The English Cotton Textile Industry

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the history of the cotton textile industry, with a particular emphasis on the campaign for workers' rights in Dukinfield and Stalybridge in the Tame Valley, east of Manchester. The scope for customs and recreation is also described, to give a rounded picture of life in a cotton town.
Outline
Cotton Imports and Exports
Development of the Industry
The Early Cotton Industry in Dukinfield and Stalybridge
Growth of the Cotton Industry along the Tame Valley
Increasing Unrest
The Cotton Famine
The 20th Century
Customs and Recreation in Stalybridge
Bibliography

From the Paper:

"The first instance of factory spinning had been in Richard Arkwright's water-powered mill at Cromford in 1771, and the transition to a factory-based cotton industry occurred during the last 30 years of the 18th Century. The invention of the spinning jenny enabled domestic cotton spinners to spin yarn much more quickly, but this caused problems with carding, which had to be done prior to spinning. The old method of carding involved the use of hand-held cards covered with tiny spikes to make a loose rope of fibres from cleaned cotton. The process remained slow until Arkwright introduced his carding machine in 1775. This machine was heavy but well suited to being turned by water power, so water-driven carding factories were built on small streams and rivers in the cotton districts. Steam power was used from the 1780s. "

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