The Importance of Richard Arkwright to the Industrial Revolution

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The Importance of Richard Arkwright to the Industrial Revolution Richard Arkwright was the founder of the factory. He was the first person to invent a machine that used a different form of power other than man. People called him the Father of the Industrial Revolution. Richard was a barber in Lancashire when he saw an opening in the industry for a new invention. Weaving had been speeded up by ‘flying shuttles’ and the thread wasn’t being produced fast enough to keep up with the looms, so he used his invention, the water frame, to fill the gap and get him lots of money. The Water Frame =============== Richard Arkwright was a business man and he made an invention called the water frame. He used it to make the thread for the looms. At first it was powered by horses but this wasn't successful because the horses needed rest and feeding. So he needed a new form of power. Also this machine couldn’t fit in the houses because it was so big. His machine was efficient and didn’t need a skilled worker to operate it. Richard picked up ideas from different inventors of the time and quickly put a patent on his invention so nobody copied him. His patent was taken away because he was said to have borrowed all his ideas. But he didn’t take all of their ideas. He had a few of his own on the machine. Eventually he found water power for his machine and started building factories. His Workers =========== Hand spinning workers were frightened that they would lose their jobs and they made Arkwright move to Nottingham. He later set mill in Cromford, Derbyshire. Arkwright was then faced with the problem of gett... ... middle of paper ... ...h floor with large windows to let in lots of light. On the ground floor outside the building was a large water wheel which powered all the machines. He used dams to form large lakes/puddles to store energy for his factory. This is because the river was very unreliable and did not always turn the wheel. Very soon there were lots of Arkwright factories all over Britain, and by 1777 he had over 500 workers working for him. Conclusion Richard Arkwright was important because he introduced a new way of working and built the first factory. He also speeded up the cloth industry which meant more goods could be produced. Arkwright was a successful cotton manufacturer. He was knighted by George III. He died in 1792 aged 59. He was a very good business man and by the time of his death he had made half a million pounds.

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