Abstract
The introduction of the Watt rotary steam engine is one of the most familiar landmarks of economic history, and the multiplication of steam power in collieries and factories in the last quarter of the eighteenth century lies within the area of well-established fact. Nevertheless, it is clear that even the most advanced sectors of the British textile industry were slow to succumb to steam power, and if the physical superiority of the Watt engine can be taken for granted, the key to change must lie with economic factors. The technical history of the rival systems has been the subject of numerous studies, but the economic aspects – the relative costs of the two systems – have never been analysed. In the case of water power, it seems that every site was unique, and there can be no standard set of costs for either installation or maintenance, but it should be possible to estimate data for ‘limiting cases’. Robinsons of Nottingham, whose name regularly recurs in the textbooks as the first cotton spinning firm to instal a Watt engine, provide an instructive case with which to compare the high-cost firms at the period, and their problems offer a suitable point of departure for this study.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
