A NEW MACHINE OR ENGINE FOR MAKING STOCKINGS, WAISTCOAT AND BREECHES. PIECES, CAPS, GLOVES, MITTS, PURSES, AND ALL SORTS OF HOSIERY, IN SILK, COTTON, THREAD, AND WORSTED, WHICH WOULD BE OF GREAT PUBLIC UTILITY
Year: 1778

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
BAKER and THOMAS BAKER, both of the Borough of Derby, in the County of
Derby, Framework Knitters, send greeting.
WHEREAS we, the said William Baker and Thomas Baker, in and by our
Petition, humbly represent to His present most Excellent Majesty King
George the Third, that we had, after some labour and expence, invented
"A NEW MACHINE OR ENGINE FOR MAKING STOCKINGS, WAISTCOAT AND BREECHES.
PIECES, CAPS, GLOVES, MITTS, PURSES, AND ALL SORTS OF HOSIERY, IN SILK, COTTON,
THREAD, AND WORSTED, WHICH WOULD BE OF GREAT PUBLIC UTILITY;" that in
regard we were the first and true Inventors thereof, and that the same had not
been made, practised, or used by any other person or persons, to the best of our
knowledge and belief, we humbly prayed His said Majesty to grant unto
us, our exors, adññors, and assigns, His Royal Letters Patent for the sole
benefit and advantage of our said Invention within that part. of His said
Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain 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; His said Majesty, being willing
to give encouragement to all arts and inventions that might be for the publick
good, was graciously pleased to condescend to our request, and therefore, by
His Royal Letters. Patent, bearing date, at Westminster, the Third day of

page_text: February, in the eighteenth year of. His reign, of His especial grace, certam
knowledge, and meer motion, did give and grant unto us, the said William
Baker and Thomas Baker, our exors, admors, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said William
Baker and Thomas Baker, our exors, adñiors, and assigns, and every of us, by
ourselves, or by our deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such others as
we, the said William Baker and Thomas Baker, our exors, admors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other, 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 our said Invention within that
part of His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as
to us, the said William Baker and Thomas Baker, our exors, adiñors, and
assigns, or any of us, should in our discretions seem meet, and that we, the
said William Baker and Thomas Baker, our exors, adñiors, and assigns,
should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity,
and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accrewing, and arising by
reason of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein men-
tioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges,
and advantages therein-before granted or mentioned to be granted unto us,
the said William Baker and Thomas Baker, our exors, admors, and assigns,
for, during, and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the
date of the said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully
to be compleat and ended, according to the Statute in such case made
and provided; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
if we, the said William Baker and Thomas Baker, should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, and cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within four calendar months next, and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all libertys and
advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should cease, determine, and become
void, anything therein-before contained to the contrary thereof notwithstand
ing, as in and by the said Letters Patent (relation being thereunto had) may
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Baker and Thomas Baker,
in compliance with the said proviso, do hereby describe and ascertain
the nature of our said Invention, and declare that the Plan thereof drawn

page_text: in the margin of these Presents is composed of the following particulars (that
is to say):
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the said new-invented machine, frame, or
engine for the making of stockings, pieces, mitts, or any other article usually
manufactured in the hosiery branch, either in silk, linnen, worsted, or cotton,
when fixed up for working, and is composed as herein-after is described, vizt:
A, A, A, A, are the sole bar legs, upon which the machine is supported.
B, B, B, B, aro four upright standards, upon which, together with the cross
barrs C, C, C, C, the works are supported. D, D, are two stars to regulate
the stiffness or slackness of the work. E, the thread guide bar, upon which
the thread guide F slides to lay the thread on the needles G, G. H, H, the
slide-divider leads, in which are fixed the slide dividers. I, I, the sliding
jacks, in which are fixed the sinkers K, K. L, L, are pressers, in an immove-
able presser bar. M, M, are needle dividers, fixed in the needle-divider leads
N, N. 0, 0, plates to skrew the needle-divider leads to the bar. P, P, two
bits to support the needle-divider bar. Q, Q, two levers, to lift up the sliding
jacks. R, the lift-up cock, to replace the sliding jacks. S, S, two pulleys,
over which a string runs to the compound cylinder No. 4. T, T, the bar to
push up the needles. U, a pulley, over which a string runs to the cylinder
No. 3, to carry the draw-back cock No. 7. W, W, two pullies, over which a
string goes to the cylinder No. 1, to carry the thread guide. X, X, pullies,
over which a string passes to the cylinder No. 2, to push off the sliding jacks.
Y, the compound cylinder, divided into four parts, viz., No. 1, No. 2, No. 3,
No. 4, which is turned round by the winch or handlo Z. a, a, a, a,
(Fig. 11) is a section of the compound cylinder, divided into four parts, No. 1,
No. 2, No. 3, No. 4. No. 1 only is fixed upon the axis or spindle b, b, but all
the rest are moveable on the spindle. c, d, e, are catches, to give motions to
the moveable cylinders upon the spindle, whereby the cylinder No. 1 must have
made part of a revolution before the catch c lays hold of the notched plate (
in No. 2. In the same manner the catch d lays hold of the notched plate p,
and the catch e hold of the plate q, to give them, at proper times, their
respective motions.
Fig. 3 is a section of the sliding jack and sinker.
Fig. 4 is the section of the needle slide.
Fig. 5 is the section of the presser.
Fig. 6 is the section of the needle divider.
Fig. 7 is the section of the draw-back cock.
Fig. 8 is the section of the lift-up cock.

page_text: Fig. 9 is the section of the presser cock..
Fig. 10 is the section of the bar to push up the needles.
Fig. 11 is the section of the push-off cock.
Fig. 12 is the section of the slide divider.
Fig. 13 is the springe to force the jacks down.
Fig. 14 is the arms to push the needles forwards alternately.
-
Mode of operation. All the motions requisite for the working of a single
course, as produced by the several movements of the hand in the usual way,
are by this machine (where every motion is performed in a different manner)
produced by the circular motion of the cylinder Y. In the beginning of the
motion of the cylinder, No. 1 only begins to move, which lays the thread over
the needles; and during this motion the catch c, fixed on the spindle b, b,
lays hold of the notch O, and thereby takes the cylinder No. 2 with it, which,
by means of a string pushes off the slide jack and sinker to obtain a loop from
that thread. In a small part more of the revolution of the cylinder, the catch
d lays hold of the plate p, and gives motion to the cylinder No. 3, which draws
the drawback cock backwards and forwards, and which cock draws the needle
slides backwards under the pressers, and which cock draws the pressing
cocks which lifts up the needles to the pressers. A little further of the
revolution makes the catch e lay hold of the cylinder q, and gives No. 4 a
motion, and which, by means of a string, draws the lift-up cock backward and
forward to replace the sliding jack and sinkers, by which revolution a complete
course of stocking work is performed.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the
Eighteenth day of May, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King
George the Third over Great Britain, &c., and in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight (1778).
Sealed and delivered by the within-
named William Baker and Thomas
Baker (being first duly stampt), in
W. BAKER. (L.S.)
THOS BAKER. (L.B.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1778, the aforesaid William Baker and Thomas Baker came
before our said Lord the King in His 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 stampt
according to the tenor of the Statutes made in the sixth year of the reign of
the late King and Queen Will and Mary of England, and so forth, and in
the seventeenth year of the reign of His Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand seven hundred and seventy-eight.