Innovation, diffusion and technology change. A study of the Yorkshire worsted industry (1890-1939)

The principal aim of this thesis is to investigate the central role played by Messrs., Hattersley and Sons Limited., Keighley (hereafter cited as Hattersley or Hattersley’s) in the design and manufacture of different looms between 1890 and 1939. Hattersley, a long-established firm, founded at the onset of the French Revolution and during the so-called period known as the ‘Industrial Revolution’, continued to market the claim that they were the ‘world’s oldest loom makers’. This thesis seeks to validate this assertion by establishing whether this statement is correct and if so, how the role of innovation, not least in Hattersley’s technical developments, secured its pivotal position in the textile industry. It also examines the demonstrable contribution that the firm’s innovations made in the wider context during this period. A critical review of the types of qualitative research methodologies used in similar academic studies was undertaken in order to determine which approach to utilise in the collection and collation of key material in this thesis. The chosen methodology was the case study and a PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) analysis framework with the addition of a Geographical component which highlighted the influence and importance of the ‘industrial district’. A detailed scrutiny of ‘sources’ drawn from a wider and more varied range of primary and secondary sources than had been used in previous studies, were critically assessed and evaluated. These findings contribute substantively to a broader understanding of how one loom manufacturer based in Keighley, Yorkshire continued to play a leading role in the innovative design and manufacture of successive looms, gain commercial successes in important local, regional, national and international trade exhibitions (see Appendix 1), whilst at the same time confronting and overcoming the many challenging economic, social and technological issues during the period 1890 to 1939. Finally, the thesis sets out to redress the under-representation of Hattersley as a subject of academic scholarship, allowing researchers the opportunity not only to re-evaluate the fortunes of the firm’s competitors and allied industries in a similar historical context, but also to better understand how Hattersley’s innovative designs and enterprising business acumen at the peak of their success could be assimilated into the business models of today.