facturing firm of Messrs. Milne, Travis, and Milne, of Crompton. Mr. John Milne, of Greenfield mill, Crompton, was the ancestral relative of the late Messrs. Samuel, Edmund, and John Milne, of Greenfield.

The spinning of cotton yarn for warps and hosiery, by means of machines called Dutch wheels, was extremely prevalent at this time; they were horizontal wheels, moving various numbers of spindles, but generally from twelve to twenty. Amongst the earliest possessors of these warp spinning machines were Messrs. John Lees, bottom of Church lane, John Dalton, Bent, James Lees, Wallshaw, John Smethurst, Bent, Mr. Wood, Horsedge, John Potter, Boggart hole, John Smith, Dolstile, William Fish, Cockhouse fold, John Lees, Mumps, John Waring, Waterhead mill, John Lees, Acre mill, Philip Ashton, Alder root, Henry Smethurst, Stock brook, George Duckworth, Yew-in-nook, John Taylor, Sandy lane, Royton, Mr. Bury, Royley, Ralph Taylor, Royton, Henry Wild, Cowlishaw, John Milne, Shaw, Mr. Newton, Shaw, and John Travis, Low Crompton. A large quantity of the twist spun on these Dutch wheels was sold to the hosiers of Nottingham, and Mr. John Dalton, of Bent, transacted considerable business in this line.

About 1780 or a few years later, a number of families who had_ been mostly employed in the woollen trade of Oldham and its vicinity, removed to Bradford, in Wiltshire, where they settled, for the purpose of continuing at their old business, the cotton trade having then almost entirely superseded the woollen in this district. The construction of spinning and weaving machines was now becoming an occupation of no slight moment. The spinning jenny never becoming the object of an effectual patent, that machine became quite prevalent before 1779, and the making of carding engines on the old principle was not at all uncommon before Mr. Arkwright took out his carding patent in

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