IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Thorpe, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF PILED FABRICS."
Scaled the 24th June 1870, and dated the 29th April 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Thorpe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th April 1870.
I, THOMAS THORPE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
the ManufactuRE OF PILED FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention applies to the manufacture of velvets, plushes, and
other similar piled fabrics, and consists principally in manufacturing
such piled fabrics with the combination of a linen face or pile with a
cotton back. By this peculiar combination of materials a much superior
effect is produced to that of a cotton velvet or velveteen, and a much
closer and more beautiful face is obtained than could be made from a
fabric all linen; as with the cotton back the material can be woven
much closer and much more pile can be put in the same place. In

page_text: weaving this improved fabric I prefer to put in all the "face picks"
(instead of only half as heretofore) before I put in any back or ground
picks to fasten the pile. I then put in one or more picks (two being
preferred) for the ground or back and afterwards repeat the face or pile
picks, and so on alternately.
By these means I am enabled to work the pile much closer, and thus
to produce a richer and more brilliant effect on the face than has
hitherto been obtained in this class of piled fabrics.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Thorpe in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
THORPE, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Thorpe, Her special license, that I,
the said Thomas Thorpe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Thorpe, 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 MANUFACTURE OF
PILED FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Thorpe, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Thomas Thorpe, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying diagrams (that is to say) :—
This Invention applies to the manufacturo of velvets, velveteens,
plushes, and other similar piled fabrics, and consists principally in
manufacturing such piled fabrics with the combination of a linen face
or pile with a cotton back. By this peculiar combination of materials
a much superior effect is produced to that of a cotton velvet or velveteen,
and a much closer and more beautiful face is obtained than could be
made from a fabric all linen, as with the cotton back the material
can be woven much closer and much more pile can be put in the same
space.
"
In weaving this improved fabric I prefer to put in all the "face picks'
(instead of only half as heretofore) before I put in any back or ground
picks to fasten the pile. I then put in one or more picks (two being
preferred) for the ground or back, and afterwards repeat the face or
pile picks, and so on alternately.
By these means I am enabled to work the pile much closer, and
thus to produce a richer and more brilliant effect on the face than has
hitherto been obtained in this class of piled fabrics.
The combination of the cotton and the linen threads is so arranged
that the warp being entirely cotton, the linen and cotton weft threads
are so thrown into the cloth that the linen only produces the pile, and
the cotton weft produces the binding or back threads, and by these
means I obtain a beautiful and brilliant face with a firm and fast pile
and back.
No new loom or machinery is required to produce this improved
fabric, the ordinary loom with two shuttles being sufficient for the
purpose, the improvement is effected simply by a new arrangement
of the "tic up" and by the peculiar working of the shuttles, one having
a cotton and the other a linen weft. The shuttle containing the linen
makes the face or pile of the fabric, whilst the shuttle containing the
cotton weft forms the back or ground thereof.
Such being the nature and object of my Invention for " Improve-
ments in the Manufacture of Piled Fabrics," in order to describe
the same more in detail and so that my Invention may be readily and
perfectly understood by any person conversant with weaving, I have
annexed hereunto a Sheet of Diagrams illustrating the "tic ups" which

page_text: would be necessary for weaving a velveteen, a velveteen cord and an
eight shaft cord, and I would here remark that it will be evident to any
practical weaver that a great variety of other "tie ups" may be used
to produce any other similar piled fabrics without departing from the
spirit of my Invention, so long as the peculiar characteristic feature 5
of my improvement is retained, that is, that the warp is all cotton, and
the weft partly cotton and partly linen, the pile being formed entirely
from the linen weft, and the back entirely from the cotton.
Fig. 1 shows the "tie up" for an ordinary velveteen. The red
horizontal lines represent the cotton warp threads, the blue vertical 1
lines the linen weft, and the black vertical lines the cotton weft. It
will be observed that the first eight picks are linen to form the pile
or face, and the ninth and tenth picks are cotton to bind and form the
back.
Fig. 2 is the "tic up" for a velveteen oord. The red horizontal lines 1
are the cotton warp threads, the blue vertical lines the linen weft, and
the black vertical lines the cotton weft.
It will be seen that as in Fig. 1 the first cight picks are linen to
form the pile or face, and the ninth and tenth picks cotton to bind and
form the back.
2
Fig. 3 shows the "tie up" for an eight shaft cord. The red
horizontal lines are the cotton warp threads. The bluc vertical lines
are the linen weft to form the face or pile, and the black vertical lines
are the cotton warp to bind and form the back, In this arrangement
it will be seen that the first four picks are linen for the face or pile, 2
then two picks cotton to bind and form the back, then four linen picks
to form the face or pile, next two cotton for binding, and so on.
I would here observe that it would be perfectly useless to attempt
to give all the various "tie ups" that might be employed for weaving
piled fabrics according to my Invention, but I have given the preceding 3
as illustrations merely, and any practical weaver would be enabled
from the foregoing description to weave any required kind of piled fabric
according to my improved system of manufacture.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention
together with the manner of carrying the same into practical effect 3
I would remark in conclusion that I claim as my Invention the weaving
or manufacture of piled fabrics such as velvets, velveteens, plushes,
cords, and other similar goods by a combination of a linen face or pile

page_text: with a cotton back or ground substantially in the manner herein-before
particularly set forth and described,
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Thorpe have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witnessed by
GEORGE DAVIES, C. E.,
Office for Patents,
Manchester,
THOMAS THORPE. (L.s.)