CHAPTER III

THE COMING OF MACHINERY: KAY TO ARKWRIGHT 72-91

I.--Modern cotton industry dates from great inventions; inventions relate especially to spinning and preparatory processes, but earliest successful efforts in weaving; “Dutch” loom introduced into Manchester district in early eighteenth century; John Kay invents “flying-shuttle” (1733); first used in woollen industry; other inventions of Kay; Robert Kay effects improvement in hand-loom (1760); more complicated loom introduced for figured goods; discrepancy between spinning and weaving, 72-74; types of spinning-wheel in use--“Jersey” wheel, “Brunswick” wheel; methods of cleaning and carding cotton; Lewis Paul’s patent for roller-spinning (1738); and for carding (1748); lack of success; carding-machine introduced into Lancashire (1760), 75-78; need for improved spinning-machine; Society of Arts offers reward for invention (1761); inventions of the “spinning-jenny” (patented 1770) and the “water-frame” (patented 1769); description of spinning process by the spinning-wheel, the jenny, and the water-frame; Arkwright erects factory at Cromford (1771) and takes out “carding” patent (1775), 79-81; attacks upon new machinery by workpeople; not fully explained by effects of its introduction, 82-83.

II.--Outbreak of Seven Years’ War ushers in century of unrest in England due mainly to political causes; unrest frequently broke out in riots; conditions in sixties and seventies of eighteenth century; efforts of Parliament to cope with rising food prices; agitation against trading middlemen; attack made upon jenny during period of industrial depression and high prices at close of Seven Years’ War; and upon Arkwright’s machinery when American War of Independence dominated the situation; workpeople state their case against machinery to Parliament; counter-petition by manufacturers; decision of Parliamentary Committee, 83-91.