Throughout William Sugg’s career he spent much of his time on inventions and improvements related to burning gas efficiently. These and many other gas related devices became the subject of patent applications to protect his inventions against the strong competition in the growing world of the Gas Industry.
In the Victorian era the importance of patents was clearly defined by the attachment of a huge wax seal to a beautifully illustrated hand written document on parchment. We are incredibly fortunate that a surprising number of these patents have actually survived into the 21st Century. One of the oldest illustrated here is dated 1869 and thus, at the addition of these images in 2014 is no less than 145 years old.
Many of these patents have been protected by being enclosed within a tin container with the seals further protected in another circular tin. A blue folder carries the description of the patent and a drawing in a similar manner to a patent taken out today. It is the superb parchment with its seal that no longer distinguishes the patent of today. (The pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them and further enlarged by clicking on the symbol in the top right hand corner.)
This is the outside of the patent on which the name of the petitioner is written and the document has been signed by the Clerk of the Commissioners as having been produced and registered at the office of the Commissioners on the 16th day of March 1872 and further similarly on 16th day of March 1876.
You can see the metal tin holding the great seal projecting at the top.
The two pictures above illustrate how the great seal is permanently attached to the parchment.
These two pictures show the obverse of the great seal and its size – some 6.1/4″ or 160mm.
Above and below are pictures of the same patent with the number 831 and the date 1869 in the top left hand corner with the text granting the patent for a period of fourteen years. The extra sheet folded back that is shown below is dated at the bottom 18th day of March 1869 in the thirty-second year of Our reign.
The patent specification is set out below along with a drawing to clarify the invention.
MEDAL INFORMATION TO FOLLOW!
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This photograph shows the collection of medals that were awarded to William Sugg and to his company over years of invention and development at exhibitions all over the world between 1862 and 1937.
Close up of Five Silver Medals won at the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1883
