How to find a registered design or trade mark 1839-1991

1. Representations and registers of designs, 1839-1991

A representation is a sample, picture, photograph or sketch of the registered design.

The registers of designs include the allocated registered number, usually the name and the address of the owner of the design (who was not necessarily the designer), and the quantity of items registered, known as the bundle or parcel.

The National Archives holds the surviving representations and registers of designs between 1839 and 1991.

These documents are often very large, unwieldy and very dusty. They also have fairly complicated reference systems.

2. Classification of materials

From 1842 to 1883 the representations in BT 43 were filed according to their 'material classification' (what they were made of - see the classification table below).

The clerks sometimes placed items in the wrong material class so that, for example, a book binding may be misfiled as a carpet.

The lace and earthenware classes were also used for miscellaneous items that did not fit into any of the other classes.

You can search the information in BT 43 and BT 44 in Discovery, our catalogue. Use 'advanced search' and specify one or more of the following:

• registered design number
• name of proprieter (person registering the item for copyright, usually the manufacturer or retailer and sometimes the designer)
• address of proprieter
• description of object - for example 'hat' or 'vase'

3. If you have the design number

For registered designs that are not in BT 43 or BT 44, you will need to use the tables below.

Find the correct date, design number and material. Then read off the relevant series and piece numbers, and go to our catalogue.

From there you should be able to identify the reference that you need to order for the register and/or representation.

4. If you have a diamond mark

Between 1842 and 1883, diamond marks were used to identify items as British-made.

A diamond mark will help you date the item, making it easier to trace the registration details.

See our related research guide.

5. If there is no known design number or diamond mark

For items registered between September 1842 and December 1883, in BT 43, you can search the catalogue within likely date ranges, by item description, or by manufacturer to try to track down your design.

For other date ranges, if you know what the item looks like, what it is made of, and an approximate date, then look across to 'classification' to find the right type of material.

From the 'Representation' and 'Register' columns, you should be able to identify the likely series and reference number range.

Now go to our catalogue and work out which documents seem relevant.

If you visit us at Kew you can look through the documents until you identify the item - though this could take some time.

If you find the representation, make a note of the registered design number (stamped on the representation). You can then look up the registration details in the corresponding register.

If you know the proprietor for a design registered between c.1840 and c.1870 try the alphabetical register BT 44/38.

6. Trade marks

Trade marks were used to identify the company that made a particular product.

There are representations of trade marks in BT 82, for 1876 to 1938, but only a few specimen registers survive in BT 900/15-20.

Other trademarks, from 1876 to 1935, are in BT 244, but these have no registers at all.

7. The classification tables

7.1 1839 Act BT 42 Series

7.2 1842 Act BT 43 and BT 44 Series

7.3 1843 Act BT 45 and BT 46

7.4 1850 Act BT 47 and BT 48

7.5 1883 Act BT 50 and BT 51

7.6 1907 Act BT 52 and BT 53

* Only brief details (and no representations) were recorded during the First World War period.

7.7 1907 Act BT 52 and BT 53

Notes:
1) Incomplete date range
2) Incomplete number range
3) BT 42 and BT 43 form a single numerical series
4) Class 11, Furnitures are printed fabric designs with a repeat pattern greater than 12 x 8 inches.
5) BT 44/14 has an extended register range to 372225 whereas BT 43/187 extends only to 361923
6) BT 44/33-37 are a set of registers to proprietors with indexes (volumes 'A' - 'E' but volume 'B' is not available). BT 44/38 is an alphabetical register of proprietors in BT 44/33-37.
7) BT 46/5 Letter A is missing from the index
8) BT 46/8 Number not used
9) BT 47/11 Designs 1-19 are missing
10) BT 51/138 Includes non-textile designs 518415-520895
11) BT 51/173 For continuation of this volume see BT 53/7-8
12) BT 53/104 Document missing
13) For designs 1-11532 see BT 53/9-10