1704-1764

English Inventor and Machinist

John Kay was an English machinist and inventor who patented the flying shuttle, a device that helped take an important step towards automatic weaving. When the flying shuttle was invented in 1733, it helped to increase the speed of the weaving operation and its use required the development of more rapid spinning of yarns to feed the faster looms. Unfortunately, Kay did not reap the benefits of his invention and died in utter obscurity. In fact, so little is known about his later life, that historians cannot give a precise date of death. It is believed that he passed away in France sometime in 1764.

The early life of John Kay is also shrouded in obscurity. What little is known about his childhood places his birth in 1704 in Lancashire, England. He was the twelfth child of a farmer and woolen manufacturer. He was...