In reviewing every bodies posts I think the answer is in here somewhere. If as Justin states this "grip fore-end latch" is illustrated in the patent submission C Harvey/Wilkinson Sword
pat #1793 of 1866 it establishes Prior Art on the design and would make any future attempt to patent it in it's own right strongly contestable. Additionally patent applications were quite expensive to submit, it was then, as now common practice to make the application as extensive as possible in effect covering all possibilities. If this latch arrangement were Mr Harvey's original Work/Intellectual property it would be covered by this patent even though not specifically called out or the principal object of the patent. Subsequent interest and adoption by the trade may have resulted in payments being made and rights purchased to avoid litigation. Given that it was clearly shown in Harvey's #1793/1866 no later patent would be considered valid under US Patent Law
