James Kay of Turton Tower: Inventor and Flax Spinner (1774-1857) – a talk by Richard Horrocks

 An expressive and engaging speaker, Richard educated and entertained us with his talk on this little known local inventor and mill owner.

James Kay’s invention in 1825 of the wet spinning process for flax produced the finest machine spun linen yarns ever produced at that time.  He became a rich man and was able to restore Turton Tower to the condition in which we see it today.

In Ireland he is credited with saving the Irish linen industry which was in severe decline during the 1820s. So why is it that James Kay was not recognised in England for his contribution to the linen industry?  Richard explained that in 1836 John Marshall of Leeds, at that time the most  successful flax spinner in Great Britain, successfully challenged James Kay’s patent. Although he did not suffer financial ruin, after that James Kay’s name became almost completely forgotten.

To find out more about flax spinning and the linen industry I recommend reading Richard’s book, the title of which is shown above.