18th Century 1700-1799
Silk 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 MorePopulation England & Wales 1780
The population of England and Wales in 1780 and its explosion in the next 70 years was a fundamental factor in the Industrial Revolution.
Read MoreAnna Maria Garthwaite – a remarkable woman
Silk, Anna Maria Garthwaite and a beautiful story to inspire women today
Read MoreSilk Weavers in your family?
The romance of silk weaving, it must have been incredible to produce such a thing of beauty out of the poverty stricken areas of East London. Do you have silk weavers in your family history?
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 MoreJohn Kay Inventor of the Flying Shuttle
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.
Read MoreFlying shuttle – What is it?
Just what was the flying shuttle and why did it have such an impact on the lives of our ancestors? A simple invention that produced incredible results. A great example of the speed of change during the Industrial Revolution.
Read MoreGordon Highlanders Cap Badge
The cap badge of the Gordon Highlanders reveals a brave Regiment who succumbed as much to disease as to battle
Read MoreDevon and Cornwall Emigration Departure Ports
Many people emigrated from ports in Devon and Cornwall, if you have emigrants in your family history, it could be that they left England from one of these important smaller ports
Read MorePort of London Authority Archive at Museum of London Docklands
Port of London Archive – London Docklands…at the Museum of Londons Docklands
Read More