
section, Fig. 2, which are secured to the slabs of slate by screws passed through
them, or by any other convenient means, so as to hold the slabs firmly at the
required angle. When this connection of the slabs has been effected, I place
upon the upper angle of the united slabs a rib or bead of slate or metal C,
extending over the whole length of the slabs and covering their joint, which
rib or bead I make fast thereto by screws, as shewn at Fig. 2, or
by any other
suitable means. The form of the rib or bead C, I propose to be nearly
cylindrical, and of about two or three inches in diameter, with an angular
groove cut in it, to fit on to and cover the top joint of the slabs, but it might
answer equally well if formed elliptically or with angular sides, provided that
it were made wide enough to cover the joint sufficiently.
I sometimes make this rib or bead C of slate and sometimes of metal, but
slate I prefer; and it should be noticed that care must be taken to charge
the joints properly with white lead or other cement before the parts are put
together in order to effectually exclude wet. An improved ridge or hip so
formed, by combining the parts described above for covering the edges of the
roofs of buildings, is the Invention claimed by me, and for which the above in
part recited Letters Patent are granted to me, my executors, administrators,
and assigns.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Davey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
WILLIAM (L.S.) DAVEY.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twelfth day of January,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Davey came before our
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Thirtieth day of January, in the year above written.