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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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James Hargreaves
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(c.1720–78)
Lancashire spinner who in about 1764 invented the spinning jenny. An overturned spinning wheel, continuing to spin with the spindle vertical, gave him the idea that several spindles could be worked simultaneously from a wheel in this position. He developed a version with eight spindles for use by his own family, multiplying output eight times (news of which caused local spinners in Blackburn to invade his house and smash his machines). By the time of his death there were 20,000 hand jennies in England, each by then with 80 spindles; but they were about to be superseded by *Crompton's mule. The traditional explanation for the name of his machine is that the daughter who inspired him, by knocking over her spinning wheel, was called Jenny.
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