IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTING AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of Bellevue Terrace, Seven Sisters
Road, Holloway, in the County of Middlesex, Mat Maker, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTING AND IN
APPARATUS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 17th October 1862, and dated the 24th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
April 1862.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of Bellevue Terrace, Seven Sisters Road, Holloway,
in the County of Middlesex, Mat Maker, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MATTING AND
IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My improvements in the manufacture of mats or matting relate to that
class of mats known as door mats, having a thick pile of fibrous material
standing upon the surface. According to my improvements, instead of making
such pile of the shoot or weft, which, while being passed in the shed, is taken
up between each of the warp strands and a turn of it taken on the hollow
metal bar on which it is cut, I make the pile of strands placed parallel with
the warp, disposing one or more strands between each of the warp threads or
strands. The warp and weft thread or strands are employed as usual to form
the back or foundation of the matting. I employ a separate roller or beam

page_text: for the pile strands, and pass them through heddles or harness precisely as
the warp threads, and to which harness I attach a treadle to raise them in
like manner and weight it so as to drive it down when desired. Having com-
menced the end of the matting by weaving the warp and weft threads together
in the manner of ordinary weaving, the pile strands at the time being depressed,
I then depress the whole of the warp strands so worked and raise the pile
strands, between which and the warp proper a shed is formed. I then introduce
the hollow metal rod or bar in that shed and drive it up with the batten,
leaving it there while the pile strands are depressed, and the warp brought up
and into position for interweaving the shoot or weft; when this is driven up so
as to hold the fabric firmly together, the pile is cut on the bar, it is then
drawn out, the operation is then repeated; and so on. The several strands are
of course kept in proper tension for the purpose. The pile so formed will
have a comparatively even surface without shearing, and will be much firmer
and manufactured more expeditiously than such matting manufactured in the
ordinary way.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of Belle Vue Terrace, Seven Sisters Road, Holloway, in the County
of Middlesex, Mat Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Davies, Her special licence that I, the said George Davies, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Davies, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF MATTING AND IN APPARATUS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Davies, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands

page_text: 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 I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per--
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My improvements in the manufacture of mats or matting relate to that
class of mats known as door mats, having a thick pile of fibrous material
standing up on the surface, which pile has hitherto in the weaving of such mats
been made of strands of material introduced in the direction of the shoot or
weft, which while being passed in the shed is taken up between the warp
strands and a turn of it taken on a hollow metal bar on which it is subse-
quently cut. According to my Invention I make the pile of strands of
material placed parallel with and disposed exactly as the ordinary warp,
disposing one or more strands to form the pile between each of the warp,
threads that forms the backing. The warp and weft threads are employed
as usual to form the backing or foundation of the matting.
In manufacturing matting according to my Invention, I employ warp
beams on which to dispose the warp as in ordinary weaving, but disposing
that part of the warp which is to form the pile on a separate and distinct
beam or roller from that on which the warp to form the backing is placed.
In some cases I dispose the pile warp itself on one, two, or more beams or
rollers; as will be herein-after explained. The finished work is wound up on
the breast beam by hand leverage and held by a ratchet and pawl as usual.
Supposing it is desired to make ordinary matting of twenty inches in width,
I employ about forty threads or strands of coir in the warp to form the.
backing, and dispose two threads or strands between each to form the pile; this
will give eighty for the pile and forty for the backing, in all 120 strands in
the direction of the warp. For the forty backing strands I use a separate and
distinct set of double harness, twenty threads being distributed in one half of
the double harness, and twenty in the other, which raises and depresses them
alternately in order to form a shed for the passage of the shuttle or weft
thread or strands as well understood in ordinary weaving. To receive the
longitudinal or pile warp, I employ one or more sets of harness and warp
beams, one set of harness and one warp beam being sufficient for some de-
scriptions of work although I prefer in all cases to use two sets of harness, in
order to divide the 80 threads or strands into two parts. The strands of coir

page_text: mats being coarse harsh material, it is difficult to carry them all through the
backing warp at one time, therefore although to be all raised into the pile
at one time, I prefer to divide them and cause one half (each alternate thread)
to pass through the backing warp first and the other half to follow. This
division of the pile warps also enables me to make what is termed the diamond
pattern, by raising the two divisions of the pile warp alternately as will be
herein-after further explained. The several beams or rollers have friction
brakes applied to induce a sufficient tension in the warp, while being drawn off
in the manufacture. The several warp threads (both backing and pile) pass
through the reed as in ordinary weaving and which beats up the weft as usual.
The several sets of harness are furnished with treadles, those carrying the
backing warp being actuated as in ordinary, while the other harnesses are
each furnished with treadles to raise them independently and weighted so as
to carry
them down again as well understood. The several parts of the loom
and the warps being so arranged, I commence to weave a portion of fabric by
working the weft threads with the warp as in ordinary. Having so commenced
a foundation or backing, I now depress the whole of the warp backing strands
and raise the pile warp. Having so raised this part of the warp or longitu-
dinal strands and depressed the backing warp, a shed will be formed between
such two parts of the warp or longitudinal strands, in which shed I place a
hollow metal bar, such as usually employed in this manufacture, I then throw
down the pile warp and at same time throw up one half of the backing warp
and throw a weft thread, which is beaten up by the batten as usual, the metal
bar being still left in the fabric the backing warp is changed and another
weft thread thrown, and a third if necessary, all of which is beaten up as usual.
These two or three shoots bind the fabric together, and with the warp form
the backing for the support of the pile. Having so woven two or three shoots,
I again depress all the backing warp, and raise the longitudinal pile threads or
strands as before, and introduce another metal bar in the position of the shoot
which is then woven in the fabric as before described. I now cut the pile raised
on the first bar, which is performed as well understood by running a sharp knife
along the groove or hollow in the bar as well understood. The bar is then re-
moved. I now proceed to weave a third bar into the fabric, the driving up of
the weft in which drives up and closes the space from which the first bar has
been removed, a fourth bar is then introduced and the second cut out, & so on;
two pile cutting bars are sufficient, they being used repeatedly. The weaving of
the mat is continued thus till of a sufficient size, when a piece of groundwork
or backing is woven to separate the first mat from the second. In this ground-
work the pile warp may be interwoven with the ordinary warp of the backing,

page_text: or the pile warp may be allowed to float underneath, or it may be cut and
recommenced with the next mat. The mats are cut & separated at this
point, the cut edge being sewn or otherwise secured to prevent fraying.
In weaving the diamond pattern it is simply necessary to raise one half of
the pile warp (that is to say, every other thread) at one time, and weave one
of the cutting bars in it, the other half being subsequently raised while the
first is depressed, and another cutting bar interwoven with it, and so on, the
weaving of the shoot or weft being conducted precisely as before described.
For diamond mats I prefer to introduce no more than two shoots between
each bar, as it would produce too much groundwork or backing for the pile
introduced, but for the full pile work first described three shoots between each
cutting bar may be used with advantage.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the manufacture of mats or matting of coir having the pile or cut
surface raised from strands or warps placed parallel with the warp of the
backing or foundation as herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim the arrangement of parts as herein-before described
combined with a loom for weaving coir mats for the purpose of receiving and
operating threads or strands introduced in the warp for the production of the
pile as hercin-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
GEORGE DAVIES.
(L.S.)