A MACHINE TO BE FIXED TO A STOCKING FRAME FOR MAKING A NEW SORT OF FASTENED PLATTED WORK IN SILK, COTTON, THREAD, WORSTED, OR OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1781

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
ASH, of the Borough of Leicester, in the County of Leicester, Framework
Knitter, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Robert Ash, did, by my Petition, humbly represent
to His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, that I had,
by much study and application; invented "A MACHINE TO BE FIXED TO A
STOCKING FRAME FOR MAKING A NEW SORT OF FASTENED PLATTED WORK IN SILK,
COTTON, THREAD, WORSTED, OR OTHER MATERIALS;" which said Invention was
intirely new and of my own contrivance, and was not known to any person'or
persons, save and except those to whom I did communicate the same for the
sake of trying the experiment therewith, and was not used by any other person
or persons; that in regard I apprehended the said Invention would be of great
use and benefit to His said Majesty's subjects, and as I was the first and true
Inventor thereof, I therefore most humbly prayed His said Majesty that He
would be pleased to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
His Letters Patent for the sole use and benefit of my said Invention, within
that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of
fourteen years, pursuant 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 public good, was graciously pleased to condescend to
my request, and therefore, by His Royal Letters Patent under his Great Seal
of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of
July, in the twenty-first year of His reign, of His especial grace; certain

page_text: knowledge, and meer motion, for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Ash, my exors, adñiors, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that I, the said
Robert Ash, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and
themselves, or by mine or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said "Robert Ash, my exors, adñiors, 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
Kingdom of Great Britain called England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Robert Ash, my
exors, admors, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions seem meet,
and that I, the said Robert Ash, my exors, admors, and assigns, should and
lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and
advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, 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, power, priviledges, and advantages
therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto me, the said Robert
Ash, my exors, admors, 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 Robert Ash, did 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 to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery,
within four calendar months next and immediately 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 therein-before contained to the contrary thereof in any-
wise 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 Robert Ash, in compliance with the said
proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and declare that the same is composed of the several particulars in the Plan
thereof hereunto annexed, and to be performed in manner following (that is
to say):-
:-
Fig. 1, a division director; Fig. 2, a box the director is fixed on; Fig. 3, a
cross bar with a pully wheel at each end fixed over the presser for the box and

page_text: director to run or slide on. Figure 4, a supporter at each end fixed to the cap
of the woodwork to support the bar fixed over the presser. Fig. 5, a flat
division wire. Fig. 6, a guide fixed to the needle bar to keep the wire from
turning. Fig. 7, a wooden groove with a small pully wheel at the end for
the wire to slide in when drawn out of the work. Fig. 8, an iron supporter
Fig. 9, a pully wheel fixed
to the groove fixed to the side piece of the frame.
by a hanging iron to the cap of the frame to guide a line from the division
wire (Fig. 5) into the director wheel. Fig. 10, a director wheel on each side
fixed near the middle of each side piece. Fig. 11, two spindles that go
through the side pieces for the wheels to turn on. Fig. 12, two bush wheels
to turn the director wheels fixed on the inside of each side piece. Fig. 18, a
treddle fixed to each side of the foot piece, connected by means of a rope to
the bush wheels, to turn the director wheels. Fig. 14, two sliding stays fixed
to the sole bar, with a notch for the springs belonging to them to act on, and
a hole for a pin to go through into the top of the cap of the woodwork.
Fig. 15, two springs to the sliding stays fixed on the inside of the cap of the
woodwork. Fig. 16, a double-eyed needle; Fig. 17, a long-eyed needle;
either of which needles may be used. Fig. 18, two arms to support the
tickler bar.. Fig. 19, a stop fixed in the arms of the tickler bar, to regulate
it. Fig. 20, a solid bar with ticklers to act upon every needle.
T
To perform work with this machinery, one or more course or courses of
work must be made in the stocking frame with loops long enough to plate
with. This course or courses of looping being made, another course must
be laid and brought to the needle heads and left in that position. Then
the machine bar (Fig. 20) is laid to take the back course; the frame
is then brought forward by which the back course is pressed over that
course at the needle heads; it is then shifted one or more needles by the
machine bar (Fig. 20), and then the bar is borne down for the points
of the ticklers to rise from the needles, and the division wire (Fig. 5) is
introduced between the ticklers and the needle beards by means of the
division director (Fig. 1) when the wire (Fig. 5) is introduced; then the
frame is to be brought forward and come over the arch, and in this state there
are two loops on every needle. Then a new course must be worked, and
the first loop of the two must be pressed, the back loop being kept from
coming over by the two sliding stays (Fig. 14), they being held in the closest
position to the frame by means of the two springs (Fig. 15); the sliding stays
(Fig. 14) having been forced into that position by the motion of the presser.
Then come over the arch without going into the cokeins, and throw up to
the standards; in this position there are still two loops on every needle. The

page_text: machine bar (Fig. 20) is then laid into the far eye of the double-eyed needle
(Fig. 16), or into the back part of the long-eyed needle (Fig. 17); the points
of the ticklers are then laid between the two loops, which are keptas under or
apart by the division wire (Fig. 5); the back loop is then taken on to the
ticklers, and the division wire (Fig. 5) drawn out; the frame is then brought
forward, which forces the back loop over the fore loop, and the loop is then
shifted as before. This motion of bringing the frame forward puts the sliding
stays (Fig. 14) into their most distant position; the division wire (Fig. 5) is
now introduced as before, by means of the division director (Fig. 1), and the
course repeated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Ash, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the twenty-second year of
the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God
of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,
and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
Inrolled the Nineteenth day of November; in the year above mentioned.