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A
t about the same
time Robert
Greg was putting the power looms into Quarry Bank Mill (1836), cotton trade became more important than wool
in England. In
the 1740's, exports of cotton goods were worth about £11,000 a
year. But by 1820, the amount had risen to £17 million a
year. By
1850, cotton was Britain's leading export. There
are four important reasons why cotton became so important:
-
Firstly,
the population of Britain was increasing, meaning that the
demand for textiles were increasing.
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Secondly, the supply of raw cotton
grew. It grew because after North
America became independent, slavery flourished. With the help of
so many slaves (the
Slave trade) cotton plantations were able to produce much more
cotton to sell. In
1893, Eli Whitney invented a 'cotton gin' which made the labor at
the cotton plantations, for the slaves, go even more quickly.
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Thirdly, people
were spending more money in these times, meaning
obviously that people would spend some of that money on clothes.
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Finally, there was a great expansion in trade in the late 18th
century. Britain was the world's leading trading nation and British
ships sailed all over the world with British goods (including cotton) to sell.
These reasons
made cotton was more important at the end of the 18th century. They
were certainly factors which contributed to the success of Quarry Bank
Mill. |
