11 Facts About Edmund Cartwright

Edmund Cartwright graduated from Oxford University and went on to invent the power loom.

Edmund Cartwright became a clergyman of the Church of England.

Edmund Cartwright began his career as a clergyman, becoming, in 1779, rector of Goadby Marwood, Leicestershire.

Edmund Cartwright designed his first power loom in 1784 and patented it in 1785, but it proved to be valueless.

Edmund Cartwright added improvements, including a positive let-off motion, warp and weft stop motions, and sizing the warp while the loom was in action.

Edmund Cartwright commenced to manufacture fabrics in Doncaster using these looms, and discovered many of their shortcomings.

Edmund Cartwright attempted to remedy these in a number of ways: by introducing a crank and eccentric wheels to actuate its batten differentially, by improving the picking mechanism, by means of a device for stopping the loom when a shuttle failed to enter a shuttle box, by preventing a shuttle from rebounding when in a box, and by stretching the cloth with temples that acted automatically.

In 1792, Edmund Cartwright obtained his last patent for weaving machinery; this provided his loom with multiple shuttle boxes for weaving checks and cross stripes.

Edmund Cartwright patented a wool combing machine in 1789 and a cordelier in 1792.

Edmund Cartwright designed a steam engine that used alcohol instead of water.

Edmund Cartwright died in Sussex after a lingering illness and was buried at Battle.