CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARTS OF PREPARING, COLOURING, AND JOINING OR UNITING THE SKINS OF SHEEP. AND LAMBS
Year: 1802

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS.
RICHARDSON, of Iron Acton, in the County of Gloucester, Tanner, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty George the Third, of the United.
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith,,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the said United Kingdom,
bearing date at Westminster, on or about the Twenty-sixth day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and two, and in the forty-second year of His
said Majesty's reign, did grant unto me, the said Thomas Richardson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, His special licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas Richardson, my exors,
admors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by
my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Richardson, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and might law-
fully make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE ARTS OF PREPARING, COLOURING, AND JOINING OR UNITING THE SKINS OF
SHEEP. AND LAMBS," within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, the Dominion of Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said Thomas Richardson,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or any of us, should seem meet; in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso whereby it is declared that if I,

page_text: the said Thomas Richardson; should, not particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same was to
be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and
cause the same to be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within one
calendar month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent, that then the same should cease and become void.
NOW KNOW YE, -that-in-compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Richardson, do hereby declare that, my said Invention is described
in manner following, that is. to say..
LT
After the said skins have been tanned in the usual manner with oak bark,
sumach, minerals, or other substances fit and proper for that purpose, or other-
wise treated for the purpose of converting the same into a permanant and durable
substance, whether known by the name of leather or by any other denomina-
tion, the said skins are taken from the vats and prepared by beating the same
on the wool side to discharge the loose pieces of bark and other impurities.
After which they are well washed in a running stream and left to soak in clear
water 'till the next day, and then the beating and washing are to bé, repeated
and the skins again left to soak, and in this manner they are to be treated
until the smell is disipated and the wool appears of a clear good colour;
which will generally take place in the course of six, or eight days! The skins
are then to be scoured in the usual manner with a strong lee of. wood, and
pearl-ashes or soap, and left to drain on the horse, when they must be care
fully examined, and those which are intended to be dried of the plain colour
the wool takes from the tan vats, are to be hung on the looks for that purpose;
but those intended for fox or tan colour are prepared by plunging.and-keeping
them (with occasional agitation) in strong clear lime water until the colour is
as deep as required. The lime water is prepared as usual, by:slaking a few
pieces of good quick lime in water and stirring the mixture, which is then
suffered to subside and the clear part decanted off. I must also remark, that
the last-mentioned colour may be obtained in many other ways with lime änd
water, but that after many trials the method herë described was found to be.the:
simplest and most effectual. When. the skins are perfectly dry. they are
in a fit state for colouring of a variety of fancy colours in imitation of animals,.
or in any other manner; as follows:-First, the skins intended to be joined.
must be carefully matched, as well with regard to the length as the colour.
and thickness' of the wool, and marked.. The whole is then to be beaten and
carded to make it as clean as possible, and taken to the dye house. If the
skins be intended to be spotted or figured, whether on the original coloured
ground or upon any other, colour or tinge which may have been.communicated

page_text: to the wool, a board or other similar contrivance must be prepared, of the
length and breadth of the skin, and perforated with a variety of openings
according to the fancy of the manufacturer, and the skin is to be spread-upon
the said board and the wool drawn through the holes by means of small
hooks or other well-known, implements, so as to fill the said holes. The board
supporting the skin in this situation is then to be suspended. horizontally to a
pulley, so as to be drawn up or let down at pleasure. When the intended
colouring stuff is ready the board is to be gently let down and suffered to float
upon the liquor, and then. drawn,up and aired and again. let down, till the
colour is sufficiently fixed; and during this process care must be taken not to
let the hot liquor touch the leather, as it would infallibly spoil the skin. If
the spotting or figuring is required to be reversed, that is to say, the spots
preserved of the natural colour or first colour of the ground, while the ground.
itself shall be made to take another dye, a plain board.must be prepared, and
the form the intended spots, figures; &c. being, cut in wood, cork, leather, or
any other, proper substance, and nailed upon the face of the skin to the board
itself, agreeably to the intended pattern, the board. is to be suspended, as
before. But in this case, as the skin is attached to the under side of the
board, this last must not be suffered, to float, because the skin would by such
treatment be brought into contact with the hot dye, but the descent must, be
managed with great care, so as to produce the intended effect without damage.
When the skins are thus dyed, tinged, or spotted, of all colours and forms,
they are to be well washed and hung up to dry. When the skins are dry they
are dressed, by well beating on the wool side to hollow and raise it, after which
the skin is to be fixed on the edge of a board of a proper size, and the wool
combed throughout with a large coarse comb and smoothed with a pair of
hand cards and the edges neatly cut. Those skins which are intended to
be joined or united must be carefully matched as to colour, length, and
thickness of wool, and placed on a table with the leather side upwards,, the
edges of the skins brought together and sewed with strong waxed thread a
little below the edge, which is. then to be turned over and rubbed down close..
This method answers two purposes-the seam is concealed and the stitches
prevented from wearing. The last-mentioned effect may be produced in
various other ways, such as by leather pasted and sewed in strips over the
seams,; but I have found the above to be the most simple and to answer the
purpose best. After the said skins have been prepared by the use of oak or
other barks, sumach, minerals, or other fit substance, or tawed with allum;
salt, or other materials, or treated in any of the customary methods used or
known, for the purpose of fixing the wool or hair upon the same, and pre-

page_text: venting them from putrefying or decaying; and after the same have been
coloured, dressed, and joined, as aforesaid, I manufacture the following articles
as the products of this my said Invention:-
First, I simply join or unite the skins of the dimensions required for
common carriage rugs, hearth rugs, matts for doors, bedsides, mattrasses.
coachmen's-aprons, waterproof matts for covering trunks, &c., hammercloths,
and a variety of other articles, either of the plain natural-colour-or-of-any.
fancy colour, &c.
Secondly, I make rugs and other pieces, with pockets or muffs for the feet,
by folding or turning the wool side of the skin in the form of a pocket or
basket, securing it by means of buckles and straps, and facing the folded part
with prepared leather or part of the same skin, &c. This article may be used
at pleasure either folded or open.
Thirdly, I make rugs or carpets for carriages, joined with two or more skins
to the size intended, with pockets or baskets for the feet, and lined on the
leather side with prepared leather stiched or quilted down, secured with
buckles and straps, and intended to be used for a summer matt as well as
for winter, by turning the leather side upwards in warm weather, and the wool
side with the pockets buckled up in cold.
Fourthly, I make rugs or carpets for doors, carriages, and hearths, of a
single skin, plain or coloured.
Fifthly, I substitute my said pieces for door matts, to fit the door cases, by
joining and cutting to fit, and strengthening the corners.
Sixthly, I construct feet baskets or receptacles by folding a skin to fit the
feet, securing it by buckles and straps, which may be loosened at pleasure, and
the piece used as a matt, wrapper, cushion, or for any purpose requiring
warmth or protection.
Seventhly, I apply my Invention for urn rugs, table matts, &c., cut to the
desired form, and covered on the leather side with prepared leather pasted
down.
Eighthly, I use the same for boots and shoes or other warm coverings for
the feet, made open in the front as far as the joints of the toes, to be fastened
with strings, buttons, or laced, &c., to inclose the foot and shoe.
Ninthly, I make muffs with sheep skins and line the same with lamb skins.
Tenthly, I make three sorts of shoe socks or soles for the fect:-First, of
sheepskin stiffened on the leather side with glue, past, &c., the wool and
leather being cut to fit the shoe; second, of sheepskin stiffened and shaped as
above with prepared leather, paper, pasteboard, with a piece of painted canvas,
thin wood, &c., to render them waterproof between the two leathers, or any

page_text: other substance pasted or glued or sewed on the leather side; third, of fine
lamb skin stiffened, the edges cut or uncut, prepared with leather or other
strengthening materials, as the second article, on the back, and stitched for
security at the edges, &c.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Richardson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and two, and in the forty-second
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.
Inrolled the Twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and two.