[1] William Pool was born about 1783 at Thorne, Yorkshire, a shipbuilding port on the river Don.

In this period he is known to have re-hung the Cathedral Bells and worked for Lord Monson, designing kitchen ranges and smoke jacks at Burton Hall near Lincoln.

In 1820 he was to build an iron ship near the Pyewipe inn on the Fossdyke, which he successfully rowed.

Pool came to know Henry Bell of Helensburgh and with his help, he worked on new designs for paddle steamers.

In 1812 Bell had built a steam powered paddle steamer called the PS Comet which was a development of William Symington’s Charlotte Dundas which had been launched in 1803.