IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nelson McCarthy, of Cork, in the County of
Cork, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOTS AND SHOES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nelson McCarthy
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th November 1852.
I, NELSON MCCARTHY, of Cork, in the County of Cork, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BOOTS
AND SHOES" to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in making the soles of boots and shoes of
a combination of wood and leather, curved at the front and forward
part of the sole in an upward direction, at an angle or inclination of
about 60° from the horizontal line of the under surface to the extreme
point of the too. The bottom or under part of the sole is made of sole
leather from the heel to the too; on this leather sole is placed a sole, of
thin wood (ash, elm, holly, beech, or other wood), and above the wood sole
is an inner one of leather, of the same thickness as the upper. The several.

page_text: parts of the sole are united to the upper leather so as to completely cover
and enclose the wooden sole, the upper being brought down under the
wooden sole previous to the bottom or exterior sole being sewed on.
The top and bottom soles are united to the upper leather by two seams,
worked all round from heel to toc and again back to the heel, which
seams run parallel with the upper and lower edges of the wooden sole.
The top or inner sole is first sewn on, then the wooden sole, and finally
the bottom sole, the thickness of which may vary. The upper surface
of the wooden sole is not made flat, but inclines downwards, at about
10° from the heel to the point where the ball of the big toe rests, and
from which point of upward inclination to the extremity commences.
It is to be observed that the lasts used in making boots and shoes of
this kind must fit the mould of the wooden sole, as well as being suitably
formed for the shape of the upper leather.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Nelson McCarthy in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 9th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
NELSON MCCARTHY, of Cork, in the County of Cork, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Nelson McCarthy, Her special
licence that, I, the said Nelson McCarthy, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Nelson McCarthy, my execu-
tors, 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 BOOTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the

page_text: said Nelson McCarthy, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Nelson McCarthy, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, that is to say:
My improvements consist in making the soles of boots and shoes of
a combination of wood and leather, as herein-after explained, curved at
the front and forward part of the sole in an upward direction, at an
angle or inclination of about 60° from the horizontal line of the under
surface to the extreme point of the toe. The bottom or under part of
the sole, or that exposed to wear, is made of sole leather of any required
thickness, from the heel to the toe; on this leather sole is placed a
sole of thin wood, and of unequal thickness in its peculiar formation,
and said wood to be of the lime or willow, or such as ash, elm, sallow
beech, or other wood. And above the wood sole is an inner one of
leather, which, being merely intended as a lining, need not be of greater
thickness than the upper leather. The several parts of the compound
sole are united to the upper leather in such manner that the wooden
sole is completely covered and enclosed, the upper leather being brought
down under the edges of the wooden sole previous to the bottom or
exterior sole being attached. The leather top and bottom soles are
united to the upper leather by two seams, each of which is worked all
round the boot or shoe, from the heel to the toe and again back to the
heel, the seams running parallel with the upper and lower edges of the
wooden sole. The top or inner sole is first sown to the upper leather,
then the wooden sole is introduced, and finally the bottom sole is
attached by sewing in the ordinary manner. Upper surface of the
wooden sole is not made quite flat, but inclines downwards at an angle
of about 10° from the heel to the point where the ball of the big toe
rests, and about which point the upward inclination to the extremity of

page_text: the sole commences. It is to be observed that the lasts used in making
boots and shoes of this description must be so formed as to fit the mould
of the wooden sole, as well as being suitably formed for the shape of the
upper leather, and in other respects properly shaped. The wooden sole
may be made of any required thickness, and may also be waterproofed
if thought desirable; and said sole is arched directly under the natural
arch of the foot, and the heel is made to curve backwards, independantly
of the forward curve.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim in
respect thereof, the manufacture of boots and shoes with an interior
sole of wood, in the manner before described.
In witness &
NELSON MCCARTHY. (L.S.)
Grenville Place, Cork.