Home Page | Knitting Together | Themes | People

People

William Lee, William Cotton, and Jedediah Strutt are a few of the names associated with the history of the knitting industry. Unlike the names of James Watt, Richard Arkwright and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, they are not the well-known inventors of the industrial revolution, but without their contributions, the fashions of today would have looked completely different. This theme provides a background to key people from the industry and their role in history.

Richard Arkwright (1732-1792) - Inventor of the water frame and mill owner Richard Arkwright was born 23 December 1732 in Preston, Lancashire. The youngest of thirteen children, Arkwright's family were poor, living off the wages of his labourer father. With a lack of money to pay for schooling, Arkwright was fortunate to have a cousin who taught him how to read and write. More >>

Nathaniel Corah (1777-1832) - Founder of Nathaniel Corah and Sons Nathaniel Corah was born in 1777 in the Leicestershire village of Bagworth. He was the second son of William Corah, a framework knitter and farmer, and born into a family with many links to the knitting industry. Nathaniel continued the family's association with the industry and completed an apprenticeship as a framesmith. More >>

William Cotton (1819(?)-1887) - Inventor of the Cotton's Patent William Cotton was born around 1819 and brought up in the village of Seagrave Lodge, near Leicester. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to merchant hosiers Cartwright and Warner of Loughborough. The firm was at the forefront of technological development and it was one of the first firms to use steam-powered machinery. More >>

William Elliott (1707-1792) - Hosiery Entrepreneur In the eighteenth century the principal business of Nottingham, Leicester and the surrounding villages was the manufacture of hosiery. From the Tudor age to the Napoleonic Wars, fully-fashioned (i.e. shaped) stockings were high fashion for men, appearing in all manner of yarns, colours, patterns and decoration as styles came and went. More >>

William Felkin (1795-1874) - Author of the 'History of the Machine-Wrought Hosiery and Lace Manufactures' William Felkin was born on 24 April 1795 in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, a town dominated by the coal and knitting industries. His father, also William Felkin, was a framework knitter and provided William with his first contact with the industry. More >>

John Heathcoat (1783-1861) - Inventor of the bobbin net machine John Heathcoat was born in Duffield, Derbyshire on 7 August 1783, the son of Francis, a small time farmer and Elizabeth Heathcoat. Soon after John's birth his father went blind which forced him to sell the farm and move to Long Whatton near Loughborough. More >>

William Iliffe (d. 1688) - Hosier William Iliffe was reputed to have introduced the stocking frame to Hinckley in 1640. The details of William Iliffe's early life are unknown, but his ancestors appear to have been relatively well off. James Iliffe, a Hinckley tailor, was sufficiently wealthy to warrant the writing of a will in 1558. More >>

William Lee (1563/4-1614) - Inventor of the knitting frame William Lee, the legendary inventor of the knitting frame, has been associated with a number of stories regarding his life, but uncertainty remains as to how many of them are fiction rather than fact. More >>

Samuel Morley (1809-1886) - Head of I & R Morley Samuel Morley was born in 1809, the youngest of John Morley's three sons. His father, and uncle Richard, founded the family's knitting business and established its London warehouse and distribution base. More >>

Samuel Need (1718-1781) - Hosier Samuel Need was born into a successful family of farmers and framework knitters. Following in the family tradition, he was apprenticed as a framework knitter, probably with his uncle, John Need. In 1739/40 he was made a burgess of Nottingham. More >>

Jedediah Strutt (1726-1797) - Inventor of the Derby Rib Machine Jedediah Strutt was born 25 July 1726 in South Normanton, Derbyshire. He was the son of William Strutt, a farmer, and Martha Statham. After showing an early interest in mechanics, Strutt was apprenticed at the age of fourteen to Ralph Massey, a wheelwright from Findern near Derby. More >>

Timeline

• Introduction
• Origins of the industry 1589-1750
• Enterprise and innovation 1750-1810
• In the doldrums 1810-1850
• The advent of factories 1820-1900
• Boom time and heyday 1860-1960
• Mergers and takeovers 1960-Present
• The Marks & Spencer effect 1900-present
• Globalisation and a changing industry 1970-Present