Microscope cloth counting glass, RD No. 14755 made by J. Casartelli & Son, Manchester around 1900. This instrument was used by Thomas and William Henry Pearson of William Henry Pearson & Co Yarn Agents, Blue Boar Court, Manchester.

Textile merchants would have kept pocket-sized instruments like this one close at hand to check the quality of the cloth they were trading.

William Henry Pearson & Co Yarn Agents used this example. Using the built in scale to measure the construction of the cloth, the number of threads per inch could be counted. There is a scale etched either side of the instrument and the small pin kept the cloth in place while it was being examined.

Wool, cotton or other fibres are spun into thread then woven together to create cloth. The quality of the cloth is determined by the thickness and texture of the thread and the tension and density of the weave. Thread count is often used as a measure of fabric quality.

William Henry Pearson & Co Yarn Agents had their offices in Blue Boar Court which was located near where Market Street and New Cathedral Street meet in the heart of Manchester’s city centre.