Richard Arkwright (18th Century)

Sir Richard Arkwright (New Style 3 January 1733–3 August 1792), was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame – later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine, so could convert raw cotton into yarn. A self-made man, he was a leading entrepreneur of the Industrial Revolution. Arkwright’s achievement was to combine power, machinery, semi-skilled labour, and a new raw material (cotton) to create mass produced yarn.

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