IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Best Fawcett, of Kidderminster, in the
County of Worcester, Carpet Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS."
Sealed the 29th July 1856, and dated the 1st February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Francis Best Fawcett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st February 1856.
I, FRANCIS BEST FAWCETT, of Kidderminster, in the County of Worcester,
Carpet Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS," to be as follows (that is to
say):-
My Invention, having reference to the manufacture of carpets by power
looms, consists in improving the design and surface of the said carpets, by
forming the loops or pile with single threads and longitudinal wires, in place
of double threads and longitudinal wires as at present in use; in substituting
the single for the double threads, as aforesaid, the irregularity in the appearance
of the woven fabric or carpet by the twisting or overlaying of the threads one
upon another is obviated, and the pattern or design of Brussels carpets
rendered less coarse in appearance than if double threads and longitudinal
wires were employed, each lash or pile thread selected by the jacquard
requiring to be passed twice over the wires, in order to bring the worsted

page_text: threads to the same side of the wire from which they were first drawn or
taken. Among other advantages of employing single threads, or one of the
usual double ones, in Brussels carpets, in connexion with longitudinal wires,
a saving of one-half of the worsted threads that would otherwise be laying or
lost in the back of the said carpets is effected, or the ordinary quantity and
number of threads will admit of double the number of colors being introduced
in the pattern or design; to produce the requisite quantity of worsted on the
surface, I cause an additional number of loops to be formed, and to be bound
either by a corresponding number of stitches, or the additional number of loops
to be bound by the usual shute on the back, or by means of an additional weft
or shute on the surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Francis Best Fawcett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
BEST FAWCETT, of Kidderminster, in the County of Worcester, Carpet
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Francis Best Fawcett, Her special licence that I, the said Francis Best
Fawcett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Francis Best Fawcett, my executors, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CARPETS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Francis Best Fawcett, my executors, or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Best Fawcett, 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 Invention, having reference to the manufacture of carpets by power
loom, consists in improving the design and surface of the said carpets, by
forming the loops or piles with single threads and longitudinal wires, in place
of double threads and longitudinal wires, as set forth and described in a Patent
granted to Frederick William Mowbray, on the Twenty-first day of May in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five; in substituting
the single for the double threads, as aforesaid, the irregularity in the appearance
of the woven fabric or carpet by the twisting or overlaying of the threads one
upon another is obviated, and the pattern or design of Brussels carpets
rendered less coarse in appearance than if double threads and longitudinal
wires were employed, each lash or pile thread selected by the jacquard
requiring to be passed twice over the wires, in order to bring the worsted
threads to the same side of the wire from which they were first drawn or taken.
Among other advantages of employing single threads, or one of the usual
double ones in Brussels carpets in connection with longitudinal wires, a
saving of one-half of the worsted threads that would otherwise be laying or
lost in the back of the said carpets is effected, or the ordinary quantity and
number of threads will admit of double the number of colors being introduced
in the pattern or design; to produce the requisite quantity of worsted on the
surface, I cause an additional number of loops to be formed and to be bound
either by a corresponding number of stitches, or the additional number of
loops to be bound by the usual shute on the back, or by means of an additional
weft or shute on the surface.
I would here briefly remark, that either of the above modes will be found to
answer the purpose well in practise, although preference might be given to the
first-mentioned process, requiring no alteration in the loom, whilst the number
of stitches may be regulated according to the quality or size of the worsted
employed, and the texture of the fabric to be woven.
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 under-
stood that I do not intend to confine myself to the precise details herein-before
described, as in all cases where the warp has heretofore been composed of
three worsted threads, the same result may be produced by the employment of
single ones of extra thickness, and the same may be otherwise varied without
departing from the general principle of these my said improvements; but that

page_text: which I do claim as new and of my said Invention is, the employment of
single threads in conjunction with longitudinal wires, in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Best Fawcett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
FRANCIS BEST FAWCETT. (L.S.)