IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BONNET FRONTS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE THEREIN
Year: 1862

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Harding at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 7th June 1862, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HARDING; of Aldersgate Street, in the City of London, send greeting..
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF BONNET FRONTS, AND IN APPARATUS TO BE
THEREIN," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have
made solemn Declaration that I am the true and first Inventor thereof..
¨ NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Harding, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal; fully

page_text: describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement, that is
to say:-
My Invention has for its object the manufacture of bonnet fronts, with the
view of producing the same at less cost and labour, as also to admit of the
pattern or design being more advantageously varied than at present, and
consists in causing the pleatings or gofferings forming the said fronts to be
produced in a cold state through the medium of shapes or moulds of wood,
metal, or otherwise, in such manner as to admit of the blond, lace, or other
material being conveniently threaded through or passed round the same, and
held or retained in position suitable for being banded and finished in the
ordinary manner.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe it by aid of the ac-
companying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures thereon
marked, that is to say:-
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of my improved apparatus for the
above purpose; Fig. 2, a top or plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse
vertical section, taken through the dotted line in Fig. 1;
Figs. 4, 5, and 6,
corresponding views, showing a modification thereof; and at Figs. 7 and 8 s
top and side views of portions of a bonnet front. In each Figure the same
letters of reference denote similar corresponding parts.
A, A, stand or body of the mould; B, B, raised projections for forming the
required pattern or design; C, C, intervening spaces through which the lace
or fabric D, D, is passed, as shown; E, E, portion of bonnet front made upon
my improved principle; F, F, band for fixing or securing the same together
in the usual manner. In conclusion to the foregoing description, I would
here briefly note that the form or construction of the moulds or apparatus
employed by me may be varied, or so arranged as to admit of being readjusted
or otherwise to the nature and character of the pattern or work required.
Having now fully described the nature of this my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I would have it clearly
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein-before
set forth, as the same may be varied without departing from the general
principle of these my said improvements, nor do I claim as of my said Inven-
tion the exclusive use of the several parts herein-before mentioned, except
when the same are employed in and for the purposes of my said Invention,
which I hereby declare to consist in the employment of moulds in the manu-

page_text: facture of bonnet fronts without heat, in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Harding, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM HARDING. (L.s.)
Witness,
WILLIAM HICKS,
Clerk to Messrs. Weatherdon & Co.,
77, Chancery Lane.