John Heathcoat

John Heathcoat (1783 to 1861) was an English inventor, born at Duffield near Derby on 7 August 1783. While apprenticed to a frame-smith near Loughborough he improved the construction of the warp-loom. In 1808, working at Hathern, he constructed a machine able to produce an exact imitation of real pillow lace, which was called English net or bobbinet, and he patented it in 1809. In 1816 his Loughborough factory was attacked by former Luddites and its 55 lace frames were destroyed, after which he continued to build new and greatly improved machines at a mill in Tiverton, Devon, powered first by water and afterwards by steam. In 1826 he became an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers.