John Kendrew (1748-1800), a Darlington
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
, is best known for having invented the first effective process for the mechanical
spinning
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles
* Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
of
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
. With Thomas Porthouse, a local clockmaker, he built a working machine and together in 1787 they patented the design in both England and Scotland. They licensed the technology to others, and subsequently each built their own mill — Kendrew's being near Haughton le Skerne on the NE outskirts of Darlington. After Kendrew's death, Porthouse took out his own patent, as did others and most flax mills were technological descendants of the Kendrew/Porthouse design.
By 1776, Kendrew, a self-taught mechanic, had erected a
water driven mill on the river Skerne, at Low Mill, just south of Darlington Bridge, for the purpose of grinding
spectacle lenses in large numbers. After that date he was frequently described as an 'optician'. This mill continued in operating after his death, and achieved contemporary fame, though claims that it was the first of its kind in the country cannot be upheld.
[D.J.Bryden, 'The Ribrights, Opticians in the Poultry, London: and the use of powered machinery for working lenses and mirros at Tewin (Herts), Bromley (Kent) and Darlington (Co. Durham), ''Bulletin of the Scientific Instrument Society'', No 105, (2010), 10-21.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendrew, John
British inventors
Textile workers