Spinning mule
Topic: The Age of Industrialisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The spinning mule was a spinning machine invented by Samuel Crompton in England in 1779. A mule is a cross between two animals, and the machine got its name because it mixed two earlier machines: the moving carriage of the Spinning Jenny and the rollers of the water frame. It spun yarn that was both fine and strong. This let British mills make thin, high-quality cotton cloth such as muslin, which had earlier come mainly from India.
Example
In late 18th-century Lancashire, cotton mills used mules to spin fine yarn for muslin. This cloth competed directly with the fine cotton goods of Bengal.
Don't confuse with
- Water frame: Arkwright's machine (1769) spun strong but coarse yarn. The mule spun yarn that was both fine and strong.