Son of Samuel C.(inventor) Seems I never found out what the title of the booklet was......... from an e=mail 30/12/2002 > Dear Carole, The booklet says that Samuel's son John ran away to sea in > 1809 , was taken prisoner by the French off Bermuda, sent to Cadiz and > repatriated to London from where he walked back to Bolton and was treated > like the Prodigal Son, being given a half share in the running of business > with his brother Samuel and equal responsibility. Samuel Jun quarrelled > with his Father and left the business. Whether its your John I wouldn't > like to say but its a nice story! Regards, Lyn Carole / Lyn ? John did run away to sea for three years, and according to The Life and Times of Samuel Crompton of Hall-in-the-Wood, by Gilbert J. French. (on Google Books) Was shipped wrecked. He landed back at Woolwich. In a distressed state, without money or change of clothes. So the walking back north, sounds possible. The strange thing is that watching them land without knowing it was Samuel Crompton himself. French wrote, nor was it until some months afterwards that father and son discovered how near they had been to each other at a time when mutual recongnition would have been so useful to one and delightful to both. [This was when Samuel was in London, pleading for some cash for developing the Mule spinning technology.] Derek Crompton London south-east no attachments to this e=mail //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////.