Textile Industry

1815 - 1900

By: Chloe Charter

Class: Int 1
Teacher: Mr. McCready
Words: 1076

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 Table of Contents
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Introduction
(How has the British Textile Industry from 1815-1900 affected us?)
The British Textile Industry has always been a large topic, yet it started roughly
from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Before we start talking
about what the Textile Industry is. The Textile Industry is the industry that
specialized in the manufacturing and making of things that use cloths/fabrics
for example, clothes, furniture, etc. The first signed of humans using fabrics to
make clothes out of animals’ hides was in the Prehistoric time, yet the first-
time humans used machines to make such things was recorded to be in 1764.
The British Textile Industry began because before the Textile Industry began
many people worked and lived in the countryside and worked in the fields.
Although when the machinery began to improve, as well as how the world
began to advance where people started to move into cities and not so much in
the countryside. Yet because so many people were moving in at the time. This
meant that the increase in property began to increase significantly, causing
many people to not be able to afford to live properly if only the husband was
working, meaning that everyone in the family had to start working, and at the
time factories where the main place to work because you didn’t need any
education and children could work as well, due to the fact that the time only
the wealthy could afford education and it was not mandatory. And that was
how factories became to be the most ‘popular’ jobs/easiest jobs to get at the
time. But while we are on the topic of factories let's take a closer look on what
kind of machines they used at the time. In the late 17th century, the main
machines used in the factories were the spinning jenny, the water frame, flying
shuttle, spinning mule, and the power loom. Now let's have a quick
introduction at what each of these machines are. Starting with the Spinning
Jenny, Spinning Jennys are machines with multiple spinning frames attached,
they were invented and used to make cotton, threads etc. They grew to fame
quickly because they sped up the process significantly. Before the Spinning
Jenny, people used the spinning wheel which only had one thread, while as the
Spinning Jenny, as stated before has multiple spinning frames. You can see the
difference with the photos side by side, the upper one is the Spinning Jenny
while the lower on is the Spinning wheel. The famous inventor for the Spinning
Jenny was James Hargreaves. Born in 1721 January and died on April 22 in
1778. He had a massive impact on the Textile Industry. The Spinning Jenny was
then later constantly improved into the machines we have today that make the
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clothes of the fashion industry. After the Spinning Jenny we have the Water
Frame. The Water Frame was invented in 1769 by R. Arkwright, who was born
in 1732 on the 23rd of December and died on the third of August in 1792. The
water frame was very similar to the Spinning Jenny, yet it was as some people
would call an improvement to the Spinning Jenny. While the Spinning Jenny,
produced many threads at once, the thread wasn’t very strong. Meaning that
the main improvement of the Water Frame was that the thread produced was
stronger. Moving onto the Flying Shuttle, the flying shuttle was invented in
1733 by John Kay. After trying to find a way to speed-up the process with
handweaving, he eventually ended up making the Fly Shuttle which, lasted
until 19th century where more advanced machines were invented. Next on the
machines list is the Spinning Mule. The Spinning Mule was invented by a man
called Samuel Crompton who was born on the 3rd of December in 1753 and
died on the 26th of June in 1827. The Spinning Mule was a much-needed
upgrade to the Spinning Jenny, while the Spinning Jenny had eight needles
the Spinning Mule had up to 1000 needles! And finally, we have the Power
Loom. The prototype Power Loom was invented in 1785 by a man called
Edmund Cartwright, who was born on 24th of April in 1748 and died on the 30th
of October invented the Power Loom because he wanted to make the weaving
process automatic, as well as keeping the pace while weaving, the Power Loom
also created textiles a lot quicker and made them for a lot cheaper. Power
Looms are still used today yet the design has significantly improved throughout
the decades. All the machines mentioned were used until a new, more
advanced design came along.

Working conditions and wages in the

Textile Industry
For the majority of the 19th and the early 20th century Great Britan had the
most power in the Textile Industry because the machines were invented there.
While Great Britan was huge on the Textile Industry that does not mean at all
that the conditions of the workers were good in any form or measure. For the
low wages (working in the mines, working in the major factories etc.) the men
were paid 15 shillings (75p, aka 0,8 Francs), while the women and the children
were paid even less! Women who worked as hard were paid 7 shillings (35p,
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aka 0.4 Francs) and then there are children which were paid the least and were
probably the most hardworking because they were the only ones who could fit
in the small mines. They were paid about 3 shillings (which can be converted
into 0,2 Francs. Nowadays that wage could get you almost nothing. Which is
why in 1870 then the Education Act started. The Education Act in quick
summary was the act that made a basic education mandatory for children ages
5 to 12/13 in England and Wales. This was made to prevent child labour, which
was very, very common at the time. The person who drafted and changed the
law was a man went by the name William Foster. William Foster was born on
the 18th of July in 1818 and died on the 5th of April in 1886. He was the person
who ‘started’ the Education Act. In fact, William Foster is the reason that we
school nowadays is mandatory.

How has the Textile Industry improved

throughout the years?
Because we have looked at how the Textile Industry began, why don’t we look
at how it is looking like nowadays? Nowadays all the machinery has been
improved, it is estimated that every day roughly 10,000- 100,000 pieces of
clothing are manufactured. While in the 19th to the 20th century it was
estimated that in 1 day, a singular textile mill could produce roughly a few
thousand garments a day meaning that throughout all Great Britian there were
millions of garments manufactured daily. Alothough there is no specific answer
it was estimated that the textile industry was worth around 1 billon GBP at the
time, while now it is worth around 58.5 billion British pounds!

Conclusion
In conclusion, the British Textile Industry played a crucial role in the Industrial
Revolution, transforming the economic landscape of the country. The
establishment of factories and the huge amount of production of textiles not
only increased the availability of clothing but also significantly helped the
population grow. As more people flocked to the cities in search of employment

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and better opportunities in starting a family and business wise, the textile
industry became a major source of income for many families. The invention
and improvement of various machines during this period, such as the spinning
jenny, power loom, and the water frame, all these machines helped with the
production of clothes.
However, the rapid growth of the textile industry also brought about
numerous challenges for workers, particularly those lower class. Working
conditions in the factories were often harsh and dangerous, with long hours,
low wages and terrible working conditions. While men worked in the textile
industry it was more common for women and children to work. Despite these
challenges, the British Textile Industry continued to grow and adapt to
changing times. With the ever-growing/improving machines, the textile
industry has improved drastically.
Finally, throughout the years the machines in the Textile Industry have
improved drastically, with efficiency as well as sustainability!
In conclusion, the British Textile Industry from 1815-1900 had a drastic impact
on society, causing factories to become the main place to work. Although there
were advantages such as cheaper clothing, this also meant that many women
and children had to work in terrible conditions. Nowadays, the British Textile
Industry remains a vital part of the global economy, producing a huge amount
of clothing, with a lot better working conditions!

Links

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 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/tc3-boundless-
worldhistory/chapter/textile-manufacturing/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-
books/textiles-1800
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_manufacture_during_the_British_Indust
rial_Revolution
https://www.papertrell.com/apps/preview/The-Handy-History-Answer-
Book/Handy%20Answer%20book/How-did-the-textile-industry-
begin/001137010/content/SC/52cb00d882fad14abfa5c2e0_default.html
ChatGPT: how much was the British Textile Industry worth in the 19th to the
20th
Chat GPT: How much is the British Textile industry worth now?

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