John Lees (inventor) facts for kids
John Lees lived in Royton, Lancashire, England. He was a clever inventor who made a big improvement to machines that prepared cotton. These machines were called carding machines.
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Who Was John Lees?
John Lees was an English inventor during the time of the Industrial Revolution. This was a period when many new machines and factories were created. He lived in a town called Royton in Lancashire.
Improving Cotton Machines
In 1772, John Lees made a very important change to the carding machine. Carding is a process that cleans and untangles cotton fibers. It gets the cotton ready to be spun into thread.
Lees added a special part called a "feeder" to the machine. This feeder was like a moving belt or cloth that kept turning. Cotton wool was spread onto this cloth. The cloth then carried the cotton smoothly into the machine's main cylinder. This made the carding process much faster and more efficient.
Proving His Invention
John Lees's invention was so good that it became part of a big legal case. On June 25, 1785, his improvement was shown in court. This happened during a trial about a patent owned by another famous inventor, Richard Arkwright. Arkwright had a patent for his cotton-spinning water frame. Lees's work helped show how important and effective his own carding machine improvement was.
Building a Business
John Lees was not just an inventor; he was also a successful businessman. He built his own cotton mill in Oldham, at a place called Greenacres Moor. In 1781, he was one of the mill owners who faced legal action from Richard Arkwright.
Lees started his mill with machines powered by horses between 1776 and 1778. He worked very hard and became very successful. He went from working in the "spinning room" to becoming one of the richest people in Oldham. By 1795, his mill and its contents were worth over £2,000, which was a lot of money back then!
His Family and Beliefs
John Lees was a Quaker. Quakers are a religious group known for their peaceful beliefs and simple way of life. He was also the father of a son named James Lees.
