Patents issued to

Henry Mill

    It is believed that these two patents issued in the name of Henry Mill are to the same man, a waterworks engineer with the New River Company, who lived from around 1683 to 1771.  Of his two patents, the later one is of particular interest because it is the earliest remaining record of an invention that resembles a typewriter in its purpose. No further record of his device now exists, and in fact, the machine may never have been built. Nevertheless, the issued patent gave him fouteen years of protection for his idea.
A.D. 1706  .  .  .  . No. 376.

MILL.
Springs for Coaches, Chariots, and other Vehicles

ANNE, by the Grace of God, &c. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Whereas Our Trusty and welbeloved Henry Mill, gent., hath by his petitcon humbly represented vnto Vs, That he hath by his great study and paines & expence invented and found out a new mathematicall instrument, consisting of new sorts or kinds of springs for the ease of persons riding in coaches, chariotts, calashes, and chaises, absolutely differing from the springs now vsed, which are placed below at the corners of the coaches, cariotts, calashes, this being made and to be placed and fixed vnto, bnetweene, and within the main leather braces, by which the bodyes of coaches, chariotts, calashes, and chaises are hung, being likewise inviron'd or incompassed with the said leather braces, and being placed or fixed in or very neare the middle of said braces, forcing them, in their vse and operation , to open somewhat like a rhombus or lozenge; and that the said new invented springs are made and contrived of several forms, viz, semicircular, circular, angular, ovall, or of various otehr forms, a small iron rodd or pinn running thro' the middle or extremities of the same springs, and may be putt on or taken off at pleasure in the space of halfe an hour; and which invencon is very much lighter than the said springs now in vse, a sett of those generally weighing about one hundred and twenty pounds, and a sett of these not exceeding twenty pounds in weight, and may be sold at farr lesse charge, and will alsoe be of greater ease and benefit to all persons vsing the same, than the aforesaid springs now vsed, or any other arts or inventions whatsoever serving to the like purposes.

From Letters Patent - Rolls Chapel.

A.D. 1714  .  .  .  . No. 395.

MILL.
Machine for Transcribing Letters

ANNE, by the Grace of God, &c. To all to whom these preseents shall come, greeting: Whereas Our Trusty and welbeloved Henry Mill, gent., hath by his petitcon humbly represented vnto Vs, That he hath by his great study and paines & expence invented and brought to perfection an artificial machine or method for impressing or transcribing of letters, one after another, as in writing, whereby all writing whatsoever may be engrossed in paper or parchment so neat and exact as not to be distinguished from print; that the said machine or method may be of great use in settlements and publick recors, the impression being deeper and more lasting than any other writing, and not to be erased or counterfeited without  manifest discovery.

From Letters Patent - Rolls Chapel.

Extracts from Reference index of patents of invention, from 1617 to 1852, by B. Woodcroft, by Patent Office, London, 1862, pages 45 and 49.
From copies book pages Digitized by Google. (source)

See also

Today in Science History, event description for the date of issue of Henry Mill's patent, 7 Jan 1714.
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