james hargreaves (c. 1720 – 22 april 1778) was a weaver, carpenter and inventor who lived and worked in lancashire, england. he was one of three men responsible for the mechanisation of spinning: hargreaves is credited with inventing the spinning jenny in 1764; richard arkwright patented the water frame in 1769; and samuel crompton combined the two, creating the spinning mule in 1779.