John Kay and His Impact on Weaving

In 1733, John Kay invented the flying shuttle—an improvement to weaving looms and a key contribution to the  Industrial Revolution. Early Years Kay was born on June 17, 1704,  in the  Lancashire  hamlet of  Walmersley. His  father, Robert, was a farmer and wool manufacturer but died before he was born.  Thus, Johns mother was responsible for educating him until she remarried. John Kay was just a young man when he became the manager of one of his fathers mills. He developed skills as a machinist and engineer and made many improvements to the machines in the mill. He  apprenticed with a  hand-loom reed  maker and also designed a  metal substitute  for the natural reed that became popular enough to sell throughout England.  After traveling the country making, fitting, and selling his wire reeds, Kay returned home and, in June 1725, married a woman from Bury.   The Flying Shuttle The flying shuttle was an improvement to the loom that enabled weavers to work faster. The original tool contained a bobbin onto which the weft (crossways) yarn was wound. It was normally pushed from one side of the warp (the series of yarns that extended lengthways in a loom) to the other side by hand. Because of this, large looms needed two weavers to throw the shuttle. Alternatively, Kays flying shuttle was thrown by a lever that could be operated by just one weaver.  The shuttle was able to do the work of two people—and more quickly. In Bury, John Kay continued to design improvements to textile machinery; in 1730 he patented a  cording  and  twisting  machine for  worsted. These innovations were not without consequences, however. In 1753, Kays home was attacked by textile workers who were angry that his inventions might take work away from them. Kay ultimately fled England for France where he died in poverty around 1780. Influence and Legacy of  John Kay Kays invention paved the way for other mechanical textile tools, but it wouldnt be for about 30 years—the  power loom  was invented by Edmund Cartwright in 1787. Until then, Kays son, Robert, stayed in  Britain.  In 1760, he developed the drop-box, which enabled looms to use multiple flying shuttles at the same time, allowing for multicolor wefts. In 1782, Roberts son, who lived with John in France, provided an account of the inventors troubles to  Richard Arkwright—Arkwright then sought to highlight problems with patent defense in a parliamentary petition. In Bury, Kay has become a local hero. Even today, there are still several  pubs  named after him, as is the park called Kay Gardens.