Object Details

inventor

Crompton, William

Description

Before William Crompton’s 1837 patent for a fancy power loom was adopted, the harnesses of power looms were controlled by cams. This arrangement limited the number of harnesses that could be utilized, which in turn limited the complexity of patterns that could be woven. In order to vary the pattern, the cams had to be laboriously changed. Crompton’s invention solved both of these problems. In his patent, an endless pattern chain was used, upon which rollers or pins could be variously placed to engage the harness levers (as had the cams) but which allowed any number of harnesses to be used and easily permitted the changing of patterns. Now more elaborate designs could be easily woven on power looms.

In 1806 William Crompton was born in the textile mill town of Preston, England. He was taught how to weave on a cotton hand loom and learned the trade of a machinist. He was thirty when he came to Taunton, Massachusetts, and was employed by Crocker and Richmond. At this textile mill he designed a loom to weave a new more complex patterned fabric. The mill failed in 1837 and Crompton went back to England. He entered into cotton manufacture with John Rostran, and took out a British patent for his loom under Rostran’s name.

Later in 1839 Crompton emigrated with his family back to the United States in order to promote his looms. He met with success when the Middlesex Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, invited him to alter his fancy cotton loom for the weaving of woolen fabrics. This he accomplished in 1840, and it was considered an important landmark for the woolen industry. In his book, American Textile Machinery, John Hayes quotes the Committee on Patents of the United States House of Representatives, 1878: “ . . . upon the Crompton loom or looms based on it, are woven every yard of fancy cloth in the world.”

In 1849, William’s health declined and his son, George, carried on the business. Like his father, George was an inventor and patented many improvements for the loom. After 1859, the Crompton Loom Work became one of the two largest fancy loom manufacturers in the United States.

Patent No. 491 Issued November 25, 1837

William Crompton of Taunton, Massachusetts

model constructed

before 1837-11-25

patent date

1837-11-25

ID Number

TE.T11411.001

accession number

89797

catalog number

T11411.001

patent number

491

Object Name

loom patent model

Object Type

Patent Model

model

Physical Description

iron (overall material)

brass (overall material)

steel (overall material)

wood (overall material)

leather (overall material)

Measurements

approx.: 24 in x 14 in x 12 in; 60.96 cm x 35.56 cm x 30.48 cm

inventor's residence

United States: Massachusetts, Taunton

associated place

United States: Massachusetts, Taunton

Related Publication

Janssen, Barbara Suit. Patent Models Index

See more items in

Home and Community Life: Textiles

Patent Models, Textile Machinery

Textiles

Patent Models

Exhibition

On the Water

Exhibition Location

National Museum of American History

Data Source

National Museum of American History

classified

Patent Models

Invention

related event

Expansion and Reform

Metadata Usage

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-fe2c-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID

nmah_1071095