|
Date: |
|
Description: | Bronze portrait statue on granite pedestal, all on stepped base. On the lhs of the pedestal is a bronze relief showing Hall-I'-th'-Wood, the home of Crompton where he invented the mule. On the rhs of the pedestal is a bronze of the young Crompton working out calculations in front of his invention, the mule. Also featured is a violin which he made and played in a local orchestra. Additional Information: Samuel Crompton (1753-1827), inventor of the spinning mule, was born at Firwood Fold near Bolton, the son of farmer and cotton spinner George Crompton. When Crompton was five his father died and at ten he was apprenticed for a year to learn weaving. He then worked as a weaver and spinner at the family home, Hall-I'-th'-Wood near Bolton. The introduction of James Hargreaves' Spinning Jenny into Crompton's business after 1769 and the problems he encountered attempting to produce fine quality yarns on it led him to experiment with his own machine. From 1774 to 1779, when he finally produced a prototype of the spinning mule, (so called because it was a "cross" between Arkwright's water frame and Hargreave's machine) Crompton worked at modifying the Jenny, financing his experiments by playing the violin in a Bolton theatre. However, he was unable to obtain a patent for his mule because of the restrictive patents on draw rollers (an integral part of the spinning mule) held by Arkwright. As a result he followed the usual practice of exhibiting his machine in return for a public subscription from interested parties. Done properly, this method could raise as much as £200. However instead of exhibiting at the Manchester Exchange, as was customary, Crompton trusted that manufacturers would come to Hall-I'-th'-Wood to view the machine. The subscription which followed was disappointing, and Crompton's mule was launched into the world, and the factories of his competitors, in return for £72. By his own admission unsuited to the everyday cares of business, Crompton's pioneering fabric designs were also pirated by more successful and less scrupulous rivals. The remainder of his life was devoted to running a small textile workshop in Bolton and mounting successive campaigns for official recognition of his contribution to national prosperity. Between 1807 and 1812 Crompton lobbied parliament for a grant, eventually receiving £5,000. His businesses declined and although local subscriptions in Manchester and the provision of an annuity saved him from complete destitution, he ended his life in relative poverty. He died on 26 June 1827 and was buried in the Parish Churchyard. | Subjects: | Statue | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Sculptor: Calder Marshall, William | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=7564... | Go to resource |
|
|