A CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD APPLICABLE TO PREPARING AND DRESSING COTTON WARP
Year: 1803

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JOHNSON, of Bredbury, in the County of Chester, Weaver, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said Thomas Johnson, did, by my petition, humbly
represent to His present Majesty King George the Third, that I had, after
much labor and expence, invented "A CERTAIN NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD
APPLICABLE TO PREPARING AND DRESSING COTTON WARP," which I conceived
would be of great public utility; that in regard I was the first Inventor
thereof, and that the same had never been made or used by any other person
or persons whomsoever, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I humbly
prayed His said Majesty to grant to me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, for the sole use, benefit, and advan-
tage of my said Invention, within that part of His said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years,
according to the Statute: in that case made and provided; and His said Majesty,
being willing to give encouragement to all arts and inventions that might be
for the public good, was graciously pleased to condescend to my request; and
therefore, by His Royal Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the
Twenty-eighth day of February now last past, of His especial knowledge,
certain grace, and mere motion, did give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His special licence, full

page_text: power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Johnson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, and every of us, by myself and
themselves, or mine and our deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at
all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my said Invention, within
that said part of His Majesty's said United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Thomas Johnson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions
seem meet; and that I, the said Thomas Johnson, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole benefit
and advantage from time to time arising by reason of the said Invention
for and during the term of years therein mentioned; to have, hold, exercise,
and enjoy the said licence; powers; privileges, and advantages therein-before
granted unto me, the said Thomas Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, for and during the term of fourteen years from the date of the said
Letters Patent next ensuing, according to the Statute in that case made
and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if
I, the said Thomas Johnson, should not particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the
same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within one
calendar month next after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the
said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as upon reference
to the said Letters Patent may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Johnson, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby. describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and declare that the Plan thereof drawn upon the paper hereunto
annexed is comprised of the following particulars, that is to say :-
Numbers 1 and 2, an elevation and ground plan of. a machine for preparing
cotton warp for dressing. A, A, the frame of a creel made of wood. B, B,
bobbins in the creel containing the twelfth part of the usual number of
threads in a warp. C, C, raths of, wood, elevated as in Number 1, above
the bobbins in the creel by the rail D, D, fastened to the creel frame. E, E,
brass teeth fixed in the raths of wood, between which the threads of cotton.
upon the bobbins in the most elevated part of the creel are drawn, and by

page_text: which the same threads are kept separate. F, F, the warp passing from
the creel through G, G, being other raths of wood having brass teeth fixed
therein for keeping each thread of the warp as delivered from the creel
separate and of a proper breadth for the beam which is to receive it. H, H,
the beam which receives the twelfth part of the warp. K, K, a frame of
wood moving on a centre at L, L, to which is fastened a round piece of
wood, M, M, covered with flannel, and pressing upon the beam H, to keep the
threads even. N, a weight fastened by a cord O to the frame K, passing over
a pully fixed within the frame, in order to keep the piece of wood M tight
upon the beam H. P, P, a rest for the beam H when full, and whilst the
lest or less is taken. Q, Q, six ribs of wood, distant from each other half an
inch, over which the threads of the warp run, each space between the ribs
intended to receive an iron rod, to be placed upon the threads when any
of them has been broken and the ends lost upon the beam, in order to draw
warp backwards between the spaces from the beam H until the lost end be
found. R, R, a loose pulley, having a pinion behind it fastened to the pulley.
The pulley is set in motion by a strap passed over it, and connected with the
moving power. S, S, a wheel with teeth, which moves upon an axle running
through the frame I, I, and is itself worked or set in motion by means of the
pinion behind the pulley R. T, T, a wheel of wood fastened and moving
upon the same axle with the wheel S, into which wood wheel a socket is
made to receive the piviot of the beam H, which is fastened to it by a catch.
U, U, a fork of iron moving upon a centre at V, V, and connected with the
loose pulley and pinion, in order to throw the machine in and out of geer.
W, W, a lever fastened to the fork U, by which a person being on the
opposite side of the machine to the fork may throw it in and out of geer.
Numbers 3 and 4, an elevation and ground plan of a machine for dressing
cotton warp. A, A, the frame of the machine, made of wood. B, B, twelve
beams, each containing the twelfth part of a warp as prepaed by the machine
number 1 and 2, and placed in the frame A, A, number 3 and 4. C, C,
weights pendant by straps passing over the ends of the beams, as at D, and
fastened to the rail E, in order to keep the warp sufficiently stretched. F, F,
a reed through which the threads of the warp as brought from the beams are
passed and kept separate. G, G, rollers, numbers 1, 2, and 8, covered with
flannel, roller number 3 half immersed in sow or paste placed in the trough
H, H, which supplies in its motion the rollers number 2 and 1, moving in open
grooves, with sow or paste, which is thus communicated to the warp as it passes
between the rollers numbers 2 and 1. I, I, two levers to which the weights
K, K, are pendant, and which, lying on the pivots of roller number 1, press

page_text: .
the sow or paste into the warp, passing between the rollers, and by moving the
weights K, K, further from or nearer to the pivots of the levers, the increase
or decrease of the pressure regulates the quantity of sow or paste paper proper
for the warp to receive. L, L, five weavers' rods passing through the warp,
dividing the same into six equal parts, to keep it open in its wet state whilst it
passes through the brushes. M, M, two brushes fastened to the strap N, N,
and moving along with it round the cylinders O, O. The use of the brushes
is to lay the lint or ooze on the warp; and P, P, are ribs of wood placed on
each side of the cylinders O, O, over which the ends of the brushes pass, and
the brushes are thereby kept steady and in their places whilst dressing the
warp. Q, Q, a brush for cleansing the dressing brushes from lint or ooze
collected by them in passing through the warp. R, R, four weavers' rods
passing through the warp in such lests or lesses as weavers commonly use for
keeping the threads open whilst softening and in drying. These rods are
moved backwards, as necessary, by the person whose employ it is to soften the
warp by the common softening or tallow brush. S, S, a tan or winnow to
dry the warp passing over it. T, T, a roller of wood, over which the warp
passes, and which tends to keep it steady. U, U, a reed or rathe through
which the threads of the warp are passed, and which keeps the warp equal and
of the proper width for the beam which is to receive it. V, V, two weavers'
rods passing through the warp, and which form a common cross lest or less,
and which, when the beam is sufficiently full, are removed from the machine
along with it to the loom, fresh rods for forming another common cross lest or
less being first placed in the remaining or fresh warp. W, the beam which
receives the warp when dressed. X, X, a pulley of wood fastened on the
same axle as the cylinder O, No. 1, and, by means of a strap passing over
such pulley, connected with the moving power, the machine receives its motion.
Y, a loose pulley of wood, exactly of the same size with pulley X, and running
on the same axle, the use of which is to receive the strap from pulley X
when the machine is put out of geer. Z, Z, a fork of iron moving upon a
centre at a, by which the machine is put in and out of geer, by moving
the strap on and off the pulley X. b, a lever fastened to the fork Z at c,
by which a person being at the opposite side of the machine to the fork.
may throw it in and out of geer. d, a regulating cord pulley, put in motion
by a cord passing over it and the pulley X at e. f, a cord pulley fastened
on the same axle as the fan or winnow S, moved by a cord from pulley d.
9, another regulating cord pulley, moved by a cord from the regulating
pulley d. The pulley g, being fixed upon the lying shaft h, moves the upright
shaft i, at the head of which a worm moves the wheel . Behind the wheel k

page_text: is placed a pulley of wood on the same axle, into which a socket is made
to receive the pivot of the beam W, which is fastened to it by a catch.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Johnson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the forty-third year
of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of
God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King,
Defender of the Faith, and in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and three.
THOMAS (L.B.) JOHNSON.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named Thomas Johnson (being
first duly stamped), in the presence of
J. LINGARD,
Of Heaton Norris,
Attorney at Law.
G. E. DALE,
Of Heaton Norris,
Attorney at Law.
Extra in Chancery.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-second day of March,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Thomas Johnson came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid, 5
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 Twenty-sixth day of March in the wear above written