Thomas Ainsworth
Thomas Ainsworth (born December 22, 1795 in Bolton le Moors , Lancashire , England , † February 13, 1841 in Hellendoorn ) was an English engineer who founded the textile industry in the Netherlands .
In the 1820s he worked as an engineer for the Cockerill steel works in Seraing near Liège . He strove to invent more efficient methods of production. Wallonia , in which Liège is located, was then part of the Kingdom of the United Netherlands . When the Belgian Revolution broke out in 1830 , he moved to the northern Netherlands, where he devoted himself to improving weaving . He developed a faster method for hand weaving and, supported by government measures, founded a weaving school in Goor (municipality of Hof van Twente ). Rich people in the region made land and buildings available to him, where he founded hand-weaving mills with around 85 looms: the first textile factory. Ainsworth was against the use of steam engines as he feared mass unemployment . In this respect he is not a participant in the industrial revolution . His commitment, also for the welfare of the workers, is still very much appreciated.
Web links
- External biography (Dutch) ( Memento from February 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ainsworth, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Anglo-Dutch textile industrialist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 22, 1795 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bolton le Moors , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 13, 1841 |
| Place of death | Hellendoorn |