A VERY SINGULAR AND USEFUL SET OF TABLETS, WHICH I PRO- POSED TO CALL MY NOCTURNAL REMEMBRANCER, BY WHICH, THOUGH THE MECHANISH IS VERY SIMPLE, EVERY PERSON OF GENIUS, BUSINESS, AND REFLECTION MIGHT SECURE ALL THEIR NIGHT THOUGHTS WORTH PRESERVING, THOUGH TOTALLY IN THE DARK
Year: 1768

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
PINCHBECK, of the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Toyman and Mechanician, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Christopher Pinchbeck did, by my Petition, humbly
represent to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that
in the course of constructing several curious and useful machines, attended
with great study, application, and expence, I had invented and used with
great satisfaction "A VERY SINGULAR AND USEFUL SET OF TABLETS, WHICH I PRO-
POSED TO CALL MY NOCTURNAL REMEMBRANCER, BY WHICH, THOUGH THE MECHANISH
IS VERY SIMPLE, EVERY PERSON OF GENIUS, BUSINESS, AND REFLECTION MIGHT
SECURE ALL THEIR NIGHT THOUGHTS WORTH PRESERVING, THOUGH TOTALLY IN
THE DARK," and as I imagined a contrivance of this nature must be of
universal use to the ingenious and valuable part of His said Majesty's sub-
jects, and that as I was the first and sole Inventor thereof, I therefore most
humbly prayed His said Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent for the sole use and benefit
of my said Invention within that part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great
Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, according to the Statute in that case
made and provided; His said Majesty, being willing to give encouragement
to all arts and inventions which might be for the publick good, was graciously
pleased to condescend to my request, and therefore, by His Royal Letters
Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventeenth day of March, in the
eighth year of His reign, of His especial grace, certain knowledge, and meer

page_text: motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me,
the said Christopher Pinchbeck, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said
Christopher Pinchbeck, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and every
of us, by myself and ourselves, or by mine and our deputy or deputies,
servants or agents, or such others as I, the said Christopher Pinchbeck, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my
said Invention within that part of His said Majesty's said Kingdom of Great
Britain called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Christopher Pinchbeck, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions
seem meet, and that I, the said Christopher Pinchbeck, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole
profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing,
accrewing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during the
term of years therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said
licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or men-
tioned to be granted unto me, the said Christopher Pinchbeck, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full end and term
of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent next and imme-
diately ensuing, and fully to be compleat and ended, according to the Statute
in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that if I, the said Christopher Pinchbeck, should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within four calendar months next and iñiediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and
become void, anything in the said Letters Patent contained to the contrary
thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the said Letters Patent
(relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Christopher Pinchbeck, in compliance
with the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of the
aforesaid Invention, and declare that the same is to be performed in manner
following (that is to say):-
The nocturnal remembrancer is a sett of tablets, whose leaves are of asses

page_text: skin, ivory, slate, and of every other material made use of for the leaves of
tablets or pocket books, and whose case or outside is made of gold, silver,
ivory, tortoishell, leather, and likewise of every material of which the out-
side or cases of other tablets or pocket books are made; and within about half
an inch of the top of this case, where the tablets or leaves are put in, a hole is
cut on both sides, about one quarter of an inch wide, quite across the case,
to within a little more than the eighth of an inch on each side, which holes
are a guide for you to write whatever occurs on the leaf on each side that is
outermost or nearest to you, without your pencil slipping, and to prevent your
making confusion by writing again in the same place. All the leaves (which
are fastned together by a small loose ring which passes through the center
of them, within less than a quarter of an inch of the top) have notches cut
on one of their sides, at about a quarter of an inch asunder, and a spring
with a returned nose to it, which goes into those notches to hold them firm,
and is fastned on one side the case, and which, by pushing a small button
which is fixt to it, and comes through on that side of the case, is relieved at
pleasure, so as to be pulled up to another notch by the ring.
thoughts should occur than two sides will hold, by pressing the
said spring, pulling the tablets quite out, and turning over the
are all held together by the above-mentioned ring, you have double the
number of sides to write on than your case will hold leaves, the notches in
all answering to the nose of the spring; and on the other side of the case the
pencil is put in a hole for that purpose.
And if more
button of the
leaves which
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Pinchbeck have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight, and in the eighth year of
the reign of our said Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace
of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the
T
Sealed and delivered (being first duly
stampt) in the presence of us,
the words (and on the other side
of the case the pencil is put in a
hole for that purpose) being first
CHRIST PINCHBECK. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the Eighth day of July, in the year
last above said, the said Christopher Pinchbeck came before the said Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and
all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above said. And
the said Instrument was stampt according to the Statute made in the sixth
year of the reign of the late King and Queen William and Mary, and so
forth.
Inrolled the Eighth day of July, in the year last above said.