ABSTRACT
A popular method of explaining the British Industrial Revolution is to list a number of factors which are thought to have contributed to it in some way. Such explanations usually include several, and sometimes all, of the following: growing demand, occurring as a result of population increase, export growth, changes in taste or some combination of these; efficient capital markets and a plentiful supply of capital; productive agriculture; a base of scientific knowledge and artisanal skills; a good transport network; Protestantism in general and Nonconformity in particular; and stable government.
