INVENTION FOR MANUFACTURING AN ARTICLE INTO LEATHER, COMMONLY CALLED SPANISH OR MOROCCO LEATHER
Year: 1799

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ALISON, of Long Lane, in the Parish of Bermondsey, in the County of Surrey,
Tanner, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of January, in the thirty-ninth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Alison, His special licence that I, the said William Alison, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Alison, my executors, administrators, 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
FOR MANUFACTURING AN ARTICLE INTO LEATHER, COMMONLY CALLED SPANISH OR
MOROCCO LEATHER;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said William Alison, 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 said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
one calendar month next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereto had, will more
fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Alison, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is described and ascer-
tained as follows (that is to say): -

page_text: The article of which my Spanish and Morrocco leather is manufactured
consists of South America horse hides. These being dryed in the warm
climate of that country, all the natural moisture of the hide is compleatly
parched up; it requires, therefore, considerable management and attention to
restore them to their original softness as nearly as possible. This is to be
effected by putting them into soft stinking water; after laying there five or six
days to be taken up, they are then to be spread over the tanner's beam and
worked over the flesh side with a knife (such as is in common use in working
bides); this operation is for the purpose of breaking the thin film that is
formed by being so much dried. After this is done they are to be put down
again in the same stinking water to remain three or four days longer, they
must then be taken up; by this time they will be (in general) sufficiently soft,
but there may still be a few hides amongst them not soft enough, these may be
put down again for a few days more. After the hides have been thus softened
they are to be put into lime water (such as is used by the tanners for the pur-
pose of loosening the hair), in this they must remain about fourteen days,
during which time they are to be taken up and put down again four or five
times, in order to plunge up the sediment that may have lodged in the bottom
of the lime pit, and that every part of the hide should receive equal benefit.
At the expiration of the fourteen days they will unhair easily in the common
way.
After being unhair'd the thick parts of the hides must be shaved, so as
to render them (as nearly as possible) of equal substance. They are then to
undergoe the same process as what is generally used in the manufacturing of
goat skins into this leather, by putting them into warm water mixed with dog's
dung; while in this they must be moved constantly, and worked over a beam
with a knife on both the flesh and grain side three or four times, that they may
be well cleaned from all grease and filth; the time necessary for this process
is about two hours. In order to make them mellow, and of a fair colour, they
may be put into water made blood warm, with a layer of bran spread betwixt
each hide; in this they must remain till they begin to ferment, they must
then be taken up and worked clean by brushing them with a knife over both
flesh and grain sides; they are now in a fit state to undergoe the same process
as the goat skins, by being tanned with shumack and finished off in the same
way.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Alison, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine
WILL. ALISON. (L.B.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of February, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Alison came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Fourth day of February, in the year above written.