A Horwich-born professor has written the first biography in 72 years of a revolutionary Bolton inventor “in danger of being forgotten".  

David Leece, Professor Emeritus at Keele University, has written The Life and Times of Samuel Crompton about the great inventor of the spinning mule that made Lancashire a cotton powerhouse.

Samuel Crompton, who achieved remarkable things in his lifetime, was no stranger to being ignored.

He had invented the spinning mule in 1779, which produced large amounts of high-quality yarn at a previously impossible rate when he was aged 26.

And the invention sped the growth of the factory system.  

Yet in his later years, he fought to get financial compensation for the benefits his work delivered for the industry and got just £5,000. And he spent his last years living in poverty on £63 a year.

(Image: Professor David Leece)

Now, though he has a statue and Crompton Way, there has been no biography of him for 72 years.

Professor David Leece, who has held positions at Keele and Manchester Metropolitan University decided to fill the gap and introduce the inventor to a wider audience.

He saw that “Samuel Crompton’s name was in danger of being forgotten outside of Lancashire again".

Professor Leece spent over 12 years researching and writing The Life and Times of Samuel Crompton: Whispers of the Industrial Revolution.

He was inspired by an apprenticeship he did with Dobson and Barlow, a Bolton spinning mule manufacturer.  And his family’s links with the Cromptons.

The book tells of Samuel Crompton’s struggle to be recognised for his work during the turbulent Industrial Revolution.

The reader is taken on a journey from the early days of mercantile trade to beginnings of industrial change.

Myths, legends and events give the feel and spirit of the times.

And it is based on the previously unused Crompton Papers in Bolton History Centre.

The story also explores the Crompton family’s connections with Bolton and Horwich.

Prof Leece has donated copies of the book to Bolton Libraries and Museums and to Horwich Heritage Centre.

For more details, visit youcaxton.co.uk/the-life-and-times-of-samuel-cromptondavid-leece/