James Hargreaves was a weaver and carpenter at Standhill, near Blackburn, England. He invented an improved carding machine for combing wool around 1760, and in 1764 invented the 'spinning jenny', which allowed one person to spin more than one thread at a time. In 1768, his workshop was wrecked by spinners who were angry that the jenny reduced the number of workers required. He moved to Nottingham where he set up a mill using his invention. The jenny was replaced by Crompton's Mule after Hargreaves' death in 1778.
