Samuel Crompton
Samuel Crompton was born at 10 Firwood Fold in Bolton, Lancashire on the 3rd of December 1753. His father George worked as a caretaker at Hall i' th' Wood nearby. Samuel lost his father while still a young boy and had to help support his family by spinning yarn. He learned to spin using James Hargreaves's spinning jenny machine. The limitations of that early device gave him an idea for something better. He began working on this new invention in secret for five or six years. This project consumed all his spare time and money. He even used earnings from playing the violin at the Bolton theatre to fund his experiments.
About 1779 Samuel Crompton succeeded in producing a mule-jenny machine. It spun yarn suitable for making muslin cloth. People called it the muslin wheel or the Hall i' th' Woodwheel after the house where he lived with his family. The machine twisted rovings using rollers similar to Richard Arkwright's frame design. A spindle carriage moved back and forth 54 inches to stretch thread. Then it gathered thread into spinning spindles like Hargreaves's jenny did. Coarse thread sold for 14 shillings per pound. Thread numbered 80s spun on his mule sold at 42 shillings a pound. The demand for his yarn was strong but he lacked funds to patent it.
In 1800 a sum of £500 was raised for his benefit through subscription. When Edmund Cartwright obtained £10,000 from parliament in 1809 Crompton decided to apply for similar aid. He toured manufacturing districts across Lancashire and Scotland during 1811 to collect evidence. This tour demonstrated how extensively his mule was being used throughout the regions. Parliament awarded him £5000 in 1812 based on this collected testimony. The grant came five years after he had first revealed his machine to the public. This financial support arrived long after other inventors had already profited from his work.
With the aid of the parliamentary money Crompton started a business as a bleacher. He then operated as a cotton merchant and spinner but without success. These commercial attempts failed to generate income for him or his family. In 1824 friends and members of Bolton's Black Horse prosecution Club acted secretly. Isaac Dobson Benjamin Hick John Kennedy and Peter Rothwell bought him an annuity of £63. They did this without his knowledge to provide ongoing financial security. Samuel died at his house in King Street Bolton on the 26th of June 1827. He was buried at the parish church of St Peter's nearby.
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Common questions
When and where was Samuel Crompton born?
Samuel Crompton was born at 10 Firwood Fold in Bolton, Lancashire on the 3rd of December 1753. His father George worked as a caretaker at Hall i' th' Wood nearby.
What invention did Samuel Crompton create around 1779?
About 1779 Samuel Crompton succeeded in producing a mule-jenny machine that spun yarn suitable for making muslin cloth. People called it the muslin wheel or the Hall i' th' Woodwheel after the house where he lived with his family.
How much money did Parliament award to Samuel Crompton in 1812?
Parliament awarded him £5000 in 1812 based on collected testimony from his tour of manufacturing districts across Lancashire and Scotland during 1811. The grant came five years after he had first revealed his machine to the public.
Who provided financial security to Samuel Crompton before his death?
Friends and members of Bolton's Black Horse prosecution Club acted secretly to buy him an annuity of £63 without his knowledge. Isaac Dobson Benjamin Hick John Kennedy and Peter Rothwell secured this ongoing financial support for him.
When did Samuel Crompton die and where was he buried?
Samuel died at his house in King Street Bolton on the 26th of June 1827. He was buried at the parish church of St Peter's nearby.