When was John Kay born and where did he grow up?
John Kay entered the world on the 17th of June 1704 in the Lancashire hamlet of Walmersley. His father Robert owned the Park estate there before dying before his son was born.
Questions about John Kay (flying shuttle)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What patent number did John Kay receive for the flying shuttle invention?
The critical specification attached to patent number 542 dated the 26th of May 1733 described a new invented shuttle running on four wheels over a board about nine feet long. This device greatly accelerated weaving by allowing the shuttle carrying weft to pass through warp threads faster.
Why did John Kay leave England for France in 1747?
Impoverished and harassed by legal costs from manufacturers forming the Shuttle Club syndicate, John Kay left England for France having never been there before or spoken its language. He negotiated with the French Government throughout that year to sell them his technology after industrial unrest followed his manufacturing efforts in Colchester Essex.
How much money did John Kay receive from the French government for his shuttle technology?
Kay finally agreed to 3,000 livres plus a pension of 2,500 livres annually from 1749. This exchange included instruction in use to manufactures of Normandy where he sold all rights for 15,000 livres outside Languedoc.
When is the death date of John Kay believed to have occurred?
John Kay received only 1,700 livres from French state over five years reaching penury in March 1778 before final advance. His last known letter dated the 8th of June 1779 listed latest achievements proposing further inventions since these never materialized and no more heard of the seventy-five-year-old Kay believed died later that year.