England

John Kay Inventor of the Flying Shuttle

John Kay 1704 - 1779
This entry is part 1 of 14 in the series Industrial Revolution

The costs to John Kay inventor of the flying shuttle were significant, as they were to the workers who lost their jobs as a result of mechanisation but his tenacious approach in the face of adversity is part of what made the inventors, visionaries and entrepreneurs of the Industrial Revolution brilliant.

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St Katherine’s Dock

Why would London’s poor fight to earn a pittance of 4d a day in London’s Docklands? Were your relatives building the docks, living in the slums or competing for the work?

Related posts:

  1. St Katherines Dock key to understanding life in London’s Docklands 19thC Ancestors who were London dock workers would have been familiar with St Katherine’s Dock…
  2. The Difficult passage across the Thames in C18th & C19th The growth of London in terms of population and trade demanded the need for more crossing points of the River Thames….
  3. Salford and the Industrial Revolution Salford, Manchester in the UK, was, at the end of the C19th, a small cotton, calico and silk weaving town with a population of about 7000 people. The Industrial Revolution brought great factories and mills to the town of Salford and not only did it become one of the most important mill towns in the……
  4. Manchester Ship Canal 1894 The Manchester Ship Canal was opened in 1894 and was the largest river navigation canal in the world. It took six years to build and cost £15 million. It was 58km long and started at the Mersey estuary in Liverpool and terminated at the dock in Manchester. It allowed the newly created Port of Manchester……
  5. Richard Trevithick and the Rotherhithe Tunnel 1807 The Cornish mining engineer, Richard Trevithick, was asked to undertake the incredible engineering feat of digging a tunnel under the River Thames from the Parish of St Mary Rotherhithe to the other side. The growth in docks, wharves, ship builders and a multitude of other manufacturers made it imperative to build some means of crossing……
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St Katherines Dock key to understanding life in London’s Docklands 19thC

Ancestors who were London dock workers would have been familiar with St Katherine’s Dock

Related posts:

  1. Salford and the Industrial Revolution Salford, Manchester in the UK, was, at the end of the C19th, a small cotton, calico and silk weaving town with a population of about 7000 people. The Industrial Revolution brought great factories and mills to the town of Salford and not only did it become one of the most important mill towns in the……
  2. The Difficult passage across the Thames in C18th & C19th The growth of London in terms of population and trade demanded the need for more crossing points of the River Thames….
  3. Life on a war ship what was it like/ Have you wondered what it would be like for a member of your family serving in the Royal Navy on active service in a war ship? Find out on HMS Belfast……
  4. Life of a Young Agricultural Labourer in the Early C19th Life as an agricultural labourer in the early C18th could have meant starting work as young as seven years old. In most areas, until about 1800, the majority of land in a village was held in common fields away from the main street of houses. Each strip was divided into furlongs and each furlong into……
  5. Tolpuddle Martyrs formed a Trade Union in 1834 Tolpuddle Martyrs paid a heavy price for standing up for rural workers rights as late as 1834……
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John Wilkinson Ironmaster

John Wilkinson
This entry is part [part not set] of 14 in the series Industrial Revolution

John Wilkinson was the ‘Ironmaster’ of the industrial revolution Iron  ran through the veins of John Wilkinson, who was fortunate enough to be born into the heart of the industrial revolution, both literally and figuratively. He was born in 1728, the son of Isaac Wilkinson. He worked in the iron industry at a blast furnace…

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The Midland Revolt 1607

Midland Revolt 1607

The Midland Revolt 1607, a period of failed harvests, enclosure, famine and despondency. Shakespeare writes about this in his play Coriolanus and refers to other uprisings and tensions in his plays Henry IV and 2 Henry VI.

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Women’s Roles in Edwardian Era

Working women in the Edwardian era

What were women’s roles in the Edwardian era of British history? What changes in society occurred that moved women towards acceptance in the workplace? The events after the Edwardian era would catapult women towards new opportunities.

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The Luddites

This entry is part [part not set] of 4 in the series Agricutural Revolution
This entry is part [part not set] of 14 in the series Industrial Revolution
This entry is part [part not set] of 15 in the series Reformers and Radicals

What made the Luddites riot? Was it worth the loss of 17 lives? Have our attitudes to technology changed or does the fear of the new pervade in our social response to innovation and invention generally or only specifically when it impacts on our ability to earn a fair living? In the early 19th century we see a rebellious element emerge and a collective consciousness of the working class begins to emerge, what other lessons can we learn from what makes the British riot throughout our history? The first in a series of posts and explorations…

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Statute of Labourers 1351

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Reform
This entry is part 2 of 15 in the series Reformers and Radicals
This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Poor Law through the Ages
This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series Reforming Women

In 1351 following Plague and pestilence there was a shortage of Labour and the ruling elite were not happy to have to ‘suffer’ the inflationary costs that resulted as workers for the first time had the power to refuse to work for low wages. Was this the distant start of organised labour in Britain and a capsule that reflects the uneasy relationship between the monarch, parliament and the people…Will the Peasants Revolt?

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