IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE IN PROVISIONALISTCHI
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Bates, of Nottingham, Lace Manu-
facturer, and William Redgate, also of Nottingham, Draftsman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Bates and
William Redgate at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 13th March 1868.
We, STEPHEN BATES, of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, and
WILLIAM REDGATE, also of Nottingham, Draftsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
PACTURE OF LACE IN TWIST LACE MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture
of lace in twist lace machines.
In order to produce a purl similar to that of real race, that is to
say, with the two sides of the purl loop crossing each other, we

page_text: employ in order to shape the purl four fugitive or draw threads, two
of them are bobbin threads, and the other two are warp threads.
Just before the purl loop is made one of the warp threads, which we
call a depressing thread, passes from an attachment near the nose of
the purl and catches one of the fugitive bobbin threads, the purl loop
is then made below this catch in such a manner that its upper limb
is snared by it whilst its lower limb is clear. Afterwards the depressing
warp returns and is made fast to another point of attachment at some
distance from the nose of the purl loop. Then as the depressing thread
tightens its catch with the fugitive bobbin thread tends to slide down-
wwards or to a point midway between the two points of attachment of
the depressing thread, and so the upper limb of the purl loop is drawn
down. Just in a similar manner the lower limb of the purl loop is
raised by the other pair of fugitive or draw threads. The warp thread
which we call an elevating thread is secured to a point of attachment
:some time before the purl loop is commenced, then as soon as the purl
loop is made the elevating thread catches with its fugitive bobbin in
such manner as to snare the lower limb of the purl loop but leave the
upper limb free, it then immediately passes to a point of attachment
near the nose of the purl, and in tightening its catch with its bobbin
slides upwards and carries the lower limb of the purl loop with it.
The points of attachment for the clevating and depressing fugitive
or draw warps will usually be on the back edge of the next breadth
of lace.
We prefer, in addition to the fugitive or draw threads above referred
'to, to employ another fugitive or draw thread passing through the
nose of the purl; it serves as a pivot for the purl loop to turn upon.
In some cases it may be convenient to employ two sets of elevating
and depressing warp threads to act on alternate purls. The purl loops
may be made with two or other number of warp threads, or it may be of
bobbin threads, or again there may be both a bobbin thread and a warp
thread in the-purl loop.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Stephen
Bates and William Redgate in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th September 1868..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,. STEPHEN
BATES, of Nottingham, Lace Manufacturer, and WILLIAM REDGATE, also
of Nottingham, Draftsman; send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight liundred. and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Stephen Bates and William. Redgate,
Her special licence that we, the said Stephen. Bates and William
Redgate, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we,. the said Stephen Bates and William Redgate, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE. IN TWIST LACE MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Stephen Bates and William Redgate,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing- under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and' seal' of one of
us or them, 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 on or
before the Eighteenth day of September,. One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Redgate, on behalf of
myself and the said Stephen Bates, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of
lace in in twist lace machines.

page_text: In order to produce a purl similar to that of real lace, that is
to say, with the two sides of the purl loop crossing each other, we
employ in order to shape the purl four fugitive or draw threads, two
of them are usually bobbin threads, and the other two are warp
threads. Just before the purl loop is made one of the warp threads,
which we call a depressing thread, passes from an attachment near the
nose of the purl and catches one of the fugitive bobbin threads, the
purl loop is then made below this catch in such a manner that its upper
limb is snared by it whilst its lower limb is clear. Afterwards. the
depressing warp returns and is made fast to another point of attachment
at some distance from the nose of the purl loop. Then as the depressing
thread tightens its catch with the fugitive bobbin thread tends to slide
downwards, or to a point midway between the two points of attachment
of the depressing thread, and so the upper limb of the purl loop is drawn
down. Just in a similar manner the lower limb of the purl loop is
raised by the other pair of fugitive or draw threads. The warp thread
which we call an elevating thread is secured to a point of attachment
some time before the purl loop is commenced, then as soon as the purl
loop is made the elevating thread catches with its fugitive bobbin in
such manner as to snare the lower limb of the purl loop but leave
the upper limb free, it then immediately passes to a point of attachment
near the nose of the purl, and in tightening its catch with its bobbin
slides upwards and carries the lower limb of the purl loop with it.
The points of attachment for the elevating and depressing fugitive
or draw warps will usually be on the back edge of the next breadth
of lace.
We prefer in addition to the fugitive or draw threads above referred
to, to employ another fugitive or draw thread passing through the nose
of the purl; it serves as a pivot for the purl loop to turn upon.
In some cases it may be convenient to employ two sets of clevating
and depressing warp threads to act on alternate purls. The purl loops
may be made with the two or other number of warp threads, or it may
be of bobbin threads, or again there may be both a bobbin thread and
a warp thread in the purl loop.
And in order that our said Invention may be most fully understood
and readily carried into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings
hereunto annexed.

page_text: Figure 1 shows the method in which the threads are worked when
the purl is made with one or more warp threads. A, B, C, D, and E aro
bobbin threads; the bobbin A is in the back edge of the breadth of lace
next to that on which the purls are being made; B is the bobbin which
passes through the nose of the purl; C is the bobbin working with the
clevating warp thread to raise the lower limb of the purl loop; D is
the bobbin working with the depressing warp thread to draw down the
upper limb of the purl loop; E is a bobbin thread twisting with the
purl warp thread at the edge of the breadth of lace. The line marked 1
represents the depressing warp thread, 2 represents the purl warp thread
or threads, and 3 represents the elevating thread. The numbers given
to these warp threads indicate the relative positions of their bars in the
machine, counting from back to front.
The method of working is as follows:-The depressing thread having
caught on the back edge of the next breadth of lace crosses in front of
the bobbin thread D with which it works. The purl warp then goes
down to the bobbin B, passes around it, and returning forms the purl
loop; and it will be observed that in going down the purl warp passed
between the depressing warp and the bobbin D, and so became snared
between them at the point a, whereas in returning it passed in front
of both these threads and so was not caught by them. Some time
afterwards, as long as may be convenient, the depressing thread again
catches the back edge of the neighboring breadth, and then as the
threads tighten the catch at a is drawn downwards towards a point
midway between the two catches on the back edge. The elevating
thread works in a similar manner, but in the opposite direction coming
from a point on the back edge considerably above the purl, and
immediately after the purl loop is made it catches the bobbin thread C
with which it works, passing in front of the lower limb of the purl
whilst the bobbin thread is behind it. The lower limb of the purl
loop is thus snared at the point 6, the upper limb being free, both the
bobbin C and the elevating warp passing in front of it; the elevating
thread passes at once to the back edge of the neighboring breadth, and
then as the threads tighten the catch at 6 moves towards a position

page_text: midway between the two catches of the elevating thread on the back
edge, or in other words, the lower limb of the purl is drawn upwards.
Figure 2 shows the fabric which is produced by working the threads
indicated in Figure 1, and the tensions on the several threads should be
so adjusted, as a lace maker will readily understand, that the threads
will assume these positions. The threads B, C, D, and 1 and 3 are
fugitive threads.
Figure 3 indicates the method of working when the purl is formed
from a bobbin thread or from bobbin threads. A, C, D, and E are bobbin
threads, E being the purl bobbin or bobbins; 0, 1, 2, and 3 arc warp
threads; 0 being a thread twisting with the purl bobbin; the position
of the bar which carries it in the machine is unimportant; 1 and 3 are
the depressing and elevating warps, and 2. is a warp thread which fetches
the bobbin purl, and afterwards serves as the pivot thread for the purl
to turn upon.
Figure 4 shows the form which the work assumes above the points
of the machine. It is not necessary to follow the motions step by step
as the principal of working is the same as with the Figures 1 and 2,
that is to say, the upper limb of the purl is snared by two threads
forming a cross or tie (a, Figure 4), which in consequence of the
positions of the points of attachment of one of the threads to the back
edge of the next breadth tends to descend, whilst the lower limb of the
purl is snared by two other threads forming another cross or tic (b,
Figure 4), which for a similar reason tends to ascend, and these two
crosses or ties are kept entirely separate so that they are able to pass
cach other, and they do so pass in turning over the purl.
It will be observed in Figure 4 that the catches a and b are not in
this case made by the clevating and depressing threads passing around
the bobbins C and D respectively, but that the purl bobbin is itself
employed to lock the crosses or ties. We would remark that in this
arrangement the threads C and D may be warp threads, and in this
case also it is possible to substitute bobbin threads for the warp threads
1 and 3, such bobbin threads being brought across by the warps which
take the place of the threads C and D, and by a warp or warps in the
back edge of the next breadth of laces the crosses or ties at the points a
and b. Figure 4 will, if this modification be made, require to be pro-
duced in a slightly different manner, but this a lace maker will readily

page_text: understand, and as the arrangement shown in the Drawing is that
which we prefer, we have thought it unnecessary to show this in
detail.
Figures 5 and 6 are similar to Figures 3 and 4, except that the
warp 0 is now made to accompany the purl bobbin by being twisted
with it intermediate of the snares a and b, Figure 5, and by being taken
down by its warp bar, which in this case should be in the centre of the
machine.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we would have it understood that we
do not confine ourselves to the exact details shown in the Drawings;
but we claim, the manufacture in twist lace machines of lace having
purls similiar to those of real lace, substantially in the manner herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Redgate, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight.
WILLIAM REDGATE. (L.S.)