IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBIN NET OR LACE
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Birks, the elder, of the Town of Nottingham,
Mechanist, William Birks, the younger, of the same Place, Mechanist,
and John Birks, of the same Place, Designer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBIN NET OR LACE."
Sealed the 19th July 1861, and dated the 7th May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECT
TION left by the said
iam Birks, the elder,
William Birks, the younger, and John Birks at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 7th May 1861.
We, WILLIAM BIRKS, the elder, of the Town of Nottingham, Mechanist,
WILLIAM BIRKS, the younger, of the same Place, Mechanist, and JOHN BIRKS,
of the same Place, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOBBIN NET OR LACE," to be as
follows:-
Our improvements consist in the manufacture of lace or net by two motions
of the machine or passage of the carriages from front to back and from back to
front, such lace or net consisting either of plain net, or fining or filling, or of
net and such finings or fillings and openworks combined, which can be produced
in any desired pattern or design by jacquard or other pattern surface, and lace
or net made according to our improvements closely resembles lace or net which
has hitherto required six motions of the machine or passages of the carriages
in the manufacture thereof.
In carrying out our improvements for the production of such lace or net as

page_text: previously described, made either separately or combined, we do not confine
ourselves to one particular arrangement of machinery, as various mechanical
means may be employed for producing the same result, and in order to make
our present improvements more easily understood, we will proceed to describe
in a simple form one of the means we employ for carrying out our Invention,
taking for example a stationary stump bar or bars, or other spacing instruments
with slots or spaces nearly equal to two gaits or spaces of the combs or bolts,
with the bottom bars applied in the usual way. By these means, instead of
putting the crosses on for the fining or filling on every alternate wale at every
alternate motion of the machine or passage of the carriages, as is usually the
case, we propose putting the crosses on every alternate wale for the net at every
alternate motion of the machine or passage of the carriages, and for the fining
or filling we propose putting the crosses on every wale at every motion of the
machine or passage of the carriages as may be required, according to the
pattern or design, by which means we obtain a new fining or filling of a novel
kind. Gymps and other ornamenting threads may be inserted in the usual
way. As this kind of fining or filling is of a peculiar character, it may be
made as a plain article, or embossed spots or sprigs may be produced upon
it with gymp or ornamenting threads, if desired. When required as a plain
article it may be made with two full top perforated or guide bars, or four half
bars. It may be also made in ornamented nets and laces, by means of inde-
pendent top perforated or guide bars, but in very limited widths.
We would remark that for the making of the nets or laces above
described, we prefer to employ the arrangements of machinery deseribed in the
Provisional Specification for which a Patent is now being applied for by us,
bearing date May the 4th, 1861, No. 1130, although other arrangements of
machinery may be advantageously employed for the purpose of carrying out
our Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Birks, the elder, William Birks, the younger, and 30
John Birks in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th November
1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BIRKS, the elder, of the Town of Nottingham, Mechanist, WILLIAM BIRKS,
the younger, of the same Place, Mechanist, and JOHN BIRKS, of the same 3
Place, Designer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said William Birks, William Birks, and John Birks, Her special licence
that we, the said William Birks, William Birks, and John Birks, our ex-
ecutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William
Birks, William Birks, and John Birks, 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 BOBBIN NET OR LACE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William Birks, William
Birks, and John Birks, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one
of us or them, 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 William Birks, the younger, on behalf
of myself and the said William Birks, the elder, and John Birks, 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:
Our improvements consist in the manufacture of lace or net by two motions
of the machine or passage of the bobbins and carriages from front to back, and
from back to front of the machine, such lace or net consisting either of plain
net or fining or filling, or of net, and such finings or fillings and openworks
combined which can be produced in any desired pattern or design by jacquard
or other pattern surface, and lace or net made according to our improvements
closely resembles lace or net which has hitherto required six motions of the
machine or passages of the bobbins and carriages in the manufacture thereof.
In carrying out our improvements for the production of such lace or net as
previously described, made either separately or combined, we do not confine
ourselves to any one particular arrangement of bobbin net machinery, as
various mechanical means or arrangements of such machinery may be
employed for producing the same or similar results; and in order to make our

page_text: present improvements more easily understood, we will proceed to describe in
a siniple form one of the means or arrangements of bobbin net machinery
which we employ for carrying out our Invention. For example, in order to
produce lace or net according to our Invention by two motions of the bobbins
and carriages from front to back and from back to, front of, the machine (such
as is shewn by the magnified view at Figure 1 of the Drawing bereunto
annexed), we employ a stationary stump bar or bars, or other spacing
instruments (for governing the position of the warp threads) formed with slots
or spaces equal or nearly equal to two gaits or spaces of the combs or bolts,
the bottom bars" being applied in the usual manner. By these means,
instead of putting the crosses on for. the fining or filling on every alternate
wale at every alternate motion of the machine or passage of the carriages, as
is usually the case, we put the crosses on every alternate wale for the net at
every alternate motion of the machine or passage of the carriages, and for the
fining or filling we put the crosses on every wale at every motion of the
machine or passage of the carriages as may be required according to the pattern
or design, by which means we obtain a new fining or filling of a novel description,
as shewn by the magnified view of a portion of the same at Figure 2 of the
Drawing, together with the Diagram of a cut of wheels suitable for producing
this result. This fining or filling may also be produced by four, six, or other
number of motions, in place of the simple manner described, by which additional
motions it will be improved in character for firmness and durability. Gymps
or other ornamenting threads may be inserted into lace or net of this character,
similar to that shewn in the magnified view at Figure 3, in the same manner
in which such threads are introduced into other descriptions of lace or net for
ornamenting the same, as is well understood.
Figure 4 shews a magnified view of a portion of two motion lace or net
manufactured according to our Invention, in which double warp is also em-
ployed, one half of such warp threads being caused to traverse, whilst the other
half of such warp threads are caused to twist with the bobbin and carriage
threads, all which will be readily understood by a competent workman
acquainted with bobbin net machinery, on examining Figure 4, together with
the cuts of wheels shewn in connection therewith.
We prefer to employ independent top bars in the production of the two-
motion traverse net previously described, although we do not confine ourselves
thereto, as two half bars may be used for actuating the traversing threads. As
the fining or filling made in combination with the two-motion lace, according
to our Invention as before described, is of a peculiar character, we would here
remark that it may be made as a plain article, or embossed spots or sprigs

page_text: may be produced upon it with gymp or ornamenting threads, if desired. When
required as a plain article, this fining or filling may be made with two full top
perforated or guide bars, or with four half bars. It may be also made in
ornamented nets and laces by means of independent top perforated or guide
bars, but in very limited widths.
We would remark, that for the making of the nets or laces above described,
we prefer to employ the arrangements of machinery shewn and described in
the Complete Specification of a Patent granted to us, bearing date the 4th
day of May 1861, No. 1130, although other arrangements of machinery may
be advantageously employed for the purpose of carrying out our Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Birks, the younger, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
5 Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
WN. BIRKS, JUN'. (L.S.)