John Heathcoat
Encyclopedia
John Heathcoat was an English
inventor.
Heathcoat was born at Duffield near Derby
. During his apprenticeship to a frame-smith near Loughborough
, he made an improvement in the construction of the warp-loom
, so as to produce mitts of a lace-like appearance by means of it. He began business on his own account at Nottingham
, but finding himself subjected to the intrusion of competing inventors he removed to Hathern
. There in 1808 he constructed a machine capable of producing an exact imitation of real pillow-lace. This machine-made lace was also called 'English net' or bobbinet
.
This was by far the most expensive and complex textile apparatus till then existing; and in describing the process of his invention Heathcoat said in 1836, "The single difficulty of getting the diagonal threads to twist in the allotted space was so great that, if now to be done, I should probably not attempt its accomplishment." Some time before perfecting his invention, which he patented in 1809, he removed to Loughborough, where he entered into partnership with Charles Lacy, a Nottingham manufacturer; but in 1816 their factory was attacked by former Luddites, thought to be in the pay of the lacemakers of Nottingham, and their 55 lace frames were destroyed. The damages were assessed in compensation by the King's Bench at £10,000; but as Heathcoat declined to expend the money in the county of Leicester
he never received any part of it.
Heathcoat had already bought an unoccupied woollen Mill in Tiverton, Devon. In fact he was overseeing work in Tiverton when the attack in Loughborough took place. He wrote to the Mayor of Tiverton, asking for protection for the Mill there, and in the letter disclosed:
Undaunted by his loss, he continued to construct new and greatly improved machines in his new factory in Tiverton, propelling them by water-power and afterwards by steam. His claim to the invention of the twisting and traversing lace machine was disputed, and a patent was taken out by a clever workman for a similar machine, which was decided at a trial in 1816 to be an infringement of Heathcoat's patent. He followed his great invention by others of much ability, as, for instance, contrivances for ornamenting net while in course of manufacture and for making ribbons and platted and twisted net upon his machines, improved yarn spinning-frames, and methods for winding raw silk from cocoons.
He also patented an improved process for extracting and purifying salt
. An offer of £10,000 was made to him in 1833 for the use of his processes in dressing and finishing silk nets, but he allowed the highly profitable secret to remain undivulged. In 1832 he patented a steam plough, the only full version of which sank without trace in a field. Heathcoat was elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Tiverton
in 1832. Though he seldom spoke in the House of Commons
, he was constantly engaged on committees, where his thorough knowledge of business and sound judgment were highly valued. He retained his seat until 1859, and after two years of declining health he died on 18 January 1861 at Bolham House, near Tiverton.
was created 1st Baronet Heathcoat Amory
in 1874, and built Knightshayes Court
in Tiverton, Devon.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
inventor.
Heathcoat was born at Duffield near Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
. During his apprenticeship to a frame-smith near Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, he made an improvement in the construction of the warp-loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
, so as to produce mitts of a lace-like appearance by means of it. He began business on his own account at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, but finding himself subjected to the intrusion of competing inventors he removed to Hathern
Hathern
Hathern is a large village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The village itself is located in the north of the district, and is just north of Loughborough. It is served by the A6. The parish has a population of about 1,800. Nearby places are Dishley, Long...
. There in 1808 he constructed a machine capable of producing an exact imitation of real pillow-lace. This machine-made lace was also called 'English net' or bobbinet
Bobbinet
Bobbinet or genuine tulle is a specific type of tulle netting which has been made in the United Kingdom since the invention of the bobbinet machine in 1806 by John Heathcoat. John Heathcoat coined the term "bobbin net", or bobbinet as it is spelled today, to distinguish his machine-made tulle from...
.
This was by far the most expensive and complex textile apparatus till then existing; and in describing the process of his invention Heathcoat said in 1836, "The single difficulty of getting the diagonal threads to twist in the allotted space was so great that, if now to be done, I should probably not attempt its accomplishment." Some time before perfecting his invention, which he patented in 1809, he removed to Loughborough, where he entered into partnership with Charles Lacy, a Nottingham manufacturer; but in 1816 their factory was attacked by former Luddites, thought to be in the pay of the lacemakers of Nottingham, and their 55 lace frames were destroyed. The damages were assessed in compensation by the King's Bench at £10,000; but as Heathcoat declined to expend the money in the county of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
he never received any part of it.
Heathcoat had already bought an unoccupied woollen Mill in Tiverton, Devon. In fact he was overseeing work in Tiverton when the attack in Loughborough took place. He wrote to the Mayor of Tiverton, asking for protection for the Mill there, and in the letter disclosed:
Undaunted by his loss, he continued to construct new and greatly improved machines in his new factory in Tiverton, propelling them by water-power and afterwards by steam. His claim to the invention of the twisting and traversing lace machine was disputed, and a patent was taken out by a clever workman for a similar machine, which was decided at a trial in 1816 to be an infringement of Heathcoat's patent. He followed his great invention by others of much ability, as, for instance, contrivances for ornamenting net while in course of manufacture and for making ribbons and platted and twisted net upon his machines, improved yarn spinning-frames, and methods for winding raw silk from cocoons.
He also patented an improved process for extracting and purifying salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. An offer of £10,000 was made to him in 1833 for the use of his processes in dressing and finishing silk nets, but he allowed the highly profitable secret to remain undivulged. In 1832 he patented a steam plough, the only full version of which sank without trace in a field. Heathcoat was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Tiverton
Tiverton (UK Parliament constituency)
Tiverton was a constituency located in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1615 and first represented in 1621, it elected two Members of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
in 1832. Though he seldom spoke in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, he was constantly engaged on committees, where his thorough knowledge of business and sound judgment were highly valued. He retained his seat until 1859, and after two years of declining health he died on 18 January 1861 at Bolham House, near Tiverton.
Descendents
His grandson John Heathcoat-AmorySir John Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Baronet
Sir John Heathcoat Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Baronet , was a British businessman and Liberal politician.Born John Amory, he was the maternal grandson of John Heathcoat, Member of Parliament for Tiverton, and assumed the additional surname of Heathcoat by Royal license. He was a partner of J...
was created 1st Baronet Heathcoat Amory
Heathcoat-Amory Baronets
The Heathcoat-Amory Baronetcy, of Knightshayes Court in Tiverton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 21 March 1874 for the businessman and Liberal politician John Heathcoat-Amory. Born John Amory, he was the maternal grandson of John...
in 1874, and built Knightshayes Court
Knightshayes Court
Knightshayes Court is a Victorian country house in Tiverton, Devon, England, designed by William Burges for the Heathcoat-Amory family. Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as "an eloquent expression of High Victorian ideals in a country house of moderate size." The house is Grade I listed as of 12 May...
in Tiverton, Devon.