AN INVENTION ON A MATHEMATICAL PRINCIPLE FOR ROASTING A GREAT NUMBER OF JOINTS OF MEAT, FOWLS, &c., HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY
Year: 1788

page_text: WHEREAS HIS Majesty hath graciously pleased to grant unto WILLIAM
HANSCOMBE, Citizen and Sadler, of London, His Royal Letters Patent, bearing
date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven
hundred and eighty-eight, to secure the sole use and benefit to him and his
assigns, for the term of fourteen years, "AN INVENTION ON A MATHEMATICAL
PRINCIPLE FOR ROASTING A GREAT NUMBER OF JOINTS OF MEAT, FOWLS, &c.,
HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY;" and whereas it is ordered that such Patent
should be entered and enrolled, in His Majestie's proper Office, on record, and
a full Specification thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that the following is a Specification of the aboveṣaid
Invention, viz:-
The centre work consists of one or more contrate wheels with double limbs,
and four to six or upwards horizontal wheels, from four to ten inches diameter,
made of brass, mixed metal, or iron. The contrate wheel, with a deep grove
to put on a brass or iron chain or platted leather thong to work the whole
machine, with two brass plates, with rollers to guide and direct the chain or
platted leather to its proper place to work. A long arbor from two to three
feet long, fixed through the contrate wheel, so as to be worked with or without
the chain, &c. occasionally. The said contrate wheel, being cut on both limbs
with sixty to ninety teeth and upwards, to work horizontal wheels on each side
from four to eight and upwards. The said horizontal wheels being cut on the

page_text: limbs to the same number of teeth as the contrate wheels, long arbors fixed
through the horizontal wheels, with holes pierced through the bottoms of each
to put on hooks and swivel chains to hang on the horizontal spits. The said
contrate and horizontal wheels being fixed on a strong brass bottom plate, with
holes pierced through for the arbors, and two strong brass top plates fixed
together with pillars, nuts, and screws. On the two top plates the contrate
wheel is fixed on by cocks screwed down to work vertically, cutting one
horizontal wheel on each side its limb, and driving the whole work. At the
dexter end one set of horizontal wheels from four to eight and upwards of
brass, mixed metal, iron, &c., of the same dimensions, and cut to the same
number of teeth as the other wheels, with same sort of arbors fixed between
two strong brass plates, with pillars, nuts, and screws, and holes pierced in the
bottom plate to let the arbors through. At the sinister end one other set of
horizontal wheels, same dimension and number of wheels, fixed in two strong
brass plates with pillars, nuts, and screws, same as the above-described set.
The said two sets of horizontal wheels, when shut up, to touch the centre
wheels on each side: the whole of the wheels, of whatever number, work all
together to same time. At the dexter and sinister end of the above two sets
of wheels are adjusting and contra screws to shut on and off the centre wheels
as wanted, by which means the centre wheels may work by themselves, or
with dexter set of wheels, or with sinister, or all together as wanted. Iron
spits to fix on each arbor, with a hook turned at the bottom end and pointed,
to hang the meat on, with an iron sliding plate, about one inch wide, more or
less, and from two to six feet long, pierced with a number of holes to let the
several joints of meat, fowls, &c. hang higher or lower as wanted, according to
the weight, size, or length, with a hook and swivel chain to each spit.
The dripping-pan made on the following construction, viz, with as many
divisions as there are horizontal spits, to receive the dripping of the several
sorts of meat, fowls, &c., so roasted separate, that each sort may be basted with
its own dripping, to be made of copper tin'd, or iron plate tin'd, or other metal
fit for the purpose.
The whole of this new-invented machine being to work by means of a three-
wheel jack, with weights, line, and pulleys, and made on the following con-
struction, viz-A long arbor from one to three feet long, fixed to the arbor
of the second wheel of the jack, to extend to the arbor of the contrate wheel,
and to be fixed thereto with screws to unshift as wanted, by which means the
whole machine is worked with or without a chain, &c., being fixed at the
dexter end or sinister, as most convenient, and will carry one hundred pounds
weight and upwards of any sort or sorts of meat. In case of a greater number

page_text: of wheels to the machine, to carry more weight, I add one more contrate wheel
with long arbor, and with a three-wheel jack and long arbor to the second
wheel, to extend to the arbor of the said contrate wheel, with weights, line,
and pulleys to the other end, and on the same construction as the other jack,
which will have double the power and carry weight to the amount of two
hundredweight and upwards, one jack being fixed at the dexter end and one
at the sinister end, and may work both together or separately as wanted.
The whole machine being fixed in a neat mahogany case, with doors, locks,
hinges, and threc-wheel castors, so as to move easily, which keeps the whole
work from dust or other injury, and will not want cleaning above once in
twenty years, and works either when locked up or open.
In witness whereof, the said William Hanscombe hat hereunto set his
hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of August, in the twenty-
eighth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third, and
in the said year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and eighty-
aight
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of August,
in the year of our Lord 1788, the aforesaid William Hanscombe came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.