IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SELF-ADJUSTING GLOVES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bennett Foulkes, of the firm of Abel and
Thomas Bennett Foulkes, of the City of Chester, in the County of
Cheshire, Glove Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 12th January 1855, and dated the 13th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Bennett Foulkes
at the Offico of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th July 1854.
I, THOMAS BENNETT FOULKES, of the firm of Abel & Thomas Bennett
Foulkes, of the City of Chester, in the County of Cheshire, Glove Manufac-
turers, do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SELF-ADJUSTING GLOVES" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in manufacturing gloves with a gore of clastic
material inserted at the wrist part thereof. The mode hitherto practised, of
rendering gloves self-adjusting at the wrist of the wearer, has been to affix to
such part of the glove strips or short lengths of elastic material upon the
surface of the material of which the glove is made; the objection to which
is, that gloves thus made soon become loose at such part, by reason of the

page_text: ends of the elastic either tearing away from those parts of the gloves to which
they are affixed, from the material loosing its clasticity, or from other causes.
This Invention proposes therefore to remedy this objection, by the employ-
ment of a gore of elastic material securely fixed into the wrist part of the glove,
at which part the material of which the glove is made is cut or divided to
receive the above-mentioned elastic gore, which thus forms a part of the glove;
and this Invention applies to gloves made with or without gauntlets, and to
washing gloves, as well as to gloves made from kid or leather. I would, how-
ever, observe that I am aware of gloves having heretofore been manufactured
in which a gore of elastic material has been inserted for adapting the top part
of the glove closely to the wrist of the wearer, but such gloves have, I believe,
failed, in consequence of the improper application of such said elastic material.
This Invention, thereforç, consists more particularly in the application of a
gore of elastic material to gloves made with gauntlets, and only applies to
gloves of the ordinary kind when the elastic material is so disposed therein
as that it enables the hand to enter the top thereof freely, without stretching
the kid of the glove at such part, and adapts itself closely to the wrist of the
wearer after the hand has entered.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Bennett Foulkes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BENNETT FOULKES, of the firm of Abel and Thomas Bennett Foulkes, of the
City of Chester, in the County of Chester, Glove Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
'Thomas Bennett Foulkes, Her especial licence, that I, the said Thomas
Bennett Foulkes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Bennett Foulkes, my 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

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SELF-ADJUSTING GLOVES,"
upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bennett Foulkes, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said Thomas Bennett Foulkes, 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):
My Invention consists in manufacturing the gauntlets of gloves with n gore
of elastic material, inserted at the wrist part thereof... The mode hitherto
practised, of rendering gloves self-adjusting at the wrist of the wearer, has
been to affix to such part of the glove strips or short lengths of elastic material
upon the surface of the material of which the glove is made; the objection
to which is, that gloves thus made soon become loose at such part, by reason
of the ends of the elastic either tearing away from those parts of the gloves
to which they are affixed, or from the material losing its elasticity, or from
other causes. I propose, therefore, to remedy these objections by employing a
gore of elastic, material securely fixed into the wrist part of the glove, at
which part the material of which the glove is made is cut out to receive the
above-mentioned elastic gore, which thus forms a part of the glove; and this
Invention applies to gloves made with gauntlets and to washable gloves, as
well as to gloves made of kid or leather..
But in order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked
thereon respectively, as follows.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a view of the palm of a 'gauntlet glove, with my Invention
applied thereto, and as it would appear when out of use; Figure 2 shews the
said glove with the elastic gore distended. At each of the foregoing Figures I
employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts, in so far as
such parts appear or can be seen at each of the Figures respectively. In

page_text: in the manner usually practised, I then cut a gore out of the material and
insert into such cut part a gore a, of india-rubber webbing or any other
suitable elastic material, and I securely connect the clastic material to the
glove by sewing; and I would here remark, that by thus attaching the elastic
to the glove, I obviate the objection attending gloves as heretofore made with
elastic straps for adapting them closely to the wrist of the wearer, namely,
that the elastic soon loses its elasticity and ceases to perform its office. And
in applying my said Invention to the manufacture of gauntlet gloves, I employ
a piece of elastic material in the form of a gore as at a, Figures 1 and 2, and
having cut out a gore from the gauntlet of the glove, I insert and sew into the
space thus formed the aforesaid piece of elastic material, and the gauntlet thus
formed I then connect to the glove by sewing, as before mentioned.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention of "Improvements
in the Manufacture of Self-adjusting Gloves," and in what manner the same is
to be and may be performed, I would remark, in conclusion, that I do not
claim as my Invention the use or employment of elastic material applied to
the wrist part of gloves for the purpose of adapting them closely to the wrist
of the wearer, as the same is well known and in common use; but what I
claim is, the use or employment of a gore of elastic material inserted at the
wrist part of gloves known to the trade as "gauntlets," in the manner herein-
before particularly described, set forth, and represented by the illustrative
Drawing hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bennett Foulkes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
EDWARD BODEN,
Bold Square,
Chester.
THOMAS BENNETT FOULKES. (L.S.)