Hargreaves, James (1720–78). Inventor. Hargreaves was a largely self-taught weaver from Lancashire, who invented the spinning jenny in 1764 and patented it in 1770. Kay's flying-shuttle had greatly speeded up the process of weaving and Hargreaves's jenny, using several spindles at once, enabled spinning to keep up. He experienced many of the difficulties that Kay had faced. In 1768 his house was attacked by a mob from Blackburn and he was involved in extensive litigation in an attempt to protect his patent.

J. A. Cannon

Hargreaves, James (1722–1778) English inventor and industrialist. In 1764 he invented the spinning jenny, a machine that greatly speeded the production of cotton by simultaneously spinning eight threads. In 1768 local spinners destroyed the machine, fearing that it threatened their jobs. Hargreaves moved to Nottingham and, with Thomas James, built a spinning mill and became one of the first great factory owners.