William Crompton (10 September 1806 in Preston, England – 1 May 1891 in

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Po ...

) was a United States inventor in the field of

loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

technology. Crompton was brought up as a

hand loom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...

cotton weaver and, at an early age, learned the trade of a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

. While superintendent of a

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Althou ...

Ramsbottom Ramsbottom is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 17,872. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the River Irwell in the West Pennine Moors, northwest of Bury, a ...

he made many experiments on cotton looms. He went to

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

, in 1836 and devised a loom for the manufacture of fancy cotton goods, receiving a patent on 23 November 1837 (U.S. Patent 491). In this loom one part of the warp was depressed while the other was lifted, instead of allowing one part to remain stationary, thus securing more room for the passage of the shuttle. Another feature of it was an endless loop pattern chain, which, with its peculiar apparatus, operated the warp. This allowed many more pattern sequences and made them much easier to change. Crompton went back to England in 1838 and, after patenting his loom there, returned with his family to America in 1839. In 1840, he adapted his loom to the weaving of fancy

woolens Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

for Middlesex Mills in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

, where he worked for two years. Late in his career, he divided his time between manufacturing cotton and woolen goods in

Millbury, Massachusetts Millbury, officially the Town of Millbury, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Located within Blackstone Valley, the population in Millbury was 13,831 at the 2020 United States Census. History Millbury was first settled by Europeans ...

, and touring

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

teaching operators how to use his looms. Crompton retired from active business in 1849, on account of failing health. His son,

George Crompton George Crompton (23 March 1829 – 29 December 1886) was an American inventor, manufacturer, and businessman and the son of William Crompton, an inventor. He is best known for his invention, perfection, and popularization of the Crompton Loom, ...

, continued improving the loom. In 1900, at least three fourths of all the woolen goods made in the United States were woven on the Crompton loom, or on looms embodying its principles.

Notes

References

* 1806 births 1891 deaths English emigrants to the United States 19th-century American inventors Chemtura {{US-inventor-stub