MAKING PERRUQUES OR WIGS, WITH FASTENINGS MADE OF A CERTAIN ELASTIC COMPRESSED STEEL SPRING OR SPRINGS, AND ALSO WITH OTHER FLAT SPRINGS OR. WIRES MADE OF STEEL, FOR THE. CLOSER. ADHESION OF THE POINTS AND, WISKERS TO
Year: 1800

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BOWMAN, of New Bond Street, in the Parish of Saint George, Hanover
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Perruke Maker, send greeting..
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His:
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of October, in the fortieth year of His
reign, did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Bowman, my executors,,
administrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege,
and authority, that I, the said Thomas Bowman, my executors, adminis-i
trators, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by my
and their deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Bowman, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should agree.
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times hereafter during the,
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
and vend, within that part of His Kingdom of Great Britain called England,.
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my. Invention'
of "MAKING PERRUQUES OR WIGS, WITH FASTENINGS MADE OF A CERTAIN ELASTIC
COMPRESSED STEEL SPRING OR SPRINGS, AND ALSO WITH OTHER FLAT SPRINGS OR.
WIRES MADE OF STEEL, FOR THE. CLOSER. ADHESION OF THE POINTS AND, WISKERS TO

page_text: THE HEAD AND FACE," in such manner as to me, the said Thomas Bowman, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should in their dis-
cretions seem meet, and that I, the said Thomas Bowman, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the
whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage, from time to time coming,
growing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, during the term of years
therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers,
privileges, and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted
unto me, the said Thomas Bowman, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date
of the said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be
compleat and ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided;
in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the
said Thomas Bowman, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
to cause a particular description of the nature of my Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation
being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with that proviso, I, the said
Thomas Bowman, do hereby declare that my Invention is and consists in
the making of perruques or wigs on a lighter and more compleat principle
than any other yet made, by means of certain springs, for the purpose of
extending and compressing the perruque or wig at the different points of the
head. The perruque or wig round the face and in the neck is made of
ribband, of the breadth of one inch and quarter, more or less. Another
ribband, of the breadth of two inches, more or less, crosses the head from the
centre of the forehead to the middle of the neck, gradually diminishing in
breadth from the forehead to the neck, at which place it terminates at the
breadth of an eighth part of an inch, or thereabouts; another ribband, about
one eighth of an inch broad, crosses the head from ear to ear. The inter-
mediate parts are crossed at nearly equal distances, according to the thickness
required in the wigs, with narrow ribband, of the breadth of one-sixteenth part
an inch, upon which the hair is sewed in such a manner as to comb in any
direction without shewing any star or finish. The points which cover the
head; behind the ears, the forehead, the temple, the top of the cheek bones,
and down some part of the cheek; as a substitute for that part of the beard
generally left unshaved, commonly called the wiskers, are made to adhere to
the respective parts by means of certain flat steel springs, made and tempered
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page_text: to a proper curviture, the ends of which that are placed next the selvidge or
edges of these points being rounded, and having an opening in the centre.
They are securely sewed down, and are not liable to cut through or to part
the head as the broken watch springs generally used for that purpose do.
These springs are of various sizes and shapes, according to the size of the head
and the sort of perruque or wig they are intended for, as they are adapted to
ladies' as well as gentlemen's perruques or wigs, but usually of the sizes and
dimensions of the Figures drawn and described in the margin hereof, and
which springs are bent or curved to the shape of the parts they are applied to.
The perruques or wigs are made to adhere to the head by means of a certain
flat compressed spring made of flat steel wire, about the fiftieth part of an inch
wide, which springs is usually about one quarter of an inch wide, and about
the sixteenth part of an inch thick; when compressed is about three inches.
Through the middle of the wire.
long, when extended about.six inches long.
are placed two flat steel plates or springs about the size and thickness of a
watch spring, and somewhat longer than the wire when extended. One end
of the wire is then fastened to the end of one of the plates or springs, and the
other or reverse end of the wire is fastened to one end of the other plate or
spring, leaving one end of each plate or spring at liberty, and appearing out of the
wire spring about one quarter of an inch; in each of which ends so left at liberty,
and appearing out of the wire spring, is made a hole to fasten the plate or spring
to the inside of the wig behind the ears, crossing the hollow part or pole of the
head, which spring is then covered with riband, silk, or leather; these ends so
fastened to the wig when drawn out cause the elastic steel wire to be com-
pressed, by which means the spring is extended or compressed at pleasure.
Below the above spring, about one inch, and near the selvidge or edge of the
riband which goes round the neck, is fastened a small round elastic spring,
made of rolled or flatted gold, silver, or steel wires, for the closer adhesion of
that part of the wig which covers the neck, which spring is covered with
riband, silk, or leather. Where a less degree of pressure or adhesion is required
instead of the above compressed flat steel spring, an extending flat elastic
spring is used, made of rolled or flatted gold, silver, or steel wire, which metals
are not liable to gangrene or fill up with verdigrease, as those made of brass
or copper wires are. This spring is usually of the breadth of one quarter of
an inch, and about one-sixteenth part of an inch thick; when extended about
six inches long, when closed about three inches. The ends of the spring are.
fastened to the inside of the perruque or wig behind the ears, crossing the
back part of the head, and is covered with riband, silk, or leather, as above,
By means of these springs the wig is made perfectly elastic behind, and at the