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[ Graphical: Channel4 Homepage ]
Georgian Britain was a period of invention and innovation, when industry and the towns that supplied its labour force both grew very quickly. This was the beginning of the mass production of cheap products, but while the factory owners made huge profits, the incomes of those who made the goods plummeted.
In rapidly expanding cities such as Manchester, the centre of the cotton industry, spinners and weavers had traditionally worked from home. Their work was highly skilled and they were rewarded accordingly. But during the course of the 18th century, machines were invented that mechanised the process of making cotton cloth from start to finish.