Charles Spalding
Confectioner and engineer who improved the diving bell and died in its use.
Charles Spalding (29 October 1738 – 2 June 1783) was a confectioner and self-taught engineer from Edinburgh. He is known for refining the diving bell and died during a dive to the wreck of the *Belgioso* in Dublin Bay, using a bell he had built himself.
Born in Canongate, Scotland, to Charles Spalding, a bookseller, and Ann Findlay, he started work as a shop assistant. With a natural talent for mechanics, he spent his spare time tinkering. He later ran a sugar refining and confectionery shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, across from the Royal Exchange.
Spalding turned to diving out of financial need. He had invested heavily in the brig *Peggy*, which sank off the Farne Islands in December 1774. His trade guild chose him to salvage the cargo. Studying Edmond Halley’s diving bell design, he made test dives at Leith, Dunbar Bay, and Dundee. He found Halley’s design risky and added balance-weights for smoother raising and lowering, signal ropes to the surface crew, and ropes inside as seats, plus thick glass windows. The new bell weighed 200 pounds and held two divers. Though he never recovered his own goods from the *Peggy*, the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in London gave him a small cash prize in 1776. He then founded Spalding & Co. in Edinburgh, working with his brother Thomas, brother-in-law George Small, and nephew Ebenezer Watson.
In August 1782, the warship HMS *Royal George* sank at Spithead. Thomas Spalding, a surgeon on an East Indiaman, was nearby and proposed a salvage deal to the Admiralty: the brothers would keep one-third of recovered goods. Charles arrived in October 1782 and worked until November, battling bad weather, an inexperienced crew, and underwater debris. He raised 15 guns—9 bronze and 6 iron—earning about £400. He later learned the Admiralty had given the spring salvage rights to another man, William Tracey.
Spalding then targeted the *Belgioso*, an East Indiaman that sank near Dublin Bay in March 1783. Its cargo was valued at £150,000, including £30,000 in silver and lead. The owners agreed Spalding would keep one-quarter of the silver and lead and half of other cargo; if he recovered nothing, his expenses would be covered. He and his nephew arrived in Dublin in May 1783. On 1 June, they made three dives to 42 feet, each plagued by problems. The next morning, they resumed.
- Born
- 29 October 1738, Canongate, Scotland
- Died
- 2 June 1783, Dublin Bay, Ireland
- Field
- Engineering, Diving
- Nationality
- Scottish
- Known for
- Improvements to Halley's diving bell; salvage of HMS Royal George; death during salvage of the Belgioso
Lore & Background
Charles Spalding was born in Canongate, Scotland, the son of a bookseller. He became a shop-lad and later proprietor of a sugar refining and confectionery shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. His interest in mechanics led him to study and improve Edmond Halley's diving bell after suffering financial loss when the brig Peggy sank in 1774. Spalding added balance-weights, signal ropes, internal seats, and glass windows to the bell, and was recognized by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in 1776. He founded Spalding & Co. for diving operations, assisted by his brother Thomas, brother-in-law George Small, and nephew Ebenezer Watson.
In 1782, Spalding salvaged 15 guns from the wreck of HMS Royal George at Spithead, earning about £400. The following year, he undertook salvage of the Belgioso, an East Indiaman sunk near Dublin Bay with a valuable cargo. On 2 June 1783, during a dive with his nephew Watson, both men died in the bell. An inquest considered various causes—negligence, equipment failure, putrified air, sabotage, alcohol—but the exact cause remains unknown. They were buried together in St. Mark's Churchyard, Dublin.
Reader's Guide
Charles Spalding's significance lies in his practical improvements to the diving bell, a critical technology for underwater salvage in the 18th century. By modifying Halley's design with balance-weights, signal ropes, and better visibility, he reduced risk and increased operational control. His work on the HMS Royal George demonstrated the bell's utility in recovering valuable naval ordnance. Spalding's death, alongside his nephew, highlighted the dangers of early diving, particularly from noxious gases in wreck environments—a hazard still relevant today. His legacy includes descendants such as Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, and Sheila Legge. The uncertainty surrounding his death underscores the limits of contemporary understanding of diving physiology and equipment safety.
Did You Know?
- Spalding never recovered any of his own cargo from the wreck of the brig Peggy, which prompted his diving work.
- He added ropes inside the bell as seats and thick glass windows to admit light.
- Spalding's brother Thomas was a surgeon on an East Indiaman and proposed the salvage of HMS Royal George to the Admiralty.
- The exact cause of Spalding's death remains unknown; modern experts suggest noxious effluvia from rotting cargo or bodies.
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