Patenting of linoleum in the United Kingdom

Background. Frederick Edward Walton, an English manufacturer and inventor, developed linoleum by combining linseed oil with cork and colouring agents. He discovered this mixture produced a useful material for floor covering. The material consists of solidified linseed oil, pine resin, ground cork dust, and mineral fillers on a hessian or canvas backing. Walton patented this new material in 1863.

Patent Details. In 1863, Walton applied for a patent describing a composition of oxidized oil, cork dust, and gum or resin coated on canvas. The patent covered surfaces that were printed, embossed, or ornamented. A separate 1863 patent covered a method of passing sheets through rollers to emboss patterns. These patents established the legal basis for the material's production.

Manufacturing Context. Walton moved his factory to Staines, and in 1864 he formed the Linoleum Manufacturing Company Ltd., with a factory at Staines, near London. By 1869, the Staines factory was exporting to Europe and the United States. The passages do not state where the 1863 patenting act itself took place; they identify Chiswick as where linoleum was invented.