Kay’s 'Flying Shuttle' invented

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

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Aviation

Dates

Date of occurrence 1733

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

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John Kay was born near Bury in Lancashire on July 16th 1704, the son of a woolen manufacturer. On 26th May 1733 he was granted a patent for his flying shuttle, a device which would transform weaving. The flying shuttle carried the weft yarn of the woven cloth crossways between the strands of warp. By fitting the shuttle with wheels on a track, and using paddles to bat it from side to side, Kay made it possible for the width of a piece of cloth to exceed the breadth of the weaver's arms, and also doubled the speed with which a textile could be woven. His invention spurred the search for better ways of spinning yarn, on which see Richard Arkwright.

Deprived of his due royalties from this invention by a combine of Yorkshire woolen merchants, Kay emigrated to France and died in obscurity.

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158 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Kay’s 'Flying Shuttle' invented". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1551, accessed 05 May 2024.]

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