The Eric Hodge Collection of British Merchant Coins

Richard Arkwright was one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution, making huge improvements in methods of spinning cotton. He opened a horse-powered spinning mill in Nottingham in 1775 and a few years later a larger water-powered mill at Cromford, utilising the waters of the river Derwent. His son, also Richard, took over the running of Cromford and other mills in 1792 and his concern for the health and welfare of his workers resulted in numerous innovations, including the provision of circulating coinage.