Henry Lea had 66 looms in 1779 and employed yarn spinners in nearby towns. In each place he had an agent to whom he sent wool and from whom he collected homespun yarn. Comparatively few spinners were in Kidderminster. Possibly a shortage of female labour in Kidderminster and the concentration of hand spinner's in the villages and towns around is the reason why the first spinning mills were set up in the villages near town and not in the town itself. In 1783, William Brinton founded a spinning mill at Hill Pool, on Belne Brook, to provide yarn for his carpet looms.
By the end of the 18th century the population was 6,000, and there were 2,000 looms at work, mostly in Kidderminster itself. The number of manufacturers were fewer, but their enterprises were much larger. By 1838, there were 2020 carpet looms in Kidderminster, 1765 were weaving Brussels, 210 weaving Kidders, and 45 weaving Venetians.
