Vermuyden, Arkwright, and Slater the Traitor: Derwent Valley Mills-Birthplace of the Water Powered Cotton Spinning Industry and Skyscraper Construction Techniques

Alan Newman, Ángel Martín Rodríguez, William F Hunt

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

    Abstract

    This paper recounts the remarkable story of how the drainage of a lead mine by Cornelius Vermuyden was the driver to both legal changes and changes in mining practice which encouraged the establishment of water powered cotton spinning in the lower Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. It describes the development of the first three mills built by Sir Richard Arkwright including the early reliance on mine drainage water for power and Arkwright’s magnificent Masson Mill at Matlock Bath which provided a major step change in mill design. It will document the establishment of competition and developments of mill design further down the valley which greatly influenced high building design. It also recalls how the famous Samuel Slater became known locally as Slater the Traitor when he illegally travelled to the USA, to help with the technical problems being experienced by an existing mill owner, and later, to establish his own mills in the USA.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
    Subtitle of host publication International Perspectives, History and Heritage, Emerging Technologies, and Student Paper
    EditorsSri Kamojjala
    PublisherAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 31 May 2018
    Event18th World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018: Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater; Urban Watershed Management; Municipal Water Infrastructure; and Desalination and Water Reuse - Minneapolis, United States
    Duration: 3 Jun 20187 Jun 2018
    Conference number: 18

    Conference

    Conference18th World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
    Abbreviated titleEWRI Congress
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityMinneapolis
    Period3/06/187/06/18

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