IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCOTCH OR OTHER SIMILAR BONNETS, CAPS, OR HATS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Cunningham, of Stewarton, in the County
of Ayr, North Britain, and Alexander Douglas, of Kilmarnock, in
the same County, Scotch Bonnet Manufacturers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCOTCH OR OTHER SIMILAR
BONNETS, CAPS, OR HATS."
Sealed the 21st July 1874, and dated the 27th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Cunningham and
Alexander Douglas at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 27th January 1874.
We, DAVID CUNNINGHAM, of Stewarton, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, and ALEXANDER DOUGLAS, of Kilmarnock, in the same
County, Scotch Bonnet Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SCOTCH OR
OTHER SIMILAR BONNETS, CAPS, OR HATS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the manufacture of Scotch or other similar
bonnets, caps, or hats in an improved manner, and so as whilst the
articles can be produced economically and rapidly they can be finished

page_text: in a superior style, and so as to present a very even thickness and
surface.
In carrying out the Invention the fabric to form the bonnet, cap, or
hat is woven in a hand or power loom, so as to require no subsequent
seaming, but so as when each portion is taken from the loom it can be
at once submitted to a fulling mill, and be treated and finished like the
knitted fabric hitherto generally employed for making such articles.
To obtain the woven fabric of the requisite form for a Scotch bonnet
it is woven in four plies. There are four sets of warp threads and the
sheds for the weft are formed in these warp threads by means of harness
operated on in connection with jacquard cards or other equivalent
pattern mechanism. The sheds are formed in regular rotation, and so
that the weft after first passing from right to left, for example, and
interweaving with the warps of the first or uppermost ply; secondly,
returns from left to right and interweaves with the second ply; thirdly,
proceeds from right to left again and interweaves with the third ply;
fourthly, returns from left to right and interweaves with the fourth or
bottom ply, and next interweaves with the first or uppermost ply, and
so on. The result is that the uppermost and lowermost plies are united
to each other by the weft at the right hand side, and to the second and
third plies respectively at the other or left hand side, whilst the second
and third plies are similarly united to each other at the right hand side
within the fold of the uppermost and lowermost plies.
In addition to the warps being shed in the manner herein-before
described the extent of the shedding is varied transversely by the pattern
action so as to give a suitable shape to the four woven plies. This shape
will of course vary with the different forms of bonnet, cap, or hat, but
in general the flat or nearly flat crown is obtained by giving the plies
an angular shape, the sides narrowing in to a point, which afterwards
forms the centre of the crown.
The portions of the warps which do not become interwoven with the
weft where the shape is narrowed are cut away before the article is taken
to the fulling mill.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said David Cunningham and Alexander Douglas in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
CUNNINGHAM, of Stewarton, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, and
ALEXANDER DOUGLAS, of Kilmarnock, in the same County, Scotch
Bonnet Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said David Cunningham and
Alexander Douglas, Her special licence that we, the said David
Cunningham and Alexander Douglas, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said David Cunningham and Alexander
Douglas, 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, usc,
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 SCOTCH OR OTHER SIMILAR BONNETs, Caps, or
HATS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said David
Cunningham and Alexander Douglas, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 David Cunningham and Alexander
Douglas, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being
had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to the manufacture of Scotch or other
similar bonnets, caps, or hats in an improved manner, and so that whilst

page_text: folded in four plies, and it is in this form that the article is according to
one modification woven in the loom. The loom may be either a hand or
power loom.
In the Diagrams, Figures 1 to 4, the warps are supposed to run from
the back or top to the front or bottom, and the weft from side to
side.
Figures 5 to 8 are sections, as at the line A-A in Figures 1 to 4.
There are four warps or sets of warp threads for forming the four
plies (Figures 1 and 5), these warps being arranged directly over each
other, and being all shed or operated on by means of harness threads in
connection with jacquard cards or other equivalent pattern mechanism.
In order to obtain the desired united four-ply fabric the sheds are
formed in regular rotation, and so that the weft after first passing from
right to left, for example, and interweaving with the warps of the first
or uppermost ply; secondly, returns from left to righ and interweaves
with the second ply; thirdly, proceeds from right to left again and inter-
weaves with the third ply; fourthly, returns from left to right and
interweaves with the fourth or bottom ply, and next interweaves with
the first or uppermost ply again, and so on as before. The result is that
the uppermost and lowermost plies are united to each other by the weft
at the right hand side, and to the second and third plies respectively at
the other or left-hand side, whilst the second and third plies are similarly
united to each other at the right-hand side within the fold of the upper-
most and lowermost plies. The practical weaver will have no difficulty
in arranging his warps and the harness or mounting so as to form such
sheds, and these in such order or succession as to bring about the result
just described, the weft being shot from side to side in the ordinary
way.
In dealing with each particular shed the weaver has to arrange for
raising one portion and lowering or keeping down another portion of the
warps of the particular ply that the weft has then to interweave with,
just as in weaving a single ply; and he has in addition to raise or keep
down all the warps of any other particular ply accordingly as such other
ply is above or below the ply the weft has then to interweave with.
This shedding could be easily effected by means of ordinary heddles if
each ply had a uniform width; it is however by varying the width of the
plies, and thus giving a curved outline at one or both sides, where an

page_text: ordinary woven fabric would have a straight selvedge, that we obtain the
proper shape for the purpose we have in view.
In order to obtain the desired curved outline we have the warps shed
or acted on by harness worked by jacquard apparatus or other equivalent
pattern mechanism.
If jacquard apparatus is used the successive cards are cut so as to
cause the interweaving of the weft when passing through any particular
ply to be limited to such a width at each shot as corresponds to the
outline pattern (Figure 1 for example), and so that the rest of the warps
(if any) of that ply and all the warps of the other plies will be raised or
kept down out of the way so as not to be interwoven. The cards may
be cut from ordinary jacquard design paper, having suitably traced
on it such an outline as Figure 1. The outlines of any two plies are
made to agree at any point whereat such two plies have to be united
by the weft, and the weft on passing out from one ply and into the other
is drawn in by the pull of the shuttle to the edge of the part to which
the interweaving or crossing of the warp threads is limited by the
jacquard action, so that at each point of the outline the weft passes
from one ply into the other without any loop, and forms a perfect union
between the two plies along the fold.
The union of the two plies is further strengthened by operating on the
warp threads by suitably cutting the cards so that the plies become con-
nected to the extent of two or more threads by the interweaving, is for a
single ply, of the threads of both plies. The portions of the warp threads
outside of the outlines not being interwoven with the wefts are cut
away on removing the fabric from the loom and before submitting the
article to the fulling mill.
In the accompanying diagrams a few examples are given of outlines
that may be used, but these outlines may of course be varied to suit
different forms of bonnet, cap, or hat.
The outline Figure 2 is better suited than Figure 1 for a Glengarry,
and corresponding parts are at right angles to each other in the two
Figures.
Figures 3 and 4 are outlines suitable respectively for what are known
as Balmoral and Alma bonnets or
and and will glas
அ

page_text: In the cases illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, the uppermost and
lowermost of the four plies are not united at the sides, and the order of
shedding or interweaving has consequently to differ a little from that
herein-before prescribed for Figure 1. Thus on the weft going to the
left-hand in cither the uppermost or lowermost ply it has to return to
the right-hand in the succeeding shed formed in the same ply, and then
in succession through the two inner plies, the left-hand limit of which
is in each case indicated by a dotted vertical line.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we have to state that we do not
restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or referred to,
but that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim as the
Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is, the weaving of fabrics to form Scotch or other similar
bonnets, caps, or hats in four plies with suitable shapes, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, tho said David Cunningham, and the said
Alexander Douglas, havo hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
(L.S.)
DAVID CUNNINGHAM.
ALEXANDER DOUGLAS. (L.S.)