IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRAPE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Henry Kay and Alfred Thomas Richardson,
both of Mobberly, in the County of Chester, Crape Manufacturers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CRAPE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Henry Kay
and Alfred Thomas Richardson, at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 29th December 1869.
We, ROBERT HENRY KAY and ALFRED THOMAS RICHARDSON, both of
Mobberly, in the County. of Chester, Crape Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF CRAPE," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates generally to those descriptions of crape which
are woven in the form of a fine tissue, and when in process of being
finished are craped or crimped by mechanical means, as for example by
being passed between embossing or crimping rollers, and our said Inven-
tion relates more particularly to the description of crape ordinarily termed
and known as Norwich crape, the peculiar crimped or wrinkled appearance

page_text: of which is well known. Such crimped or embossed tissues as aforesaid
have previously to our said Invention been composed entirely of silk,
and the cost thereof has by reason of such sole employment of silk been
comparatively great.
Now our present Invention has for its object to produce a crape
imitating closely the well known appearance of the crape composed
entirely of silk, as aforesaid as for example of the black Norwich crape,
but having a cheaper material than silk to constituto either the warp
or the weft of the tissue, or a portion thereof, and for this purpose we
employ a fine description of cotton yarn specially prepared for the purpose
or such as is employed in the manufacture of some descriptions of crapes.
The said yarn is carefully spun so as to be sufficiently fine and even
for the purpose and receives an additional twist in such process of
spinning as is well understood, and is employed by preference to con-
stitute the warp of the tissue, the ordinary silk yarn being employed for
the weft. The tissue after being woven is treated in manner the same
as when composed entirely of silk or in any modified and suitable
manner, but is in all cases craped or crimped by such mechanical means
as would be employed when finishing Norwich crape composed entirely
of silk. We would remark that we are aware that cotton has been
heretofore employed either alone or in conjunction with other materials
in the manufacture of some descriptions of crape, or of fabrics designated
as crape, but such fabrics have been heavier and otherwise of a different
description than those herein previously referred to, and have not been
finished or crimped by the means herein mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Henry Kay and Alfred Thomas Richardson
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
HENRY KAY and ALFRED THOMAS RICHARDSON, both of Mobberly, in
the County of Chester, Crape Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,

page_text: give and grant unto us, the said Robert Henry Kay and Alfred Thomas
Richardson, Her special license that we, the said Robert Henry Kay
and Alfred Thomas Richardson, our executors, administrators, and assigns,.
or such others as we, the said Robert Henry Kay and Alfred Thomas
Richardson, our 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF CRAPE," upon the condition,
amongst others, that we, the said Henry Kay and Alfred Thomas
Richardson, 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 I, the said Robert Henry Kay, do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates generally to those descriptions of crape which
are woven in the form of a fine tissue, and when in process of being
finished are craped or crimped by mechanical means, as for example by
being passed between embossing or crimping rollers, and our said
Invention relates more particularly to the description of black mourning
crape ordinarily termed and known as Norwich crape, the peculiar
crimped or wrinkled appearance of which is well known. Such crimped
or embossed tissues as aforesaid have previously to our said Invention
been composed entirely of silk, and the cost thereof has by reason of
such sole employment of silk been comparatively great.
Now our present Invention has for its object to produce a crape
imitating closely the well known appearance of the crape composed
entirely of silk as aforesaid, as for example of the black Norwich crape,
but having a cheaper material than silk to constitute either the warp
or the weft of the tissue, or a portion thereof, and for this purpose we
employ a fine description of cotton yarn specially prepared for the

page_text: purpose, the said yarn being the same as or of a description like unto
the yarn ordinarily known as "cotton crape yarn." The said yarn is
carefully spun so as to be sufficiently fine and even for our purpose,
and receives an additional twist in such process of spinning, as is well
understood, and is employed by preference to constitute the warp of
the tissue, the ordinary silk yarn being employed for the weft, but this
may be varied as preferred or found to be suitable, as for example,
the warp may consist of ordinary or suitable silk yarn, the said
cotton crape yarn being employed to constitute the weft; or the warp
may consist of both the said cotton crape yarn and ordinary silk
yarn, the ordinary silk yarn being employed for the weft; or the said
weft may consist of both the said cotton crape yarn and ordinary silk
yarn, silk yarn being employed for the warp; or the two said descriptions
of warn may be employed in both the warp and the weft of the tissue.
When making a warp composed of both the said descriptions of yarn
we prefer that each alternato end be of silk yarn, the intermediate ends
being of the said cotton crapo yarn, and when weaving with both silk
weft and cotton weft we prefer to make two picks of each description
yarn alternately with two picks of the other yarn. The said yarns
are woven in the form of a fine tissue, as when making the ordinary
Norwich crape, and the said tissue is treated in manner the same as
when composed entirely of silk, or in any modified and suitable manner,
and is craped or crimped by being passed between heated embossing
rollers, which said rollers are suitably formed, cut, or engraved on their
surfaces to impart to the said tissue the peculiar wrinkled appearance
of the aforesaid Norwich silk crapes. We would remark that we are
aware that cotton has been heretofore employed either alone or in con-
junction with other materials, as for example with wool in the manu-
facture of some descriptions of crape, or of fabrics designated as crape,
but such fabrics have been heavier and otherwise of an entirely different
description to those herein previously referred to, and have not been
finished or crimped by the means herein mentioned, that is to say,
they have not been passed between embossing or crimping rollers.
of
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, together with
means for carrying the same into practical effect, I would have it to be
distinctly understood that we desire to claim the weaving of tissues,
composed partly of silk and partly of cotton yarn, of the description

page_text: herein-before mentioned, and the craping or crimping of the said tissues
by such mechanical means as herein indicated in order to produce
imitations of or substitutes for the ordinary Norwich silk crapes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Henry Kay, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
ROBERT HENRY KAY. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said
Robert Henry Kay in the
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentees,
3, Smithy Door,
Manchester.