James Hargreaves

For other people named James Hargreaves, see James Hargreaves (disambiguation).

James Hargreaves
Born13 December 1720
Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, England
Died22 April 1778 (1778-04-23) (aged 57)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Great Britain
Resting placeSt Mary’s Church Yard, Nottingham
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Weaver, Carpenter, Inventor
Known forSpinning jenny
Height5'10
Spouse
Elizabeth Grimshaw
​
(m. 1740)​
[1]
Children13[1]

James Hargreaves (c. 1720 – 22 April 1778)[2] was an English weaver, carpenter[citation needed] and inventor who lived and worked in Lancashire, England. Hargreaves is credited with inventing the spinning jenny in 1764.

He was one of three men responsible for the mechanisation of spinning: Richard Arkwright patented the water frame in 1769 and Samuel Crompton combined the two, creating the spinning mule in 1779.[3]

  1. ^ a b "James Hargreaves' Family". Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  2. ^ "James Hargreaves, or James Hargraves (English inventor) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. ^ Timmins 1996, pp. 21, 24.