IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN PILED FABRICS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Thomas Richardson, Manufacturer, and
George Mallinson, Pattern Designer, both of the. City of Manchester, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN PILED
FABRICS"
Sealed the 12th October 1855, and dated the 12th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Thomas Richardson
and George Mallinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 12th April 1855.
We, ALFRED THOMAS RICHARDSON, Manufacturer, and GEORGE MALLINSON,
Pattern Designer, both of the City of Manchester, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
CERTAIN PILED FABRICS" to be as follows:-
The nature of our Invention consists in an improved mode of manufacturing
those descriptions of piled fabrics known as velvet or plushes, the pile of
which is made of woollen, worsted, mohair, or alpaca. Our improved fabric
is produced by floating the weft threads over the warp threads to form
races, which are afterwards cut to form the pile. The weft is floated in such

page_text: manner over the warp that several distinct races are formed, which when
cut produce a more even and uniform pile than can be obtained by the
ordinary mode of manufacturing such fabrics.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Thomas Richardson and George Mallinson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
THOMAS RICHARDSON, Manufacturer, and GEORGE MALLINSON, Pattern De-
signer, both of the City of Manchester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Alfred Thomas Richardson, and George Mallinson, Her special license that
we, the said Alfred Thomas Richardson and George Mallinson, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Alfred Thomas
Richardson and George Mallinson, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CERTAIN PILED FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Alfred Thomas Richardson and George
Mallinson, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under
the hand and seal of either of us, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Alfred Thomas Richardson and George
Mallinson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following Specification thereof, reference being had to
the accompanying Drawing, that is to say :-
"

page_text: Our Invention consists in an improved mode of manufacturing velvets or
plushes, the pile of which is made of woollen, worsted, mohair, or alpaca.
In manufacturing these fabrics the weft threads are floated over the warp
threads in such wise that they overlap each other and form several distinct
races, which races when cut produce a pile of a more even and uniform
description than by the ordinary mode of manufacturing piled fabrics.
Fig. 1 of the said Drawing represents the draught or the mode of
drawing the warp through ten heddles, the figures from 1 to 30 indicating
the order of succession in which the warps are drawn in, and the tie-up or
mode of connecting the heddles to twelve treadles. In executing this draught
and tie-up, a fabric is produced in which a cut is required for every three
warp
threads. Figure 2 represents the mode of drawing the warp through ten
heddles, the figures from 1 to 50 indicating the order of succession in whichi
the warps are drawn in; the tie-up in this instance is also intended for twelve
treadles. In executing this draught and tie-up, a fabric is produced in which
a cut is required for every five warp threads. The tie-up of Fig. 1 may be
used with the draught of Fig. 2, or the reverse, according to the length of
pile required. We prefer to make use of a cotton warp and a weft of cotton
for forming the back of the fabric, but warps of other fibrous material may
be used, and the back of the fabric may be produced by portions of the weft
threads employed for the pile. When the fabric has been woven as above
described, the races are cut either by a knife of the ordinary construction,
which severs each float of the weft at or near the centre of the race, or by
making the knife cut the floated portion of weft nearer to one side of the
race than the other, so as to produce a longer and a shorter pile from each
race. We would remark that many variations may be made in the mode
of drawing the warp threads into the heddles and in the tie-up, the details
above described being only given to shew two modes of performing our
Invention. The foregoing description will be sufficient to enable any practical
weaver to arrange the draught and the tie-up according to the number of
races and the length of pile required.
In order to produce a longer pile a greater number of heddles must be
used, and the reverse when a shorter pile is required. We are aware that
piled fabrics have before been produced by floating the weft threads over
the warp threads and cutting the races thus formed; we do not therefore
claim generally to produce piled fabrics by floating the weft over the warp,
but what we do claim is, the manufacture of fabrics by floating woollen,
worsted, mohair, or alpaca weft threads over the warp threads in such wise

page_text: that the floats of weft overlap each other and form races, which when cut
form the pile of the fabrics, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alfred Thomas Richardson and George
Mallinson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day
of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.
Witness,
-H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
ALFRED THOMAS RICHARDSON. (L.S.)
GEORGE MALLINSON.
(L.S.)