IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LACE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, of the Firm of Robertson,
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF LACE." A communication from abroad by Désiré Sival and Léon
Sival, both of Roubaix, France.
Scaled the 16th July 1867, and dated the 18th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th January 1867.
I, CLINTON EDGCUMBE BROOMAN, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF LACE," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is the mechanical manufacture of true purl.
lace or purl border (picots de dentelle).
The characteristic feature of the Invention consists in curling or turning
back the threads upon themselves by means of one or several lacing threads
brought into the first by a simple or multiple transverse or longitudinal
passage; these threads, which are submitted to determined degrees of tension,
co-operate by their entanglement, and their tension in the formation of the
curls, and they constitute a sort of network or skeleton forming a temporary

page_text: support which is afterwards separated simply by drawing the finished work to
allow the purls to appear perfectly disengaged. The work is effected auto-
matically by the aid of ordinary lace machines, and either carriage threads
or warp threads may be employed for the formation of the purls and of the
lacing.
I proceed to describe, as examples, but without limiting myself thereto,
different ways of carrying out this Invention, being the ways considered pre-
ferable to others which can be adopted to obtain the same results. I commence
by those in which the lacing threads effect the turning back of the purl
threads by a transverse passage, the lacing thread which turns back on itself
in the transverse direction and which plays the chief part in this system of
working is designated in all the examples given in the annexed Drawings by
the letter A; the warp threads are shown blue, and the carriage threads red.
By true purl lace or purl border (vrai picot de dentelle), I mean that which
is curled or turned back upon itself, whether it be one or several threads; this
purl is represented in Figure 1 curled over with two threads, and in Figure 2
curled under with a single thread.
One of the ways of carrying out this Invention is indicated in Figures 3
and 4; Figure 3 showing the work in course of formation, and Figure 4 the
result obtained. The purl is curled under and made to the left with two
warp threads; the numerals indicate the numbering of the bars. G, warp
thread No. 1, great tension; B, warp thread No. 2, great tension; A, carriage
thread, ordinary tension; E, carriage thread (edge thread), ordinary tension;
C, warp thread (purl thread) No. 4, ordinary tension; D, warp thread (purl
thread No. 3, ordinary tension; F, warp thread No. 5, great tension. The
threads G, B, A, F, constitute the network of lacing and are removed after
the completion of the lace. There only remain the two purl threads C, D,
and the edge thread E.
A second way is indicated in Figures 5 and 6. G, warp thread No. 2,
great tension; A, carriage thread, ordinary tension; B, warp thread No. 1,
great tension; E, warp thread (edge thread) No. 4; ordinary tension;
C, warp thread (purl thread) No. 3, ordinary tensión; D, carriage thread
(purl thread) ordinary tension; F, warp thread No. 5, great tension. The
purl threads C, D, and the edge thread E remain.
A third way is indicated in Figures 7 and 8. The purl is curled over and
made to the right with two carriage threads; C, carriage thread (purl thread)
ordinary tension; D, carriage thread (purl thread) ordinary tension; E, warp
thread (edge thread) ordinary tension; B, carriage thread, great tension;
A, warp thread, ordinary tension; F, carriage thread; great tension. The

page_text: purl threads C, D, and the edge thread E remain. In this case the numbering
of the bars is optional.
I limit myself to citing the above ways, and now proceed to ways in which
the lacing is effected in the longitudinal direction. Here, instead of the purl
threads being turned back by simple superposition they are twisted together,
and they pass round one or several lacing threads stretched in the longitudinal
direction these threads being warp or carriage threads as desired. I give
two ways of effecting this mode of forming the purls.
The first is indicated in Figures 9 and 10, the purl is curled over and made
to the left with two warp threads. A, carriage thread, great tension;
B, carriage thread (edge thread) ordinary tension; C, warp thread (purl
thread) No. 1, ordinary tension; D, warp thread (purl thread) No. 2, ordinary
tension. The purl threads C, D, and the edge thread B only remain.
Figures 11 and 12 indicate the second way. The purl is curled under and
made to the left with two carriage threads. A, warp thread, great tension;
B, warp thread (edge thread) ordinary tension; C, carriage thread (purl
thread) ordinary tension; D, carriage thread (purl thread) ordinary tension.
The purl threads C, D, and the edge thread B only remain. The numbering
of the bars in this case is optional.
In the system before explained the purls may be made to the right or to
the left, the curls over or under, more or less tension may be given to the
threads forming the purl either before or after passing round, or before or
after the passing round of the longitudinal threads.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CLINTON
EDGCUMBE BROOMAN, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Clinton
Edgcumbe Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, my executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 LACE," (communicated to me from
abroad by Désiré Sival and Leon Sival, both of Roubaix, France), upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, 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, reference being had to the Drawings, hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
The object of this Invention is the mechanical manufacture of true purl
lace or purl border (picots de dentelle).
The characteristic feature of the Invention consists in curling or turning
back the threads upon themselves by means of one or several lacing threads
brought into the first by a simple or multiple transverse or longitudinal
passage. These threads which are submitted to determined degrees of tension
co-operate by their entanglement and their tension in the formation of the
curls, and they constitute a sort of network or skeleton forming a temporary
support, which is afterwards separated simply by drawing the finished work
to allow the purls to appear perfectly disengaged. The work may be effected
automatically by the aid of ordinary lace machines, and either carriage threads
or warp threads may be employed for the formation of the purls and of the
lacing.
I
I proceed to describe as examples, but without limiting myself thereto,
different ways of carrying out this Invention, being the ways considered
preferable to others which can be adopted to obtain the same results.
commence by those in which the lacing threads effect the turning back of the
purl threads by a transverse passage. The lacing thread which turns back on
itself in the transverse direction, and which plays the chief part in this system
of working, is designated in all the examples given in the annexed Drawings
by the letter A. By true purl lace or purl border (vrai picot de dentelle) I

page_text: mean that which is curled or turned back upon itself, whether it be one or
several threads. This purl is represented in Figure 1 curled over with two
threads, and in Figure 2 curled under with a single thread.
One of the ways of carrying out this Invention is indicated in Figures 3
and 4, Figure 3 showing the work in course of formation, and Figure 4 the
result obtained. The purl is curled under and made to the left with two warp
threads. The numerals indicate the numbering of the bars. G, warp thread
No. 1, great tension; B, warp thread No. 2, great tension; A, carriage
thread, ordinary tension; E, carriage thread (edge thread), ordinary tension ;
C, warp thread (purl thread) No. 4, ordinary tension; D, warp thread (purl
thread No. 8, ordinary tension; F, warp thread No. 5, great tension. The
threads G, B, A, F, constitute the network of lacing, and are removed after
the completion of the lace. There only remain the two purl threads C, D,
and the edge thread E.
A second way is indicated in Figures 5 and 6. G, warp thread No. 2,
great tension; A, carriage thread, ordinary tension; B, warp thread No. 1,
great tension; E, warp thread (edge thread) No. 4, ordinary tension; C, warp
thread (purl thread) No. 3. ordinary tension; D, carriage thread (purl
thread) ordinary tension; F, warp thread No. 5, great tension. The purl
threads C, D, and the edge thread E remain.
A third way is indicated in Figures 7 and 8. The purl is curled over and
made to the right with two carriage threads. C, carriage thread (purl thread),
crdinary tension; D, carriage thread (purl thread), ordinary tension; E, warp
thread (edge thread), ordinary tension; B, carriage thread, great tension;
A, warp thread, ordinary tension; F, carriage thread, great tension. The
purl threads C, D, and the edge thread E remain. In this case the numbering
of the bars is optional.
I limit myself to citing the above ways and now proceed to ways in which
the lacing is effected in the longitudinal direction. Here instead of the purl
threads being turned back by simple superposition they are twisted together,
and they pass round one or several lacing threads stretched in the longitudinal
direction, these threads being warp or carriage threads as desired. I give
two ways of effecting this mode of forming the purls.
The first is indicated in Figures 9 and 10. The purl is curled over and
made to the left with two warp threads. A, carriage thread, great tension;
B, carriage thread (edge thread), ordinary tension; C, warp thread (purl
thread) No. 1, ordinary tension; D, warp thread (purl thread) No. 2, ordinary
tension. The purl threads C, D, and the edge thread B only remain.
Figures 11 and 12 indicate the second way.
The purl is curled under and

page_text: made to the left with two carriage threads. A, warp thread, great tension ;
B, warp thread (edge thread), ordinary tension; C, carriage thread (purl
thread), ordinary tension; D, carriage thread (purl thread), ordinary tension.
The purl threads C, D, and the edge thread B only remain. The numbering
of the bars in this case is optional.
In the system above explained the purls may be made to the right or to the
left, the curls over or under, more or less tension may be given to the threads
forming the purl either before or after passing round, or before or after the
passing round of the longitudinal threads.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the mechanical
manufacture, substantially as herein-before described, of what is herein-before
called true purl lace or purl border, the characteristic feature of the Invention
being the employment of a transverse lacing thread or threads with tension, or
of a longitudinal lacing thread or threads with tension and with torsion of the
purl threads in order to curl or turn back the said purl threads, all sub-
stantially as herein-before explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Clinton Edgcumbe Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
C. E. BROOMAN. (L.S.)