Invention In England

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Edmund Cartwright
In April of 1785, Dr. Edmund Cartwright, a Kentish preacher and a poet, patented the first fully functional power loom. He had no background with either weaving or mechanics. [8] As Mary Strickland wrote in Cartwright’s memoir, “Neither did he calculate on the importance of being trained to habits of industry and business, or the necessity of a far more intimate knowledge than he possessed.” [9] 

         Many people were appalled by the idea of applying machinery to weaving while others couldn’t understand why Cartwright went into mechanics in the first place. As Strickland stated, “by others he was considered as having deserted his caste whilst by the more rigid he was condemned for engaging deeply in occupations unsuited to his profession.” [10] In December, 1784, within very few months of Mr. Cartwright’s first attempt at creating the power loom, one of his friends wrote, “You shall not find me smiling at your loom when you grow serious in it. I have the worst mechanical conception that any man can have, but you have my best wishes. May you weave your webs of gold!” [11] On the other hand, another said, “I am not a little surprised of what you tell me of your extreme enterprise. I have a thousand good wishes for your success, without one idea of your contrivance.” [12] Hand loom weavers were quickly outraged by the mechanization of the work that they could so easily do at home. 

          “His [Edmund Cartwright’s] first attempts, as might be supposed, were rude and clumsy.” [13] But Strickland added, “In the course of a few months, however, he had brought his loom to such a state of progress, as led him to imagine it might eventually become profitable.” [14] Strickland stated, “he may be considered as having made no small progress towards weaving by machinery.” [15] But by 1813, England had finally accepted the innovation of the power loom. [16]

         “The application of machinery to the art of spinning at the time was a novelty.” [17] Edmund Cartwright was the “first to apply power to the business of weaving.” [18] However, the power loom was not perfect. It only did part of the weaver’s job correctly and efficiently, ultimately making it just as tedious to work with as the hand loom. [19] Described by Mary Strickland in 1843, “The power-loom, has doubtless been receiving continual additions from various hands during the last fifty years, differs considerably in detail, even from the most improved form of Mr. Cartwright’s invention.” [20]

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