CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURING OP STRAW PLAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING BONNETS, HATS, OR OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WALLER, of Luton, in the County of Bedford, Straw Hat Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of February, One thousand eight hundred
and twenty-six, in the seventh year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Waller, His especial
licence that I, the said Thomas Waller, my exors, admiors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Waller, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURING OP
STRAW PLAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING BONNETS, HATS, OR OTHER ARTICLES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas
Waller, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at largo
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Waller, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that is to say) :-
My Invention of improvements in the manufacture of straw plat, for the
purpose of making hats, bonnets, &c., consists in the employment of the
ordinary wheat straw grown in Tuscany and other part of Italy, which I plat,
twist, or weave in the same manner as English straw, except I use the upper
part nearest the ear of the straw instead of the lower part, or that which is
contained in the hull, in order to produce similar kinds of straw fabric to those
made of English straw, and commonly called or known by the names of
"whole Dunstable plat, double seven-split straw plat, Luton twist plat, broad
Luton twist plat, double cleven-split straw plat, whole Dunstable nine, eleven,
thirteen, and fifteen straw plat." The mode of preparing the said straw in
Italy forms no part of my Invention. I import the straw into England in the
same state of preparation as when used for weaving or platting that peculiar
straw fabric called Leghorn, and I twist or weave the said Italian straw, whether
whole or split, in the manner commonly practised by the people in Bedford-
shire and its neighbourhood, in making the said "whole Dunstable plat,
double seven-split straw plat, Luton twist plat, broad Luton twist plat,
double eleven-split straw plat, whole Dunstable nine, eleven, thirteen, and
fifteen straw plat, the method of making which are so well understood by
straw platters as to render any further explanation of the process unnecessary.
The advantages of my Invention are, that the Italian straw when so platted is
much stronger, from the mode in which it is prepared, than the English straw
when platted and sown together into the forms of hats, bonnets, and other
articles, and may be readily unsown without injury and made up again into
other forms suitable to the prevailing fashion or fancy of the wearer; whereas,
the breadths of Leghorn plat commonly made from the same materials being
nitted together at their edges, are not capable of being disunited and made up
again into other forms without materially injuring the fabric; and, again, are
combined with the above advantages,-the beauty, richness of colour, and
durabilty of Leghorn.
Having thus stated my improvements, I wish to observe that I do not
profess to be the Inventor of any of the several kinds of plat above mentioned,
but I rest my claim of Invention solely in the employment of Italian straw
for the platting, twisting, or weaving of similar kinds of fabric to those hereto-
fore made of English straw, whether whole or split, excepting the English
imitation of Leghorn plat; none of the various plats proposed to be made

page_text: under this Patent having that sort of selvage which is capable of being nitted
together, but are all of them so to be platted that there edges must be united
by sewing, as English straw plat always has been.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Waller, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-six.