History and Invention:
– Invented by James Hargreaves in Blackburn around 1720
– Increased spinners’ productivity significantly
– Machine produced coarse thread
– Cotton yarn production couldn’t keep up with textile industry demand
Components of the Spinning Jenny:
– Metal frame with eight wooden spindles
– Rovings attached to a beam on the frame
– Spinners used a wheel to revolve spindles and spin thread
– Bars extended thread and wound it onto the spindle
– A pressing wire guided threads onto the spindle
Impact on Politics and Economics:
– England’s woollen industry protected by legislation like the Calico Acts
– Cotton-wool imports increased by 1720
– 1736 Manchester Act permitted colored cotton weft with linen warp
– Handloom weavers organized carding, spinning, and weaving
– Fustian masters gave out raw materials to weavers in the Putting-out system
Success and Evolution:
– Hargreaves took out a patent for the Spinning Jenny in 1770
– Spinners in Lancashire used copies of the machine
– Machine held more yarn, reducing overall costs
– Used until about 1810, superseded by the spinning mule
Origins and Myths:
– Name originated from a story involving James Hargreaves’ daughter or wife
– Spindle kept working upright, leading to the idea of placing spindles vertically in a row
The spinning jenny is a multi-spindle spinning frame, and was one of the key developments in the industrialisation of textile manufacturing during the early Industrial Revolution. It was invented in 1764-1765 by James Hargreaves in Stan hill, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire in England.
The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce cloth, with a worker able to work eight or more spools at once. This grew to 120 as technology advanced. The yarn produced by the jenny was not very strong until Richard Arkwright invented the water-powered water frame. The spinning jenny helped to start the factory system of cotton manufacturing.
