Arkwright's Spinning Frame Patent

Background. In 1760 England, yarn production from wool, flax and cotton remained a cottage industry, with fibres carded and spun by hand on a spinning wheel. High demand for yarn spurred the spinning jenny in 1764, followed closely by the spinning frame, later developed into the water frame patented in 1769.

Development of the Machine. After the death of his first wife, Arkwright became interested in machinery to replace hand labour in converting raw cotton to thread. In 1768 he and John Kay, a clockmaker, returned to Preston, renting rooms in a house on Stoneygate, now called Arkwright House, where they worked on a spinning machine. Kay had previously worked on such a machine with, or possibly stolen from, Thomas Highs.

Significance and Aftermath. The patented machine, initially horse-powered, greatly reduced the cost of cotton-spinning and led to major changes in the textile industry. Arkwright and John Smalley set up a small horse-driven factory at Nottingham, and in 1771 the partners built the first water-powered mill at Cromford, covering carding and spinning and employing 200 people. Later litigation, settled against Arkwright in 1785, heard claims that the frame was actually invented by John Kay or Thomas Highs.