A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS, PLAIDS, SCARFS, HANDKERCHIEFS, GOWN PIECES, AND OTHER ARTICLES INTO WHICH COLORED THREADS ARE WROUGHT INTO FLOWERS AND OTHER FANCY FIGURES IN THE PROCESS OF WEAVING
Year: 1819

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SINCLAIR, of Edinburgh, in the County of Edinburgh, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Gracious Majesty King George the Third hath
granted His Royal Letters Patent, tested at Westminster, the Eighteenth day
of November last past, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, to me, granting to me, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, His especial licence, power, and authority, to make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the Kingdom of England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
for the term of fourteen years from the date thereof, "A CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS, PLAIDS, SCARFS, HANDKERCHIEFS, GOWN PIECES,
AND OTHER ARTICLES INTO WHICH COLORED THREADS ARE WROUGHT INTO FLOWERS
AND OTHER FANCY FIGURES IN THE PROCESS OF WEAVING," on condition that I,
the said John Sinclair, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the 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 Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
THEREFORE KNOW YE, that I, in compliance with the said provision, do
declare the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of using the same, to
be as follows (that is to say):-

page_text: Whereas the mode of weaving hitherto used in the manufacture of shawls,
plaids, scarfs, handkerchiefs, gown pieces, and. other similar articles into
which threads of different colours are wrought. into flowers and other fancy
figures in the process of weaving (which branch of manufacture is known by
the designation of the manufacture in imitation of the Indian) has been with
a tweel on the surface or right side; and whereas the effect of the tweel
thus employed on the surface is to break the minute points and veins of the
pattern, and by bringing up the warp and other ground threads, which are
necessarily of a uniform colour, and placing them in diagonal or oblique lines
accross the spotting threads of the surface, to injure the purity of the colours,
and impoverish the pattern designed to be formed by them,-I, by employing
a different texture, form the points and veins of the pattern with the minutest
accuracy, and leave the spotting threads of the surface much more pure and
unmixed with the warp or other ground threads, no more of these warp or
ground threads being allowed to come to the surface than are necessary to
bind the spotting threads into the cloth, and those which are thus necessarily
brought to the surface being so disposed as to be scarcely perceptible to the
naked eye.
In order to illucidate the nature of my improved texture I have produced
herewith certain Drawings illustrative of it; but before proceeding to refer
specially to these Drawings I shall observe, in general, that what I conceive
to be the essential particular of this new texture is, the setting aside or
appropriating a certain portion of warp for the purpose of coming between the
spotting threads of the surface and what are commonly called the ground weft
or woof threads. A portion of the warp thus employed effectually keeps these.
ground weft or woof threads out of the surface of the cloth, where they cannot
appear without material detriment to the purity and boldness of the colouring;
it gives a pliability and softness to the cloth by enabling you to use an opener
and freer texture throughout the piece; and it appears to me, moreover, to.
produce a more equal and regular surface by affording a smooth and equal
bed for the spotting threads..
The Drawing marked No. 1 represents a piece of cloth into which my
improvement is introduced. The spaces included within the double lines.
represent each a single thread. The spaces marked at the extremities a, a, &c.
represent the portion of the warp appropriated to the purpose of coming
between the ground weft or woof threads marked b, b, &c., and the spotting
threads of the surface marked c, c, &c. To this portion of warp I have given
the name of binding. The warp threads marked d, d, &c., which come to
the surface of the cloth operate, it will be observed, regularly and uniformly

page_text: on the principle of a plain texture, the spotting threads c, c, &c. being weft or woof
to them, and the warp threads marked d, d, &c., e, e, &c., which work the wrong
side or ground of the cloth, operate also in a manner nearly approaching to a
plain texture. The binding, while it keeps down the ground weft or woof threads
out of the surface, contributes at the same time to give strength and consis-
tency to this free and open disposition of the threads of the piece, and levels
and equalizes the bed upon which the spotting threads of the surface are
introduced. What, therefore, I claim as my Invention is, this portion of
warp called binding employed in the branch of manufacture before specified,
disposed so as to come between the ground weft or woof threads and the
spotting threads. of the surface.
In regard to the manner in which I use my said Invention, an intel-
ligent weaver would be sufficiently possessed of the manner of using the
Invention by the exposition of it given above; but for the sake of those
who have less knowledge of the art I have produced herewith three Drafts
of the manner of drawing, cording, and working a loom, from an inspection
of which every operative weaver will be enabled to produce the improved
texture. In these Drafts the space marked f. f. represents the hole board;
the spaces between the lines h, h, represent the heddles; the space marked
g. g, represents the reed; the spaces between the lines k, k, represent
the treadles; the lines marked 1, 7, represent the warp, and the point upon
each line denotes the heddle through which each thread is passed. The crosses
(x, x, &c.) marked where the treadles k, k, pass the heddles h, h, denote the
raising cords; the points ( &c.) denote the sinking cords; the two
treadles on the right, marked a, b, work the ground; the remaining treadles,
marked 1, 2, 3, &c., work the fanciful part. The Draft marked 2 gives the
manner of drawing, cording, and working a loom so as to produce the texture
represented in the Drawing marked No. 1. The Draft marked 3 gives the
manner of drawing, cording, and working a loom so as to produce the same
texture with a certain variety, which I have found of considerable importance,
and which I may explain thus:-Let it be supposed that the body of the
piece intended to be wrought is white, then if I introduce into two leaves or
heddles threads of a white colour, and operate with these two heddles when
any white spotting weft or woof is thrown into the piece, the parts in which
the white weft or woof appears on the surface will be bound into the cloth
with (with) white warp, and the colour of these parts will be uumixed white;
and if, again, I introduce into two other leaves threads of some average or
medium colour, as, for instance, orange or red, and operate with these two
heddles, when spottings of various colours different from white are thrown in,

page_text: the parts of these various coloured spotting threads which appear in the
pattern on the surface will be less affected in their appearance by the orange
or red threads passing over them than if this part of the warp had been white
also. An accurate inspection of this Draft (No. 3) will explain what I have
now stated. Should it be wished to tweel the ground or unfigured parts of
the piece, leaving only the figured parts of the plain texture, this will be
effected by drawing, cording, and working the loom as per the Draft
marked 4.
I may mention, in conclusion, that I have for the most part employed the
binding in double in place of single threads; as represented in the Drawing
No. 1. I have, however, made frequent use of the single threads, and the
difference between the two cloths appears to me inconsiderable.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Sinclair, have hereunto set my hand
Signed, sealed, and acknowledged, by
the said John Sinclair, at the Borough
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Thir-
teenth day of January One thousand
JOHN SINCLAIR. (L.S.)
Inrolled the Eighteenth day of January in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty.