IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNITTED SHIRTS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Beale, of the Borough of Leicester, Hosier,
and John Latchmore, of the same Place, Hosier, for the Invention of
Sealed the 17th August 1854, and dated the 26th June 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Beale and John
Latchmore at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 26th June 1854.
We, CHARLES BEALE, of the Borough of Leicester, Hosier, and JOHN
LATCHMORE, of the same Place, Hosier, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF KNITTED SHIRTS" to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to manufacture knitted shirts of, worsted,
lambs' wool, cashmere, merino, cotton, or other yarn, with a view to such shirts
being made in the machines in such manner as to offer more warmth at the
fronts or parts of the fronts than at other parts. Heretofore like objects have
been accomplished by making the fronts or parts of the fronts of such shirts
double, by sewing additional fabric thereon. For this purpose, when knitting
the parts of the shirts which is to offer additional warmth, the workman will
introduce fleecy wool or cotton on the needles, in such manner as to produce.
nap or fleece as the work progresses, by which a fleecy-napped interior surface
will be produced to the fronts of such shirts to the extent desired; or in place
of introducing or producing the fleece or nap, as above mentioned, a fleece or

page_text: nap may be raised on the surfaces after the knitting has been performed, in
like manner to what has been done to some knitted fabrics for the making of
gloves; and soft yarn may be used for the interior surfaces, for the purpose of
facilitating the raising or producing of the fleece or nap.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Beale and John Latchmore in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th December 1854."
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
BEALE, of the Borough of Leicester, Hosier, and JOHN LATCHMORE, of the
same Place, Hosier, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of June, 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 us, the
said Charles Beale and John Latchmore, Her special licence that we, the said
Charles Beale and John Latchmore, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Charles Beale and John Latchmore, our execu-
tors, 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 ex-
pressed, 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 KNITTED
SHIRTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Charles Beale
and John Latchmore, by an instrument. in writing under our hands and seals.
or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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, we, the said Charles Beale and John Latchmore,
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) :-
:-
The object of this Invention is to manufacture knitted shirts of worsted,
lamb's wool, cashmere, cotton, or other yarn, with a view to such shirts being
made in the machines in such manner as to offer more warmth at the fronts

page_text: or parts of the fronts than at other parts.
Heretofore like objects have been
accomplished by making the fronts of such shirts double, by sewing additional
fabric thereon.. For this purpose, when knitting the parts of the shirts which
is to offer additional warmth, the workman will introduce fleecy wool or cotton
on the needles, in such manner as to produce nap or fleece as the work pro-
gresses, by which a fleccy-napped interior surface will be produced to the
fronts of such shirts to the extent desired; or in place of introducing or pro-
ducing the fleece or nap, as above mentioned, a fleece or nap may be raised
on the surface after the knitting has been performed, in like manner to what
has been done to some knitted fabrics for the making of gloves; and soft yarn
may be used for the interior surfaces, for the purpose of facilitating the raising
or producing of the fleece or nap.
Having, thus stated the nature of our said Invention, we will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
As the making of knitted shirts in knitting frames as now practised is well
understood, it will not require to be described in this our Specification further
than is necessary for enabling a workman to understand and carry out our
Invention. In the manufacture of knitted shirts it has been the practice,
where greater warmth is desired to be obtained to the wearer over the chest
than at other parts of the body covered by a shirt, to line so much of the fronts
of knitted shirts with flannel or with similar knit fabric to that of which the
shirt is made, or with other warm fabric, thereby obtaining an extra thickness
of fabric in the fronts of knitted shirts; and these linings have been made to
extend to a greater or less width and length, according to the quantity of the
person's chest it has been desired to obtain additional warmth to; such mode
of obtaining the required result is not so convenient or useful as when kuitted
shirts are made according to our Invention, by which the additional thickness
is of one substance with the other parts of a shirt. The workman, when
making the front portions of a shirt, in place of making it of a single knitted
fabric, the same as the other parts of the same shirt, will introduce fleecy wool
or cotton on the needles, and thus produce to the interior of the front of the
shirt (to the extent desired) a pile surface, which will be fastened in or woven
into and form one piece with the knit fabric, as is well understood when pro-
ducing a like pile to knit fabrics in the manufacture of gloves and other
articles.
And we would state that we do not claim the production of pile surfaces to
knit fabrics generally, as the same has been practised in the manufacture of
other hosiery goods; and we wish it to be understood that this part of our
Invention consists of the application of the process of producing a fleece or pile

page_text: to the fronts of knit shirts. In place of applying fleecy wool or other fibre
when making the fronts of knitted shirts in knitting machines, a pile may be
raised (after the fabric has been taken out of the machine) by the ordinary
process of raising, and thus will be produced a similar result to that above.
described, viz., knitted shirts with piled surfaces on those parts of the fronts
which cover the chests of the wearers. For which purpose the workman, when
he is producing the front portions of a knit shirt in a knitting frame or
machine, will introduce a soft yarn or thread into the fabric (as is well under-
stood in making other articles of hosiery); and he will introduce such a soft
yarn to a larger or less extent, according to the extent of the interior of a
knitted shirt, which may be desired to offer to the chest of the wearer greater
warmth; and then, when the knit fabric has been removed from the machine,
those parts of the surfaces where the additional soft yarn has been introduced
are to be raised by hand cards or otherwise, as is well understood.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that what we claim is, the
manufacture of knitted shirts herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Beale and John Latchmore,
have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Second day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four
Witness,
FREDERICK HENRY SEDDON,
King Street, Leicester.
CHARLES BEALE. (L.8.)
JOHN LATCHMORE. (L.S.)