Origin and Myth
The most common story told about the invention of the device and the origin of the Jenny in the machine's name is that a daughter (or his wife) named Jenny knocked over one of their own spinning wheels. The device kept working as normal, with the spindle now pointed upright. Hargreaves realized there was no particular reason the spindles had to be horizontal, as they always had been, and he could place them vertically in a row.
The name is variously said to derive from this tale. The Registers of Church Kirk show that Hargreaves had several daughters, but none named Jenny (neither was his wife). A more likely explanation of the name is that 'Jenny' was an abbreviation of 'engine'.
Thomas Highs of Leigh has claimed to be the inventor and the story is repeated using his wife's name.
Thomas Earnshaw invented a spinning device of a similar description - but destroyed it fearing he might be taking bread out of the mouths of the poor.
Read more about this topic: Spinning Jenny
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