Who was Richard Arkwright?
Richard Arkwright the youngest of thirteen children was born in Preston in 1732. Richard’s parents were very poor and could not afford to send him to school and instead arranged for him to be taught to read and write by his cousin Ellen. Richard became a barber’s apprentice. However, he was an ambitious young man and had a strong desire to run his own company. In 1762 Arkwright started a wig-making business. This involved him travelling the country collecting people’s discarded hair. While on his travels, Arkwright heard about the attempts being made to produce new machines for the textile industry. Arkwright also met John Kay, a clockmaker from Warrington, who had been busy for some time trying to produce a new spinning-machine with another man, Thomas Highs of Leigh. Kay and Highs had run out of money and had been forced to abandon the project. Arkwright was impressed by Kay and offered to employ him to make this new machine. Arkwright also recruited other local craftsman to help, an
Inventor of the first practical method of mechanical spinning of fibres by using rollers. Date and Place of Birth: 23rd December 1732, Preston, Lancashire, England. Family Background: The youngest of seven children born to the tailor Thomas Arkwright and his wife Ellen, who were working, but not poor, parents. Education: Taught to read and write by his Cousin Ellen. Apprenticed to a barber. Chronology/Biography of Richard Arkwright: 1748: Lewis Paul invented a machine for carding cotton which was to influence Arkwright. 1750: Moved to Churchgate in Bolton, Lancashire and worked as a barber in his own business. He was one of the first people to make a profitable business dyeing hair. 1762: Started his own wig-making business, which involved him traveling the country to collect people’s discarded hair. Opened his first tavern as a money spinner in Bolton. On his travels Arkwright met John Kay in Warrington who was a clockmaker and inventor. He had been working on a spinning-machine with
