How useful are the site and other sources in showing how far Cromford village changed as a result of Arkwright choosing it as a site for his mill

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Cromford Mill – History Around Us Coursework

The First Part of the Question

“How useful are the site and other sources in showing how far Cromford village changed as a result of Arkwright choosing it as a site for his mill?”

As well as the North of England being a good site for the cotton industry, there were several reasons why Arkwright chose Cromford to house his mills.

Workers

Arkwright had a ready workforce in the wives and children of the lead miners of this upland village. Other workers moved to Cromford, mainly from Derby. Often the women and children worked in the factory, while the men stayed at home weaving the cotton into cloth - this took place until the middle of the 19th century when the power loom took over. Arkwright built houses for his workers; these had large rooms on the upper floor, with plenty of light, where the weaving could take place. Examples of these can still be seen on North Street in Cromford.

An advert by Arkwright calling workers to his mill

Water Power

One of the most attractive features of Cromford for Arkwright was the power provided by the streams running down from the old lead mines in the hills above. A water wheel and complex gears could power hundreds of spindles - a vast improvement on horsepower. By bringing all his spinners together to work in one place and by using machinery and a power supply not dependent on humans or animals, Arkwright had opened a new age of factories.

By the time of his death in 1792 not only had Arkwright made a fortune but he had set the textile industry on a path that would utterly change both its location and its working methods.

Cromford in Derbyshire is a place many people simply pass through on their way to the Matlocks, Bakewell and other northerly places, but Cromford is steeped in industrial history and often called the cradle of the industrial revolution. Before 1770, Cromford was a small rural hamlet and had only 16 households and local lead mines. It was once little more than a cluster of cottages around an old packhorse bridge and a chapel where travelers gave thanks for a safe journey. All that was soon to change with the arrival of one man, Richard Arkwright.

Source 1 – “A view of Cromford, near Matlock Bath 1749”

Source 1 (above) shows us a painting of a view of Cromford in the year 1749. The painting shows us that Cromford was very isolated, and not hugely populated, shown by a few small living cabins. I believe that this source is quite very reliable as the artist has no reason to lie about the true scenery of Cromford. This Source can be supported by Source 15 which indicates that the remoteness of Cromford may have been one of its advantages. Source 15 is from a school textbook, meaning the author had no reason to exaggerate the truth, although it may be simplified.

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Water courses

The water was first diverted from the Bonsall Brook. The Bonsall Brook rises on the upland and flows S. E toward Cromford where it proved significant in Richard Arkwright’s choice of site for his mill. This was used to power an undershot waterwheel, providing the mill with power. Several years later, the Greyhound Pond was converted to a damn, so that on Sundays the pond would fill with water rather than wastefully continuing to drain off water. Also it was made so that the Cromford Sough could run into the Greyhound Pond. Including the greyhound pond ...

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