IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIRT FRONTS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Nicoll, of No. 42, Regent Circus,
Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, and of 46, Lombard Street, in
the City of London, Shirt Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHIRT FRONTS."
Sealed the 18th April 1855, and dated the 19th October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Nicoll at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th October 1854.
I, BENJAMIN NICOLL, of No. 42, Regent Circus, Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 46, Lombard Street, in the City of London, Shirt Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIRT
FRONTS" to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in a novel and peculiar mode of manufacturing
the fronts of shirts, so as to combine two qualities of linen of different degrees
of texture in one and the same piece of material, whereas by the modes here-
tofore practised of manufacturing shirt fronts, the material is made of the
same texture throughout. But in order to explain the nature of these im-
provements more fully, I now proceed to describe the means by which they
may be carried into practical effect, and by which the shirt front is rendered
more durable, better "setting," and less expensive than shirt fronts as hereto-
fore constructed; that is to say, I manufacture linen in stripes of the width

page_text: which the plaits or exposed parts of the shirt front are required to be, and
these plaits or exposed parts I make of very fine linen, whilst those parts or
stripes of the shirt front which are between and underneath the fine stripes,
and which are not exposed to view, I make of coarser linen, and thus I render
unnecessary the drawing of a thread in making up the front for getting the
plait straight and even, as commonly practised, and thereby render the shirt
front more durable; and by making the aforesaid unexposed parts of the front
of stouter material than the exposed parts, as above stated, I give solidity to
the front, and cause it to "set" better than if it were made of the same.
texture throughout, as before stated. And it is this novel and peculiar mode
of manufacturing the fronts of shirts, by making the material of different
degrees of texture, which constitutes this Invention of improvements in shirts
fronts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Nicoll in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
NICOLL, of No. 42, Regent Circus, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 46, Lombard Street, in the City of London, Shirt Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto nie, the
said Benjamin Nicoll, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin Nicoll,
my executors, adininistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ben-
jamin Nicoll, 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 SHIRT FRONTS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Nicoll, 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, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE; that I, the said Benjamin Nicoll, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof (that is to say):-
My improvements in shirt fronts relate to a novel and peculiar mode of
manufacturing the fronts of shirts, so as to combine two qualities of linen of
different texture in one and the same piece of material, whereas by the modes
heretofore practised of manufacturing linen for shirt fronts, the material is
made of the same texture throughout. But in order to explain the nature
and object of these improvements more fully, I will proceed to describe the
means by which the same may be carried into practical effect, and by which
the shirt front is rendered much more durable, better "setting," and less
expensive than shirt fronts as heretofore manufactured; that is to say, I
manufacture the linen or material in stripes of the width which the plaits
(or the exposed or outward part of the plaits) of the shirt front are
required to be, and these plaits or the exposed parts thereof I manufacture
of very fine linen or material, whilst those parts or stripes of the shirt
front which are underneath and between the fine stripes, and are not exposed
to view, I manufacture of coarser linen or material, thus economizing the
cost of the material, and at the same time saving labor and time in making
up the shirt front, by rendering unnecessary the drawing out of threads,
as commonly practised, in order to get the plaits straight and even, as the
junction of the fine and coarse stripes form a sufficient guide to work by.
Shirt fronts thus made are also much more durable than those wherein the
threads are drawn, and by making the aforesaid unexposed portious or stripes
of a stouter or coarser material, as above stated, I give a greater degree of
solidity to the shirt front, and thus cause it to set much better than if
it were made of the ordinary linen or material manufactured of the same
texture throughout. The method of manufacturing the linen or material in
alternate stripes of fine and coarse material for this purpose is by suitably
arranging and "reeding" the warp threads in the loom, the weft or "shoot"
thread being of uniform strength, and the "beating-up" remaining the same
throughout.
Having thus fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention of "Improvements in Shirt Fronts," together with the manner of
carrying the same into practical effect." I would remark, in conclusion, that I
claim as my Invention, the novel and peculiar mode of making shirt fronts as
herein-before described and set forth, by manufacturing the linen or material
to be employed therefor in alternate stripes of fine and coarse texture in

page_text: one and the same piece, in the manner and for the purposes above particularly
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Nicoll, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
C. R. HOOPER,
42, Regent Circus.
BENJAMIN NICOLL. (L.s.)