AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING PLUSH OF SILK OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, JOHN
ASHTON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancashire, Silk Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Eleventh day of January, in the second year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Ashton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said John Ashton, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such others
as I, the said John Ashton, my exors, adñññors, and assigns, should agree
with, and no other, from time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING
PLUSH OF SILK OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL;" in which Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said John Ashton, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said
John Ashton, do hereby declare the nature of my said Improvement or

page_text: Improvements in Manufacturing Plush of Silk or other Fibrous Material to
consist in weaving the material in, such a manner that the surface of the
woven fabric is able to bear the subsequent carding for raising the plush with
less injury than in cloths woven in the ordinary manner.
And the manner in
which the same is carried into effect, together with the advantages derived
from my improvement, are herein set forth and described.
The ordinary method of manufacturing plush used for the purpose of
covering hats is by weaving a cloth in a plain satin twill, with a warp and
weft of silk or cotton, the surface of which is afterwards raised by means of
cards, and subsequently dyed the color required. By such process the color
is very imperfect, and many attempts have been made to dye the silk previous
to the weaving process, for the purpose of obtaining a more pure and uniform
tint of color, but such attempts have hitherto failed in consequence of the
extra carding required to raise the surface of a dyed material, and the
inadequacy of the fabric to undergo the extra carding required to produce the
proper finish, which, if carried too far, the plush becomes impoverished by
the pulling out of the weft. To obviate these difficulties, and enable the
manufacturer to manufacture plush from weft dyed before spun, for the
covering of hats and other purposes, is the principal object of my Invention,
which I perform in the following manner:-The silk or rove is first dyed the
required color, then spun. into a soft rove; the warp is placed in a loom
harnessed or arranged on for a plain gauze, the mounting consisting of two
or more back leaves of common heddles, two or more plain front leaves called
standards, and two or more half leaves called doups, which arrangement or
mounting produces a cross warp, as well known to weavers and persons
conversant with looms, and thereby binding and holding the warp more secure
during the carding process; and such is the tenacity by which the dyed
material is held by this process, that I am enabled to bestow more carding and
finish on the raised. surface, without impoverishing it, than I can on the
undyed surface of similar plush made in the ordinary plain mode of weaving.
I would also remark that the plush, when subjected to the operation of the
cards, is held by a series of hooks at each selvage, which prevents its running
up or narrowing, as is experienced in the ordinary method of performing the
operation.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, together with the
manner in which the same is to be performed and carried into effect, I wish
it to be understood that I do not claim any part of the loom, or any other
machinery by which the plush of silk or other fibrous material is manu-
factured; but I do claim the Invention of manufacturing plush with a crossed

page_text: warp and dyed shoot or weft by the means already described, the main. object
of this Invention being the manufacturing of raised plush for the covering of
hats and other purposes from silk and other material, the same being dyed
before it is spun, which being, to the best of my knowledge and belief, new,
and never before used in the weaving or manufacture of plush in this
Kingdom, I deliver this as a true and faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ashton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid John Ashton came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
5 above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.