James Hargreaves

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James Hargreaves
Born cir 1720
Knuzden Brook, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, England
Died 1778 (aged 57–58)
Nationality English
Known for Spinning Jenny
Children 13[1]


Life and work[edit]

James Hargreaves was born at Knuzden Brook near Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, he lived in Blackburn, then a town with a population of about 5,000, known for the production of "Blackburn greys," cloths of linen Warp and cotton weft. They were usually sent to London to be printed. The demand for cotton yarn outstripped supply, and the one-thread spinning wheel could not keep up.

Hargreaves was described as "stout, broadset man of about five foot ten, or rather more".[4] He married and baptismal records show he has 13 children,[1] of whom the author Baines in 1835 was aware of '6 or 7'.[4] He was survived by eight children.[1]

Spinning jenny[edit]

Main article: Spinning jenny
Model of the spinning jenny in a museum in Wuppertal, Germany
The improved spinning jenny that was used in textile mills


Hargreaves produced the Jenny for himself but sold a few to neighbours.[4]




As early as 1835, the distinguished author Edward Baines reports that there were many false claims being made about Hargreaves, and Arkwright. There had been a ferocious legal battle to get Arkwright's two most important patents annulled. Thomas Highs of Leigh had claimed that he was the true inventor of both these devices and the spinning jenny as well.[6] In his testamony, Arkwright had over-emphasised the humble nature of both himself and Hargreaves - some of which was not based on fact. He wrongly attributed the date of invention as 1767.[6] Richard Guest opposed Arkwright, and the Edinburgh Review, No. 91[7]reported Guest's opinions and introduced other fallacies. Parish burial registers misspelt Hargreaves as Hargraves, but prove that he did not die in the workhouse.[8] This was confirmed to Baines by Hargreaves's grandson, John James. Parish registers show that neither his wife nor any of his daughters was called Jenny - debunking a myth repeated in school textbooks as late as the 1960s, children's books as late as 2005[9] and to this day on educational websites.[10]


  1. ^ a b c d "James Hargreaves Family". Geocities.ws. Retrieved 2012-05-29. 
  2. ^ "James Hargreaves, or James Hargraves (English inventor) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2012-05-29. 
  3. ^ Timmins 1996, pp. 21,24.
  5. ^ Baines 1835, p. 159.
  6. ^ a b Baines 1835, p. 155.
  7. ^ Baines 1835, p. 161.
  8. ^ Baines 1835, p. 163.
  9. ^ Pierce, Alan (2005). The Industrial Revolution. Edina, Minnisota, U.S.A.: ABDO Publishing Company. p. 9. ISBN 9781591979333. 
  10. ^ eg Burchill S.A.


External links[edit]