IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS IN WARP AND TWIST LACE MACHINES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Hemsley and William Hemsley, of Mel-
bourne, in the County of Derby, Lace Manufacturers, for the Invention
of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS IN WARP AND TWIST
LACE MACHINES."
Sealed the 26th November 1855, and dated the 8th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Hemsley and
William Hemsley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 8th September 1855.
We, THOMAS HEMSLEY and WILLIAM HEMSLEY, of Melbourne, in the
County of Derby, Lace Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FABRICS IN WARP AND
TWIST LACE MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the manufacture of peculiar fabrics in
warp and twist lace machines, and consists of applying chenille or woven
weft, either plain or according to pattern, in the fabrics produced in such
machines. Heretofore when using chenille or woven weft in the manufacture
of piled fabrics, whether the pile has been brought up on one or both sides,
it has been usual to weave the same by opening sheds in the warps by the
harness of a common loom, and to introduce the chenille or woven weft into
such sheds. Now, our improvements consist in employing warp and twist
lace machines in making such classes of piled fabrics, whereby in the fabrics

page_text: produced in warp lace machines, the chenille or woven, weft will be tied into
the fabrics which are produced by looping the warp threads into each other;
and in the fabrics made by twist lace machines, the chenille or woven weft
will be tied into the fabrics by means of the warp and bobbin threads employed
in such machines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Hemsley and William-Hemsley in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 7th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
HEMSLEY and WILLIAM HEMSLEY, of Melbourne, in the County of Derby,
Lace Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Hemsley and William Hemsley, Her special licence that we,
the said Thomas Hemsley and William Hemsley, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Hemsley and
William Hemsley, our 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 FABRICS IN WARP AND TWIST LACE MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Hemsley and William
Hemsley, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 William Hemsley, on behalf of myself
and the said Thomas Hemsley, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say-

page_text: This Invention has, for its object the manufacture of peculiar fabrics in
warp and twist. Jace machines, and consists of applying chenille or woven
weft, either plain or according to pattern, in the fabrics produced in such
machines. Heretofore when using chenille or woven weft in the manufacture
of piled fabrics, whether the pile has been brought up on one or both sides, it
has been usual to weave the same by opening sheds in the warps by the
harness of a common loom, and to introduce the chenille or woven weft into
such sheds. Now, our improvements consist in employing warp and twist lace
machines in making such classes of piled fabrics, whereby in the fabrics
produced in warp lace machines, the chenille or woven weft will be tied into
the fabrics which are produced by looping the warp threads into each other;
and in the fabrics made by twist lace machines, the chenille or woven weft
will be tied into the fabrics by means of the warp and bobbin threads employed
in such machines.
Having thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same. In manufacturing
fabrics in warp lace machines using chenille or woven weft, we employ any
descriptions of woven weft or chenille, as has heretofore been the case when
employing ordinary looms with harness, to open sheds between the warp
threads placed in such looms; and we prefer to employ warp lace machines
with about eight or a less number of warp threads to the inch, though if
desired to make finer and closer fabrics more may be used; and we prefer
that each warp thread should only make chain stitch with its own needle; but
this is not essential, as the warp threads may each work with more than one
needle. The woven weft or chenille is introduced across the machine and
under the needles, and is tied into a fabric by the looping of each warp on its
needle. The woven weft or chenille is introduced in like manner to what
other wefts of other material have been introduced into warp fabrics, which is
well understood, and we wish it to be understood that we make no claim to
the introduction of wefts or other material into warp or looped fabrics, this
part of our Invention consisting of introducing woven weft or chenille into
warp lace fabrics, by which we produce fabrics composed of loops with chenille
or woven weft introduced transversely.
In carrying out our Invention, when using twist lace machinery we either
use two sets of carriages or one set of carriages and a warp; when using two
sets of carriages, we cause them to swing from back to front and from front
to back, introducing the weft when one set or one half of the carriages is in
the front combs and the other half or set is in the back combs, by which
means the chenille or woven weft will be tied into a fabric. If desired, the

page_text: bobbin threads of the carriages may be made to twist or pass round each other,
by having the comb or bolt bars of the machine to shog. When using only
one set of carriages and a warp, we, by preference, cause the weft to be
introduced across in front of the warp, and when the carriages are in the front
combs or bolts; but this may be varied; and we cause the warps to shog one
space after the carriages have gone from the front into the back combs or
bolts, and before the carriages come from the back into the front combs, and
we shog or move them back after the carriages have come again into the front
combs. We would remark that we are aware that other descriptions of weft
have been used in fabrics made in twist lace machines; we do not, therefore,
claim the introduction of weft generally, but only the introduction of woven
weft or chenille when making fabrics in twist lace machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hemsley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
WILLIAM HEMSLEY. (L.S.)