Question

Mention the development in textiles due to the industrial revolution in Great Britain.

Answer 1

1. In 1733 John Kay invented the ‘Flying Shuttle’ increasing the speed of the weaving of cloth. In 1767 James Hargreaves invented ‘the spinning jenny’ which spun eight threads at one and the same time.
2. Richard Arkwright invented the ‘water frame’ which used water power in the place of manpower.
3. In 1779 Samuel Crompton invented his ‘spinning mule’ which included a combination of both the ‘spinning jenny’ and the ‘water frame’. It spun hundreds of threads simultaneously.
4. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793. Removing the seed from the cotton increased the productivity manifold.
5. Textile manufacture was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Over a span of fifty years, the textile manufacturing industry in Britain witnessed a transformation in the method of production from handmade to machine-made goods.
6. The newly invented machines enabled factories to produce textile goods in large quantities.
7. Derbyshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire became the major factory centers.
8. The most notable was Manchester which had more than 50 mills in 1802.