Peter Atherton (manufacturer) facts for kids

Peter Atherton was a clever British inventor and businessman. He lived from 1741 to 1799. He designed tools, invented machines, and owned factories that made cotton. He played an important part in the Industrial Revolution.

A Creative Career

Peter Atherton was very good at making instruments and engines. He also created new and exciting machines for making cloth in the 1700s.

Early factories that used only steam power for spinning cotton didn't always work out well. But Peter Atherton, a machine builder from Warrington, is known for making the first successful designs. He even helped Sir Richard Arkwright when he was in his late twenties.

Atherton's factories were quite large, with 3,000 spindles (parts that spin thread). They were powered by strong 30-horsepower steam engines. Like many business owners, he found it hard to get money at first. He got help from William Harrison, a manufacturer from Manchester, and later from J&T Hodgson, merchants from Liverpool.

By 1787, his inventions for making cloth automatically were becoming famous around the world. In that year, a Spanish newspaper in Madrid reported on Atherton's amazing new spinning machine:

A letter written from London reports that the spinning machine, perfected by Mr. Atherton, spins a pound of cotton, giving the thread a length of 80 miles, which previously was only about 69.

[...] In each revolution the main wheel spins 70,728 rods of silk, achieving three revolutions in every minute. It is observed that an 11-year-old boy can do what thirty-five used to do.

Atherton invested in many businesses. One of his companies, Atherton & Co., became a top maker of cotton spinning machines. They had locations in Warrington, Manchester, and Liverpool. He also owned part of the Salford Engine Twist Company with George Augustus Lee.

Atherton owned cotton factories in Chipping, Lancashire and Holyhead. He also partly owned another factory in Warrington.

In the late 1700s, there wasn't enough silver money from the Royal Mint. So, Atherton marked foreign coins to pay some of his main factory workers. This was likely just a way to show they were trade tokens. You can see an example of his marked coins at the British Museum. Only three of these coins are known to still exist today.

Helping Richard Arkwright

To understand this better, the spinning frame was a key invention during the Industrial Revolution. It was a machine that could spin thread or yarn from fibers like wool or cotton. It was developed in Britain in the 1700s by Richard Arkwright and John Kay, who was a clockmaker.

In January 1768, John Kay and Richard Arkwright asked Atherton for money and technical help. They wanted to build a model of a spinning machine.

Atherton first said no because Arkwright looked poor. But he later changed his mind. He lent them two workers to make the heavier parts of the machine. They successfully built a working model. Richard Arkwright then got a patent for it in 1769.

New Machine Patents

In July 1792, Peter Atherton, who lived on Hunter Street in Liverpool, got a patent for a machine. This machine could twist, wind, and double silk, cotton, and wool. This patent, number 1896, was given just one month before Arkwright passed away.

Atherton also got another patent, number 2036, on January 29, 1795. This one was also for a machine that wound wool and cotton.

About Peter Atherton

Peter Atherton was born in Garston, Liverpool on June 29, 1741. His parents were William Atherton and Ann Tatlock. He married Bridget Foster at St Peter's Church, Liverpool on November 29, 1759.

He likely came from a family of inventors and business people. There was another Peter Atherton in Liverpool who was a town official in 1673. This earlier Peter Atherton made half-penny tokens in 1688 that showed a sugar loaf, representing his business.

Peter Atherton kept working until he died in Harrogate on August 16, 1799, at the age of 60. He was buried at Christ Church, Harrogate a few days later. A few months after he died, his cotton factories and machines were put up for sale.

His will, which is a legal document about his belongings, is kept at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.