CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF FIGURED FABRICS
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM NORTON, of Lascelles Hall, Lepton, in the Parish of Kirkheaton, in
the County of York, Fancy Cloth Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the twelfth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick William Norton, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Frederick William Norton, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Frederick William
Norton, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF FIGURED FABRICS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Frederick
William Norton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, parti-
cularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in

page_text: Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick William Norton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed; and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
I
My Invention of improvements in the production of figured fabrics relates
to that description of fabric known as cut-pile fabric, and consists of various
improved methods of manufacturing such fabric, the improvements being
particularly applicable to the manufacture of carpets, tapestry, table covers,
waistcoat pieces, and other similar articles. My first improvement consists in
making a fabric in which the cut pile is produced from the shoot or weft, as is
the case with ordinary cotton velvet fabrics; and upon this fabric, after it is so
woven, and before the pile is cut, any suitable pattern of one or more colours
is printed in the ordinary manner of printing calicoes, druggets, or other
fabrics which are ornamented by printing patterns thereon. In weaving the s
fabric that is intended to be printed, as before mentioned, I prefer to employ two
wefts or shoots, one of which forms the surface of the fabric, and is afterwards
cut to produce the pile, while the other is employed' to form the back or
ground of the 'fabric. In the manufacture of heavy goods, such as carpets,
employ three shoots or wefts, one of wool or worsted to form the surface, the
second of cotton to form the body or ground of the fabric, and the third of
linen to form the back. The operation of weaving a cloth with three different.
shoots is a process that is well known to weavers, and therefore does not
require any detailed explanation. When the pattern has been printed on the
fabric, the velvet pile is produced by cutting up the weft. or shoot in the ordi->
nary manner, and the result will be a beautiful cut-pile fabric. withya distinctly
marked and regular pattern thereon. I would remark that I am aware that
fabrics have been made in which the pattern 'lias been produced by::first
printing the yarns which form the warp, then-weaving them into a fabric with
a raised pile, which is afterwards-cut to produce a velvet or cut-pile surface.:.I
am also aware that uncut-pile fabrics, commonly called fustians, and other
uncut fabrics, have been printed and used in the uncut state, and also that a
plain cut-pile fabric has been produced, and after being cut has been printed
in colours to form a-pattern; but there are serious objections to these plans of

page_text: making an ornamented cut-pile fabric; for example, in the first instance, great
difficulty is experienced in weaving the fabric in such a manner as not to spoil
the pattern, and even with the greatest care an indistinct and undefined pattern
is generally the result of weaving a printed warp. On the other hand, it has
been found that when a cut-pile fabric is printed the colour will not penetrate
the fabric, and the consequence will be a poor appearance on the surface, and
moreover the colours will not be fast; but will be liable to wear off and entirely.
disappear. Now by my improved method both these objections are avoided,
and by printing on a fabric in which the pile afterwards produced is made
entirely. from the weft or shoot, as is the case with cotton velvets, the colour
will be made to penetrate to the ground of the fabric, and when the surface is
cut up it will present a very rich appearance. I would observe, that in manu-
facturing according to my improved plan the various fabrics which may be
required, I employ wool, cotton, silk, or any other suitable fibrous material,
according to the purposes for which the fabrics are to be employed; and I
would further remark that as the seperate and distinct operations of weaving
the fabric, printing the required pattern thereon, and afterwards cutting the
pile. to produce a figured cut pile or velvet surface, are all processes which aro
well known and in use, I do not think it necessary to enter into any detailed
description of any of them, as my improvement consists simply in the
combination of these three known processes to produce an ornamental cut-pile
fabric. I have said that the fabric is produced in a similar manner to that in
which cotton velvets are woven, but when light fabrics with a raised pile aro.
required, I prefer to make the ground work of the fabric in the manner usually
known as cross weaving in place of plain weaving, as is usually the case. By
this means the pile weft is more firmly held and secured to the ground work,,
after the former is cut to produce a raised cut pile than when plain weaving is
used. In order to produce light fabrics in this manner it will only be neces-
sary to substitute for the common healds used for making plain cloth the
bealds usually employed in cross weaving the warp to form the ground work,
being. of course suitably arranged in the doup and other healds for cross
weaving; as is well known to practical weavers. When a strong and heavy
fabric is required, I sometimes employ both cross weaving and plain weaving
in combination; the latter process is used for producing a strong ground work,.
and the former as a means of more firmly holding or securing the pile weft.
than when plain weaving alone is employed. When plain weaving and cross
weaving are used in combination for making heavy fabrics it will be necessary
to use three shoots of different material; the one used to form the back is,
of linen. When carpet fabrics are to be made the second shoot is generally of

page_text: cotton, and forms the ground or body, and fastens or secures the pile which is
formed from the third shoot, and is generally of woollen or worsted. This
third or surface shoot is thrown in or worked in precisely the same manner as
the surface shoot, which, when cut, forms the raised cut pile of cotton velvets.
As the operation of cross weaving, as employed by mc, does not materially
differ from the ordinary process of cross weaving, it is not requisite to give
any more detailed description than is given under the second head of my
Invention, which relates to the adaptation of cross weaving to the production
of fabrics not hitherto made in this manner.
The second part of my Invention relates, to an improved mode of weaving
tapestry or producing a terry fabric resembling tapestry, and consists in the
adaptation to the above purpose of a process somewhat similar in its nature to
that known as cross weaving. It is well known that in cross weaving two
or more warp threads are passed through the same dent of the recd, and in place
of raising them alternately, as is the case in plain weaving, these two threads are
passed over each other alternately, or are "crossed" and are bound down to the
ground work by means of the weft. Now in my improved tapestry, in place of
having two 'threads working over and crossing each other alternately, as in
the ordinary plan of cross weaving, I have only one warp thread, and in
place of the second I employ a stationary cord or wire, over which the single
warp thread is crossed backwards and forwards, and is tied or secured to the
back or ground work of the fabric by means of the weft or shoot. By this
means a terry loop is formed over the stationary cord or wire, and the near or
outer end of this latter being free and open, the terry loops formed on the wire
escape therefrom, by passing over the end of the wire or cord as the taking-up:
motion draws the finished fabric forward on to the work beam. The mode of
effecting this will be best understood by referring to the diagrams in the
accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 represents a diagram plan view of a loom with the healds and
several parts arranged for making the terry fabric or tapestry above mentioned.
Figure 2 is a sectional diagram of the same. a represents the warp beam for
the surface or terry warp; and a* is the ground warp beam. 6 is the work
beam; c, c, c, the stationary wires or cords, over which the terry loops are
made; and through holes made near the inner ends of these wires a cross
wire d is passed, for the purpose of supporting and retaining them in their
proper positions. The other ends of the wires rest upon the cloth or work,
their extremities being covered with the recently-made loops of the fabric;
which is drawn off the wires as the weaving proceeds. e, e, e, e, are the
healds for working the ground warp. f. f, is the slay or lathe and recd. y is

page_text: the heald for taking the surface warp down on one side of the stationary wire;
and h is another heald, which, in conjunction with the doup heald i, crosses
the same thread over, and takes it down the other side of the wires c, thereby
forming the terry loop, which is then secured by throwing the weft or shoot
across, and firmly tying the loop to the ground work. The warp threads run
parallel with the wire c, and every surface warp thread passes through the
healds I, and also the doup heald i, and the end of this latter passes through
the heald h. The heald g is on one side of the wire, and the heald h and
doup heald i on the other side. The operation of the loom is as follows:-A
shed having been formed by the descent of the heald g, a shoot is thrown to
bind the surface warp down to the ground; then the heald g rises, and by the
descent of the heald h and doup heald i, the warp thread is pulled over to the
other side of the stationary wire c and goes down, thereby forming a shed on
the left side of the wire. Another shoot is then thrown, for the purpose of
again binding the surface warp to the ground. The healds and i then rise,
and the first heald g again descends and pulls the thread back, and the samo
movements are repeated. It should be observed that when the heald g is
carried down, the doup heald i should also be allowed to descend with it,
otherwise it would hold back the warp and prevent a perfect shed from being
formed. It will therefore be understood that the doup heald descends when-
ever either of the healds g and h are carried down. The sectional diagram,
Figure 2, represents the heald g and doup heald i down to form a shed on the
right side of the wire; and Figure 3 is a similar diagram, but shewing the
heald h and its doup heald down to form the shed on the left side of the wire.
Figure 4 is a diagram plan view of the fabric, showing the warp threads
taking down first one side and then the other of the wires c, c. By this means
it will be seen that the terry is formed over the wires lengthwise of the fabric,
and that the loops so formed escape over the ends of the wires as the taking-
up motion draws the finished fabric forward. I would here observe that
although, in order to avoid confusion, I have stated that only one warp thread
is used to form the terry loop, yet it will be obvious that two or more may be
worked in conjunction by the same healds. I would also remark, that two
sets of warp threads may also be employed in conjunction with the stationary
cord or wire, the wire being placed between the two sets of warp threads,
which are to be simultaneously passed over from side to side of the wire; that
is, while one set is being passed over from left to right, the second is to be
carried from right to left. This will be precisely similar to the ordinary
process of cross weaving, with the addition merely of the stationary wire over

page_text: which the terry loops are made. Figure 5 represents a diagram of the fabric
that would be produced by means of two sets of warp threads worked simulta-
neously over the stationary wire or cord. This same fabric may be made with
a cut pile, by attaching to those ends of the stationary cords or wires which
are woven into the fabric, knives or cutting instruments, which (as the fabric
is drawn off the ends of the wires or cords) will cut the loops, and thus pro-
duce a raised velvet pile on the fabric.
My third improvement relates to an improved mode of cutting the pile of
fabrics wherein the pile is made from the weft or shoot, and consists in weaving
into such fabric wires or cords, to which knives or cutters are or may be
attached, for the purpose of cutting the pile as the woven fabric is drawn
forward and wound on to the work beam. By this means the pile is cut and
produced during the operation of weaving while the piece is in the loom. I
would here remark, that when fabrics with a raised or cut pile figure on a
plain or figured ground are intended to be produced, the weft or shoot that is
intended to form the cut or velvet pile must, in weaving, be passed over the
guide cord or wire, while the weft or shoot which forms the plain or figured
ground, and which is not intended to be cut, must be passed under the guide
cords or wires. This observation is also applicable to the production of plain
velvets or fabrics in which there is one uniform surface of cut pile. The shoot
or weft which forms the surface, and is intended to be cut, is thrown over the
guide cords or wires, and the shoot or weft which forms the ground of the
fabric passes under the wires as in the former case. Figure 6 is a sectional
diagram, showing the means which I prefer of cutting velvet pile (produced
from the weft or shoot), according to my improved method; and Fig. 6* is a
plan view of the same. a is the beam or roller on which the velvet fabric is
wound when cut. b, b, are the guide cords or wires, to the ends of which the
knives or cutting instruments c, c, are connected. These latter are secured in
a frame, consisting of a stationary or fixed bar d, extending across the cloth,
and firmly secured to the side framings beyond the edges or selvages of the
cloth, which is allowed to pass freely beneath the bar after it leaves the knives.
The knives (one of which is shown detached in plan and elevation at Figures
7 and 8) have a notch made at their back, for the purpose of fitting on to the
fixed bar d; and when they are properly placed, they are secured thereon by
means of a second bar e (Figure 6); and the two bars d and c, with the
knives between them, are firmly held together by means of an iron clamp fat
each end. The bar & is placed above the cloth, and is firmly fixed to the sides
of the loom; and the knives or cutting instruments are attached to the ends of

page_text: the guide cords or wires; then as the loops of the woven fabric are by means
of the guide cords or wires brought against the edges of the knives or cutting
instruments, they will be cut; and the pile produced as aforesaid.
Having now described my various improvements, and the best means with
which I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would
observe, in conclusion, that although I have considered it desirable (in order
that my improvements may be. more, clearly understood) to describe some
modes of weaving which are known and, in use, I wish.it to.be particularly
understood that I do not intend to claim such processes. or operations
separately as of my Invention, nor do I intend to confine myself exclusively to
such modes of weaving, as other modes may be employed which will answer
purpose; but that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, is,―
the
First, producing an ornamental or figured cut-pile or velvet fabric by the
combined operations of weaving, printing the cloth or fabric, and afterwards
cutting the pile thereof, such pile being produced from the surface weft or
shoot, as above set forth.
I claim also holding or securing, by means of "cross weaving," the pile or
surface weft of which the pile is made.
Second, I claim the method herein shown and described, or any modification
thereof, for making a terry or looped fabric, similar in appearance to tapestry,
by the employment of stationary wires or cords, over which warp threads are
passed by a process similar in its nature to cross weaving, the loops or terry
thus formed being afterwards drawn off the wires or cords as the operation of
weaving proceeds.
I claim also the application of a knife or cutting instrument to the end of
the stationary wires or cords, so that the loops or terries formed thereon by
cross weaving the warp threads, as above mentioned, may be cut and made
into velvet pile as the fabric is drawn off the said wires or cords.
Third, in reference to cutting the pile of fabrics in which the pile is made
from the weft or shoot, I claim the use of guide cords or wires (which are
woven into the cloth), for guiding knives or cutting instruments into contact
with the loops of pile fabrics, for the purpose of cutting the pile of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Norton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
F. W. NORTON. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Frederick William Norton came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.