IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Alexander Ronald, of Paisley, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Shawl Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Alexander Ronald
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
. 28th October 1857.
I, ROBERT ALEXANDER RONALD; of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North.
Britain, Shawl Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS," to be as follows,
that is to say-
This Invention relates to the manufacturing of shawls in such manner that
the external appearance of the garment may be varied in three or four ways,
so that a single shawl may be made to present the external characteristic
appearance of three or four separate and distinct articles of wearing apparel.
Under one modification, the shawl is made of the cut pile fabric known as
chenille," to the ordinary fringe of which is attached a secondary fringe,
either of another colour or made of a different fibrous material. These shawls
may be so woven and made as to present a distinct appearance upon each side.

page_text: of the fabric. One corner of the shawl is rounded off, whilst the others are.
left as usual. When the rounded part is worn outside and its opposite corner
turned inwards, the shawl has the appearance of a mantle, whilst if. the angular
corners are turned outwards, it has the appearance of an ordinary shawl.
In another modification, the chenille shawl is made with a plaid, figured, or
plain centre upon one side; this is done by sewing' or otherwise attaching. a
square or other shaped piece of woven material to one side of the shawl. In
this modification, one of the corners is rounded off, as before described, and a
secondary fringe is attached to the ordinary chenille fringe. A shawl made in
this manner may be worn in four different ways, that is to say, as an ordinary.
chenille shawl, as a tartan, figured, or plain shawl with a chenille border, as a
chenille mantle, or as a tartan, figured, or plain mantle with a chenille border.
By varying these combinations in the manufacture of shawls, a great variety
of pleasing and effective designs may be obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Alexander Ronald in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th April 1858:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT.
ALEXANDER RONALD, of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North. Britain,
Shawl Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Robert Alexander Ronald, Her special license, that I, the said.
Robert Alexander Ronald, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Robert Alexander Ronald, my executors, administrators,
or 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHAWLS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Alexander Ronald, 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

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
. NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Alexander Ronald, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to the manufacturing of shawls in such manuer
that the external appearance of the garment may be varied in three or four
ways, so that a single shawl may be made to present the external characteristic
appearance of three or four separate and distinct articles of wearing apparel.
Under one modification, the shawl is made of the cut pile fabric known as
"chenille," to the ordinary fringe of which is attached a secondary fringe,
either of another colour or made of a different fibrous material. These shawls
may be so woven and made as to present a distinct appearance upon each side
of the fabric.
One corner of the shawl is rounded off, whilst the others are
left as usual. When the rounded part is worn outside and its opposite corned
turned inwards, the shawl has the appearance of a mantle, whilst if the angular
corners are turned outwards, it has the appearance of an ordinary shawl.
In another modification, the chenille shawl is made with a plaid, figured,
or plain centre upon one side; this is done by sewing or otherwise attaching a
square or other shaped piece of woven material to one side of the shawl. In
this modification, one of the corners is rounded off, as before described, and á
secondary fringe is attached to the ordinary chenille fringe. A shawl made in
this manner may be worn in four different ways, that is to say, as an ordinary
chenille shawl, as a tartan, figured, or plain shawl with a chenille border, as á
chenille mantle, or as a tartan, figured, or plain mantle with a chenille border.
By varying these combinations in the manufacture of shawls, a great variety
of pleasing and effective designs may be obtained.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the same in detail, and the manner in which my
improvements may be judiciously carried out in practice.
My improvements are more particularly applicable to the class or kind of
shawls which are wholly or in part manufactured of the cut pile, which is tech-
nically termed "chenille," that is to say, the weft of the shawl mainly consists
of chenille or fur, which is interwoven with the plain warp which forms the
groundwork of the shawl, the chenille weft being. bound in by secondary wefts
of silk, wool, or cotton, which are concealed from view by the cut pile surface
of the chenille. One of my improvements in manufacturing these chenille
shawls consists in so making them that the garment may be worn in two

page_text: different ways, and thereby present the distinctive appearances of a shawl and
of a mantle. This is done by curving or rounding off one of the corners of
the shawl, so that when this portion of the shawl is worn externally the
garment has the exact appearance of a mantle, and when folded with one of
the corners outwards is an ordinary shawl. The ornamental character of
shawls so manufactured is increased by attaching to the ends of the chenille
fringe a supplementary tassel-like fringe formed of tufts of silk, wool, cotton,
or combined materials, the colour or colours of which are made to correspond
or harmonize with the colours of the shawl itself. These garments may be
further diversified by so making and arranging the chenille weft that the
finished article may present a different appearance upon each side, and in this
manner one side of the shawl may be light in colour whilst the other is com-
paratively dark, so as to be appropriate for different seasons of the year. A
still more distinctive character is given to these garments by combinations of
chenille shawls with plain or figured fabrics, which fabrics may form either the
whole of one side of the shawl, the centre of the same, or the border thereof.
In carrying out these combinations one arrangement consists of a chenille
shawl, the centre of one side of which has sewn or otherwise attached to it a
square or other shaped piece of tartan or checked fabric. This central piece
may be woven either of materials corresponding to the chenille portion of the
shawl; or may be made of other textile materials, so as to enhance the orna-
mental appearance of the garment by the judicious contrast of the fabrics
employed. In like manner the other side of the shawl may be varied by
leaving the central part untouched, and adapting thereto a border of plain,
figured, or checked woven fabric.
Another modification in the manufacture of these shawls consists in making
them of a double fabric woven together in the loom, that is to say, one side of
the shawl is made of the chenille fabric, and the other of a plain, figured;
tartan, or checked fabric. These two fabrics are woven together or united at
the edges in the loom, so that the weaving operation completes the shawl, and
the sewing of the two parts together is dispensed with. In manufacturing
these improved shawls it is preferred to curve or round off one of the corners,
to enable the wearer to use it either as a shawl or mantle at discrétion. An
article of dress so manufactured may be caused to present the outward appear-
ance of four distinct and separate garments; for example, it may be worn as a
chenille shawl with a plain or ornamental border of another fabric, a inautlo
of a corresponding appearance, also as a plain or figured shawl having a
chenille border, and as a mantle of the same kind. It will be obvious that
shawls manufactured according to these improvements are greatly superior in

page_text: point of utility to those of the ordinary kind, on account of the varied appear-
ance that may be given to them, and the facility with which these changes of
appearance may be effected.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion
to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the system or mode of manufacturing shawls or shawl mantles, as
herein-before described.
1
Second, the system or mode of manufacturing chenille shawls so that the
same may be worn either as a shawl or as a mantle, as herein-before
described.
Third, the use and application of a secondary or supplementary fringe in
chenille shawls, such supplementary fringe being an addition to the ordinary
chenille fringe, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of attaching or otherwise combining plain,
figured, or checked fabrics to or with chenille shawls either upon one or both
sides of the garments, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described.
Fifth, the system or mode of manufacturing shawls or shawl mantles in
which the garment is made of a chenille fabric and of a plain, figured, or
checked fabric, the edges of the two fabrics being united to each other
during the weaving operation or before the shawl leaves the loom, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Alexander Ronald, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-eight.
ROBERT ALEX RONALD. (L.S.)