Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 10.

It was in June, 1789, Lemuel Cox returned from Londonderry, and with him he brought, for the benefit of his country, as he states, a man, superintendent of a large cotton manufactory that had stopped working. With the man was his wife and ‘a curious machine whereon the Woman can spin fifteen pounds Cotton in one Day.’

Being familiar with the needs of the Beverly manufacturers, Cox evidently saw an opening which he took advantage of.

We are left in doubt as to the final destination of the cotton spinner and his wife, but from the activity of the works in the following October, when Washington visited them, we are led to think the curious machine may have been utilized at Beverly.

His success in getting the machine from England was greater, from the fact the British government were quite strict at the time against the export of even the models of machines for manufacturing purposes.

In 1615 James I. granted to certain citizens of London, members of different livery companies or trade guilds, the town and fort of Derry, town of Coleraine, and other towns, villages, etc. They were known as the ‘Society of the Governor and Assistants, London, of the new Plantation in Ulster,’ and later as the ‘Irish Society.’

Among other privileges they had the right of ferryage and passage over the rivers Ban and Foyle. In 1769 a bridge was projected, but not till 8 June, 1786, the Irish Society assented to the proposition for erecting a bridge at Londonderry over the river Foyle. This was just one week after the last pier was laid for Charles River Bridge and a week before it was opened for travel.

The probable success of the Boston enterprises without doubt was the cause of the determination to erect