John of Utynam is the recipient of the first known English patent.
Background
John was a master glass-maker from Flanders. He came to England to make the windows for Eton College.
Patent
The patent was granted in 1449 by King Henry VI of England. It granted John of Utynam a 20-year monopoly to make stained glass.
Significance
This was probably not the first patent ever issued—Venice issued patents to glass-makers in the early 1420s.
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