The British Patents Collection consists of documents related to the process of acquiring patents in the United Kingdom in 19^th century. In order to acquire a patent in the United Kingdom, the inventor first must put a detailed description of their invention into the public domain through what is called a patent specification. The inventor is then granted a patent by the government providing them the right to prevent others from exploiting their invention for a limited period of time.

Items in the collection include a patent specification written by Alfred Vincent Newton in 1853 for an “Improved Sewing Machine,” and a copy of a patent issued to Oliver Louis Reynolds in 1840 for a “Certain Improvement on Machinery for Producing Stocking Fabric or Framework Knitting.”