Samuel Crompton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel Crompton
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c.1800 by Charles Allingham (1788–1850)
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| Born | 3 December 1753 10 Firwood Fold, Bolton, Lancashire, England
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| Died | 26 June 1827 (aged 73) 17 King Street, Bolton, Lancashire, England
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| Resting place | St Peter's Church, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Inventor, pioneer of the spinning industry |
| Known for | Spinning mule |
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Samuel Crompton (born December 3, 1753 – died June 26, 1827) was an English inventor. He was a very important person in the early spinning industry.
Crompton took ideas from other inventors like James Hargreaves and Richard Arkwright. He then created his own machine called the spinning mule. This invention changed how yarn was made all over the world.
Samuel Crompton's Early Life
Samuel Crompton was born in 10 Firwood Fold, Bolton, Lancashire, England. His parents were George and Betty Crompton. His father worked as a caretaker at a nearby place called Hall i' th' Wood. Samuel also had two younger sisters.
When Samuel was a boy, his father passed away. This meant Samuel had to help his family earn money. He started spinning yarn using a machine called the spinning jenny. This machine was invented by James Hargreaves.
Samuel noticed that the spinning jenny had some problems. This gave him the idea to invent something much better. He worked on his new invention in secret for about five or six years. All his free time and money went into this project. He even earned extra money by playing the violin at the Bolton theater.
On February 16, 1780, Samuel Crompton married Mary Pimlott. They got married at Bolton Parish Church. Samuel and Mary had eight children together. One of their children, George Crompton, was born on January 8, 1781. George later followed in his father's footsteps in the family business.
The Spinning Mule Invention
Around 1779, Samuel Crompton successfully built his new machine. He called it the "mule-jenny." This machine could spin yarn that was perfect for making muslin, a very fine fabric. People also called it the muslin wheel or the Hall i' th' Woodwheel. This was because Samuel and his family lived in a house called Hall i' th' Wood. Later, this machine became famous as the spinning mule.
There was a huge demand for the yarn Samuel was making. But he did not have enough money to get a patent for his invention. A patent would have protected his idea. People kept trying to find out how he made his yarn. This forced Samuel to make a tough choice. He could either destroy his machine or share it with others.
He decided to share his invention. Many manufacturers promised to pay him for using his spinning mule. However, he only received about £60 in total. After this, he went back to spinning yarn on his own. But he did not have much success.
The spinning mule was special because it combined ideas from two other machines. It used rollers to twist the fibers, like Richard Arkwright's frame. It also had a part that moved back and forth to stretch the thread. This was similar to James Hargreaves's jenny. The mule could stretch the thread up to 54 inches.
The spinning mule was very important because it could spin thread much better than people could do by hand. This meant it could make much finer thread. For example, coarse thread sold for 14 shillings per pound. But the fine thread (called 80s) made on his mule sold for 42 shillings a pound!
Since Samuel Crompton did not patent his invention, other people soon started making their own spinning mules. Over time, the machine was improved. It was built with iron, and power was added to help it work in 1790. By 1834, the spinning mule could work completely by itself.
In 1812, a survey showed that there were between 4 and 5 million spinning mule spindles being used. Even though his invention was so popular, Samuel Crompton did not receive any regular payments or royalties for it.
In 1800, some people raised £500 to help him. Then, in 1809, Edmund Cartwright, who invented the power loom, received £10,000 from the government. This made Crompton decide to ask for money from Parliament too. In 1811, he traveled around Lancashire and Scotland. He collected proof to show how widely his spinning mule was being used. In 1812, Parliament gave him £5000.
With this money, Crompton tried to start a business. He worked as a bleacher, then as a cotton merchant and spinner. But he did not have much luck with these businesses. In 1824, some of his friends bought him an annuity of £63 each year. An annuity is like a regular payment. They did this without him knowing.
Samuel Crompton passed away at his home in King Street, Bolton, on June 26, 1827. He was buried at St Peter's parish church.
Family Connections
If you look back many years in the family tree, Samuel Crompton is related to the Brookes and Cunliffe families.
See also
In Spanish: Samuel Crompton para niños
