The spinning jenny is a multi-spindle spinning frame that allowed a single worker to spin thread on eight or more spindles at once, eventually as many as 120, and it was one of the key inventions that industrialized textile manufacturing during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. It was invented in 1764 or 1765 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle, in Lancashire, England, and it addressed a bottleneck in yarn supply created by John Kay's flying shuttle of 1733, which had doubled the output of hand weavers; the yarn the jenny produced was initially too weak for some uses until Richard Arkwright's water frame improved on the process.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSourced to the subject's own account YearSourced to the subject's own accountSources place the invention across 1764 to 1765; the patent came later, in 1770. SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountJames Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny, patented in 1770, letting one worker spin many spools of thread at once; the shortage of spinning capacity it addressed helped start the factory system of cotton manufacturing. 1 FAQs
Why is the spinning jenny called a jenny?
The name probably comes from jenny as short for engine, not from a family member named Jenny.
A popular story says the name comes from a daughter or the wife of James Hargreaves, named Jenny, who knocked over a spinning wheel that kept working with its spindle pointing upright, which gave Hargreaves the idea of setting spindles vertically in a row. The records do not support the tale. The Registers of Church Kirk show that Hargreaves had several daughters, but none named Jenny, and his wife was not named Jenny either. A more likely explanation is that jenny was an abbreviation of engine.
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In Field
Source Spinning Jenny (Wikipedia)
Invented By
Source Wikipedia: James Hargreaves
Sources
1. Spinning Jenny (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, opening sentence
The spinning jenny was invented by James Hargreaves.
History section, patent paragraph
On 12 July 1770, he took out a patent (no. 962) on his invention, the Spinning Jenny
Lead section, second paragraph
The spinning jenny helped to start the factory system of cotton manufacturing.
- In Group: Spinning and Fibre-Preparation Machinery, lead
In Field: Textile Engineering, Categories
Spinning
View the Source Wikipedia: James Hargreaves
Invented By: James Hargreaves, LeadQuote, Invented By: James Hargreaves, Lead
Lancashire, England. Hargreaves is credited with inventing the spinning jenny in 1764. He was one of three men
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