Charles Spalding

Charles Spalding (29 October 1738 – 2 June 1783) was an Edinburgh confectioner and amateur engineer who made improvements to the diving bell.

[4] Possessing a natural inclination towards mechanics, Spalding spent much of his free time as a youth exploring this interest.

Heavily invested in the brig Peggy, Spalding suffered a severe financial blow when she sank en route to Scotland at the Farne Islands[7] on 4 December 1774.

[8] Based on these trials, Spalding determined that Halley's design had weaknesses that added unnecessary risk to the divers.

[9] To correct the deficiencies, Spalding added a system of balance-weights to ease the raising and lowering of the bell, along with a series of ropes for signalling the surface crew.

[10] Spalding also added ropes inside in the bell as seats and thick glass windows to admit light.

[8] However, in 1776 Spalding was recognised by The Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, London, with a nominal monetary award for his modified diving bell design.

[7] On 29 August 1782, the warship HMS Royal George capsized while under repairs and sank off Spithead, near the port of Portsmouth.

[4] Spalding later learned that the Admiralty had awarded William Tracey of Portsea, Portsmouth the salvage rights to the wreck for the following spring.

The salvage terms agreed to by the owners were that Spalding would keep one-fourth of all silver and lead recovered and one-half of all other cargo.

The causes reviewed during the hearings varied from the negligence of the dive ship's captain, equipment failure, including tangled signal ropes or the failure of the final cask of air reaching the divers, diver error, putrified air from the rotting cargo of the Belgioso, even sabotage and alcohol.

[13] Spalding's widow continued to operate the confectionery after his death,[17] eventually selling the business and moving to Musselburgh,[18] where she died on 31 October 1818.