Richard Arkwright’s Water Frame and the First Textile Factories

Richard Arkwright was born in 1732 in Preston, Lancashire (“Sir Richard Arkwright”). He was born into a poor family and although he wasn’t formally educated, he was taught to read and write by his cousin (“Sir Richard Arkwright (1732 – 1792)”). He worked as an apprentice barber in his hometown but after he found a special method of dyeing wigs, he travelled around England buying hair to make them (“Sir Richard Arkwright (1732 – 1792)”). This gave him an opportunity to interact with many people that worked in spinning and weaving and allowed him to make connections that were later very important to the commercializing of his Water Frame (“Richard Arkwright”).

 

At the time of the invention of the Water Frame, there was a burst in new developments in the industrialization of the textile industry. Arkwright saw a gap in the market as the handloom weavers couldn’t keep up with the growing demand for cloth and he realized the need for new machinery (Burchill et al.). He decided that the growing industry would become a good chance for him to earn his desired fortune (“Sir Richard Arkwright (1732 – 1792)”).