spinning Jenny

NO, not what you thought !!

A Spinning Jenny is an early type of spinning frame with several spindles, invented by James Hargreaves in 1764.

Hargreaves built his first machine in 1766, his principal tool, apparently, being a pocket knife.

The most common story told about the invention of the device and the origin of the Jenny in the machine's name is that a daughter (or his wife) named Jenny knocked over one of their own spinning wheels. The device kept working as normal, with the spindle now pointed upright. Hargreaves realized there was no particular reason the spindles had to be horizontal, as they always had been, and he could place them vertically in a row.

The thread they produced was coarse and lacked strength, making it suitable only for weft, but it was a step in the right direction. The Jenny's fame spread quickly, and even manufacturer Robert Peel - grandfather of the future prime minister - invested in some for his Brookside Mill.

The Jenny revolutionised the spinning industry which soon turned from domestic use to full blown industrial revolution technology.

The spinning mule was a combination of the spinning Jenny with the rollers of the water frame. It was never patented and Samuel Crompton, its inventor, never received the rewards that other inventors enjoyed. The mule was, however, transformed from a small device into major factory machine.