British mill tycoon was a hero in the US but a traitor back home

McInnis said she contacted the chair of Strutt’s North Mills – part of the Derwent Valley Mills Unesco World Heritage Site – to arrange a visit and was invited to come over for an event marking Samuel Slater’s 258th birthday.

She said she was “delighted” to be in Derbyshire to learn more about “Belper’s infamous son”.

“It’s such a thrill be in Belper, I’ve been hearing about the town my whole life as an amatuer historian, I never thought I’d get here,” she said.

“I found out there was going to be a tour of Samuel Slater’s birthplace and my cousins and I said ‘we have to go’.

“It’s a beautiful place – so scenic and peaceful compared to the urban areas of New England where the mills were built.

“I’ve seen the Derwent River Valley and the old mills and Samuel must have come to the US with these scenes in his memory and heart.

“It’s such an interesting contrast, I wasn’t aware of his traitor moniker here in Belper until recently.

“When I first watched a film [on his life] I was enlightened as to he absconded from England with industrial secrets – state secrets – which was illegal.

“He made off with plans for the spinning mill in his mind based on everything he had learned in Strutt’s Mill when he was an apprentice.”