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John Kay

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: John Kay
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(born July 16, 1704, near Bury, Lancashire, Eng. — died 1764?, France) British machinist and engineer. In 1733 he received a patent for a "New Engine or Machine for Opening and Dressing Wool" that incorporated his flying shuttle, an important step toward automatic weaving. Kay's invention so increased yarn consumption that it spurred the invention of spinning machines (including the spinning jenny and spinning mule), but its true importance lay in its adaptation in power looms.

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British History: John Kay
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Kay, John (1704-c.1780). Engineer and inventor. Born in 1704 near Bury (Lancs.), Kay patented his flying-shuttle for a loom in 1733. It produced a great speeding-up in the process of weaving, but Kay experienced considerable difficulty in exploiting his invention. His house was destroyed in 1753 by a mob concerned about unemployment, while the Leeds manufacturers banded together to indemnify each other against legal proceedings to enforce Kay's patent.

 
 

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more