The Cotton Industry - You Saw It Here First - Leigh, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Cotton Industry - you saw it here first

Thomas Highs of Leigh is said to have invented two crucial machines that kick started the Industrial Revolution.

The Spinning Jenny was the first of many new technologies that made it possible to spin cotton on an industrial scale. It was a key driver of the industrial revolution.

Well known inventor and businessman Richard Arkwright patented various machines in 1775. as well as a more advanced Spinning Jenny called the water frame. he seems to have patented some innovations that were not actually his.

Local tradition claims that Thomas Highs, a reed-maker of Leigh, invented both the Spinning Jenny and the water frame. In a court case lasting four years Arkwright's patent monopoly was finally revoked in 1785. Thomas High's sworn evidence in court was instrumental in revoking Arkwright's patents. The townspeople of Leigh were jubilant at the news.

James Hargreaves of Oswaldtwistle also claims to have invented the Spinning Jenny in 1764. A common story tells that it was invented by accident when James Hargreave's wife Jenny knocked over a spinning wheel, which continued to spin on its side as it lay on the floor. Be sure to visit Spinning Jenny in Leigh Town Hall.

Manufacturers across Great Britain paid royalties to use Arkwright's patented machines. This proved to be very unpopular, but made Arkwright very rich.

The trial of Richard Arkwright set to expose Arkwright for false claims that he invented machines like the Spinning Jenny.


Did you know?
Crumbly, creamy Leigh cheese, which is especially good for toasting, has been around for around 800 years.