IMPROVEMENTS IN ORNAMENTAL DRESS FASTENINGS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Rowley, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORNAMENTAL DRESS FASTENINGS."
Sealed the 11th April 1854, and dated the 11th October 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Rowley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th October 1853.
I, CHARLES ROWLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORNAMENTAL DRESS FASTENINGS" to be as follows (that is to say) :-
My Invention may be described under five heads, and applies, first,
to a particular form of hook, which hook may be described as repre-
senting the letter S, and which, being soldered or otherwise secured
to an ornamental front, will make (from its portability) a desirable
fastening for ladies' dresses, gentlemen's vests, and boys' or soldiers
belts. Secondly, in the form of loops for securing or holding in vest
buttons, one form being that of a single bow of ribbon, and the other a
double bow or form of a figure eight. Thirdly, in the application to

page_text: shirt studs of a spring shank, by which means they may be held
secure, and yet present less difficulity in applying or removing them
from shirt fronts than the ordinary stud. Fourthly, in fancy pins for
ladies' or gentlemen's wear, which consist in making the stem hollow,
so that a smaller pin may be inserted, having a barbed point capable of
being set in or out through a side slot as the wearer pleases, and
thereby preventing its being withdrawn without the wearer's knowledge.
And, lastly, in securing the fastenings of broaches by means of a small
curved or straight pin working in suitable guides, and which pin being
pushed out like a small bolt prevents the pin of the broach from
unfastening, affording that security so desirable for valuable jewellery.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Rowley in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th April 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES ROWLEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Rowley, Her special license
tlint T, the said Charles Rowley, my executors, administrators, and as-
signs, or such others as I, the said Charles Rowley, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORNAMENTAL DRESS FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Charles Rowley, 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,

page_text: 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 Charles Rowley, do hereby de-
clare the nature of iny 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):
may
Firstly, my Invention consists in applying a peculiar form of hook to
an ornamental front, which front may be of metal, pearl, glass, or other
material or materials suitable for buttons, studs, or clasps, and
used for ladies dresses, gentlemen's vests, or boys' and soldiers' belts,
such hooks being soldered or otherwise fastened to such fronts according
to the purpose for which they may be intended, and may be made of
wire, sheet metal, or steel, as the latter material may be desirable in
some instances, when a spring hook may be required. The second
part
of my
Invention relates to a new construction of loop for holding
in or securing fancy vest buttons, and I may explain that the shank of
such buttons, being passed through small eyelet holes in the garment
and protruding on the inner side, are secured in such position by a loop
passed through the shank; and as it is necessary that such loops should
have found that
not project (a defect common with those in use),
by making them somewhat of the form of a figure 8 I obtain the
desirable object of flatness with great security, and the strain more
equally distributed; and, when cheapness is desirable, I modify or use a
part of the figure before described, namely, the figure 8; and where
the wire of which such loops are composed cross each other they are
made to meet by a springing tendency, produced either in the process
of planishing or tempering. And, thirdly, my Invention relates to the
description of button usually designated as studs, commonly used for
the fastening of shirt fronts, and my improvements in this description of
dress fastenings refers entirely to a mode or modes of forming and
applying spring shanks to such studs, by which means the stud or
studs are more securely held in their position, and the hole in the
garinent for receiving the shanks of such studs is much smaller than is
necessary for receiving the shank of the ordinary stud, nor is the

page_text: applying or removing such studs attended with the usual difficulty and
rumpling of the shirt front. And, fourthly, my Invention refers to the
description of ornamental dress fastenings known as dress pins, and
my novelty consists in making the shaft of such pins hollow, and
inserting a piece of steel or other wire within the hollow of the pin, such
inner wire being provided with a projecting part projecting through a
slot in the pin so that the inner one may be moved up and down, and
the lower end of the inner wire is formed into a barb point, which also
projects through a slot in the pin shaft, but which barb point is hid or
exposed as the inner wire or pin is drawn up or down, thus rendering
such pin most difficult of abstraction without the wearer's knowledge, a
desideratum much required when such pins are mounted with precious
stones. And, lastly, my improvements refer to a mode of securing
brooches when in use by applying a small pin or bolt in such a
manner as to lock or fasten the pointed end of the brooch pin into its
position, so that the brooch cannot be removed from the garment until
the point or pin is liberated. But in order that I may be better
understood as to the modes in which I carry my several improvements
in ornamental dress fastenings into effect, I will proceed to describe
the Drawings hereunto annexed, in which I have shewn in various
views and sections my several improvements.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1, represents a sectional edge view of the ends of a belt con-
nected by a hook made somewhat in the form of the letter S, described
under the first head of my Invention, which hook is represented as
soldered to an ornamental front, which front I have also shewn in
section extending from A, to A, and represented by the same letters in
a front view at Fig. 2, in which I have shewn that if such front orna-
ment be of a desired character, such as a dog's head (as here represented),
it may be necessary
to prevent such front from turning around when
out of use, and I effect this in the design shewn by allowing the end of
the garter that surrounds the dog's head to extend out long enough to
pass through a hole in the belt, and flattened down on the back as
shewn at B, Figure 1. C, C, Figure 2, represents a moveable slide

page_text: secured in any desired position by the screw D, passing through the belt
as shewn in the section, Figure 1, which also shews that the connection
is made by the hook E, being passed through the hole in the slide at F.
Fig. 8, represents the same description of hook, but rather clongated
and soldered to the front at G, the front being shewn in section, and
extending from H, to H, and may be made in any desirable shape for
any required ornamentation, and applied to the belt by first passing
the hook through a slot cut in the belt from J, to J, shewn also in the
flat by the same letters at Fig. 34, after which the point of the hook K
is passed through the hole L, and is secured; and the connection
with the other end of the belt is effected by passing the end of the
hook L' through either of the required holes M, M, or M, shewn also
in the plan, Figure 3. Fig. 4, represents a side view of a vest button,
shewing the application of the hook in place of the common shank ;
and Fig. 5, a side view of a pearl button, with the same hook, which I
have shewn thin, as representing it cut out of sheet steel, which may
be desirable in some instances when the hook may be required to bo
hardened and tempered. And the manner I propose fastening such
hooks to the pearl front is by sinking a cavity in the back as shewn
at N, which is a back view of the pearl front, and at 0 I have
represented a detached view of the hook or shank with a raised part P
to fit the cavity N, which raised part, when placed in the cavity
and flattened, will so spread and fit the cavity as to be securely held.
And Fig. 6, represents another modification of the hook suitable for
ladies' dresses, the dress fabric being represented by the red lines Q,
and R. The hook and front is put together in the following way:-The
wire of which the hook is to be formed is cut off at a suitable length,
and at the same time a head is formed, the wire immediately under
the head is sqeezed into a neck, and the ornamental front being first
formed in the shape represented in the section at S, the wire is put
through the hole, when the front is flattened, which reduces the size of the
hole, squeezing it at the neck, and holding it securely, and the hook is
now to be formed as represented. The advantages of this fastener are
very great, as it can take the place of the common hook and eye for
cheapness, and be applied or removed from the dress at pleasure, a desi-

page_text: deratum much required in washing dresses. Figs. 7, and 8, represent
two button loops, as made of steel or hard metal wire, and applied to
vest buttons, the shanks of which are shewn at T, T. These are the
loops named under the second head of my improvements. And the
improvements named under the third head I have represented in edge.
and back views at Figs. 9, 10, and 11. The blue lines represent the
fabric of which the shirt fronts may be composed, to which studs
may be applied. And Fig. 12, represents the pin named under the
fourth head of my improvements in dress fastenings, the shaft or stem
of which is shewn in section in order that the inner pin or sliding barb
may be seen, which barb is represented at U, and being connected to
the projecting part V, which when pushed down to the extent of the
lotted line, the barb would descend with it, and be confined within the
hollow shaft of the pin, thus allowing the pin to be very easily applied,
but not easily withdrawn without first taking the precaution of sliding
the barb within the shaft. My sixth and last improvement in orna-
mental dress fastenings is represented at Figs. 13, and 14, and has for its
object the better securing of valuable brooches when in use. Figure 13,
may be said to be formed of tubing for the purpose of lightness and
economy, which is exhibited by the parts that are shewn in section, and
in the hollow of the tube I insert the pin or bolt W, curved in the
same form as the part in which it works, and which is effected by the
projecting part Y, commencing through the slot Z, and Z, which
regulates its action. The pin of the brooch is here represented secured
by the bolt W, but by sliding the part Y up to the end of the slot Z¹
the brooch pin will be free. And the mode of securing the brooch pin
represented at Figure 14, is similar to the one last described, but
effected with a straight pin marked A¹ working in a tubular guide
shewn in section at B, C, and E¹, F', and is drawn to shew that this
mode of securing or protecting brooch pins is not confined to brooches
made of tube as in Figure 13, but may be applied to various description
of brooches.
Having thus described the nature and object of my Invention, and
the manner in which I propose to carry them into effect, I wish it
understood that what I claim as my Invention is,-Firstly, the form of

page_text: hook described and exhibited at Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, as applied to
ornamental fronts, without any regard to the design of such ornament, or
to the material of which the fronts may be composed. Secondly, I claim
the form of button loop shewn and described at Figures 7, and 8. And,
thirdly, I claim the mode of securing shirt studs when in use by the
application of spring shanks as represented at Figures 9, 10, and 11.
And, fourthly, I claim the mode of protecting (when in use) fancy dress
pins by a projecting barb point as exhibited at Figure 12, without any
regard to the ornament of such pin. And, lastly, I claim the mode of
retaining or securing the pins of brooches described and exhibited at
Figures 13, and 14, without any regard to the manner or design in
which such brooches may be made and ornamented.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Rowley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand cight hundred and fifty-four.
CHLAS ROWLEY. (L.S.)