Wood , John , 1793-1871 , worsted manufacturer and factory reformer

John Wood was born in Bradford in 1793. He was apprenticed to a worsted manufacturer at the age of 15. A few years later he became a master spinner in his own right; his factory came to be considered exemplary in its treatment of both adult and child workers. Wood became an exponent of (and reluctant agitator for) factory reform during the 1820s, but he broke with the reform movement in the late 1830s, feeling it was too militant. He retired from business early, and died in 1871.