THEME Industrial and Agricultural Revolution
The Scramble for New Colonies post 1870
The new colonialism post 1870 was a response to the growth of the Industrial Revolution beyond Britain and the building of the Suez Canal
Read MoreRoyal Society founded 1660 Gresham College and Arundel House
Royal Society for advancement of Science, a founding father Christopher Wren, Astronomer at Gresham College…? Was your relative a member or fellow of the society?
Read MoreState Intervention escalates in Victorian Britain
The industrial revolution brought immense benefits to Victorian society but it also brought huge problems to society. Government responded with intervention at every level and an explosion of civil servants and bureaucrats to cope with the fast unraveling problems.
Read MoreJames Watt and the Industrial Revolution 1774
James Watt and the Industrial Revolution The inventor of the first practical and it should be said, economical steam engine was James Watt, an instrument maker from Glasgow who saw the problems with earlier engines such as Newcomen’s engine. A man with a fastidious eye for details, Watt saw the potential to improve the engine…
Read MoreRepeal of Calico Act 1774
The repeal of the calico act 1744 was one of the most important acts of the Industrial Revolution
Read MoreNorthampton and the First Cotton Spinning Mill 1742
The first cotton spinning mill was built in Northamptonshire in 1742 but just what effect did mass production of yarns in the textile industry bring to those working in cottage industries, how did they cope?
Read MoreSilk making machinery 1745
The silk making machinery of Jacques de Vaucanson revolutionized French silk production but ironically held back the French industrial revolution because of the Luddite attitudes of the French workers.
Read MoreAnna Maria Garthwaite – a remarkable woman
Silk, Anna Maria Garthwaite and a beautiful story to inspire women today
Read MoreIndustrial Revolution source of enlightenment
The Industrial Revolution was a complex period but did it have it’s origins in the Enlightenment period that preceded it? In itself did it create an enlightened period of social reform?
Read MoreJohn Kay 1753-54 House destroyed by machine breakers…keeps inventing
John Kay Inventor persecuted and house destroyed by machine breakers, he didn’t give-up and kept inventing, now that’s entrepreneurial against the odds…and was this the start of organised labour and uprisings?
Read More