Weaving

Last week, whilst continuing in my research of all things weaving, I found out that one Erastus Brigham Bigelow, the son of an American cotton weaver was born on this day in 1814. Bigelow was the inventor of the weaving machine.

Bigelow's most famous invention was a power loom, a device that could weave tapestries and carpets. As Bigelow improved his new machines he was able to increase the amount of fabric produced on a daily basis. His improved machines went on to make up to twenty-five yards of fabric a day. It was said of his new invention 

“the goods produced in this loom are of a quality very superior to such as are produced in the hand loom; at all events, we have not met with anything of the kind in the shops that will compare with them for texture, and for beauty and regularity of pattern..."

Although my family never worked in tapestry or carpet production the mechanising of the power loom changed the life of one branch of my family. 

In the 15th, 18th and 19th centuries in Kent, Devon and Leicestershire respectively working the handloom was these families only form of employment and as I have found out it made the 15th-century Hendleys very rich and it sustained the livelihood of the Lakemans in Devon. However, what the Industrial Revolution gave with one hand it took away with another, the invention of a powered loom in England saw the end of the Goodacre family of Leicester.