A revolution in the textiles industry

Many historians believe that the Industrial Revolution would not have happened without the revolution in the textiles industry.

Before 1750, a lot of woollen cloth was produced, but the textiles industry was a low-tech, labour-intensive cottage industry. British workers were unable to spin a cotton thread strong enough to make cotton cloth, so they had to use wool thread for the warp, which produced a half-wool, half-cotton cloth called fustian.

After 1750, however, there was a revolution in the textiles industry. This involved:

• A growth in demand, probably as a result of the growth in population, but also because of the opening up of the export market.
• Technological change and innovation - the use of machinery.
• A move to bigger units of production - the factory system.
• The use of unskilled, cheap labour.
• A change in location, away from East Anglia and the West Country. The first factories were situated in the hills of Lancashire and Yorkshire near to fast-flowing streams, which could power the water-wheels. With the invention of the steam engine, however, factories were sited on the coalfields of the north of England and Scotland.
• A shift from wool - which was heavier and more difficult to wash and produce - to cotton.

By 1850, Britain was "the clothes shop of the world". Estimated figures of output were:

Textiles output 1700-1900

In 1850, textile products made up 60 per cent of British exports.