John Bell (1 March 1747 – 1 June 1798) was an English artillerist. He was the eldest son of a hatter at

Carlisle, Cumbria Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the Cit ...

, where he was born. His father ruined himself in attempts to discover the longitude. In 1765 Bell joined the artillery. He served at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and afterwards in England. He was at

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

in 1782, and was an eye-witness of the foundering of the '' Royal George''. He invented a plan for destroying the wreck, which was the same as one carried out by Colonel Pasley in 1839. He also invented the 'sun proof' for testing the soundness of guns, long in use in the Royal Arsenal. The proof stages were 1. Instrumental proof; 2. Fire proof; 3. Searcher; 4. Water proof followed by 5. Sun proof: This followed the water proof and used the sun (or a special candle) and a mirror to detect any holes or sponginess. The flaws being wet were more easily detectable. He invented a '

gyn A gyn is an improvised three legged lifting device used on sailing ships. It provides more stability than a derrick or sheers, and requires no rigging for support. Without additional support, however, it can only be used for lifting things dire ...

' called by his name. Bell's gyn was lighter weight and less powerful than the Gibraltar gyn. He invented a

petard A petard is a small bomb used for blowing up gates and walls when breaching fortifications. It is of French origin and dates back to the 16th century. A typical petard was a conical or rectangular metal device containing of gunpowder, with a s ...

, of which there is a model in the

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

laboratory; a crane for descending mines; and a harpoon for taking whales. For the last two of which he received premiums from the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

; and an apparatus for rescuing shipwrecked mariners, said to be identical with that afterwards devised by

Captain Manby Captain George William Manby FRS (28 November 1765 – 18 November 1854) was an English author and inventor. He designed an apparatus for saving life from shipwrecks and also the first modern form of fire extinguisher. Early life Manby was bo ...

. For this he received a premium from the Society of Arts of fifty guineas. In 1815 the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

voted £500 to his daughter (Mrs. Whitfield) in recognition of the same invention. In 1793 the

Duke of Richmond Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor dynasty, Tudor and House of Stuart, Stuart families. The current dukedom of Richmond was ...

gave him a commission as second-lieutenant in the artillery.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, John 1747 births 1798 deaths 18th-century English people People from Carlisle, Cumbria Royal Artillery officers 18th-century British engineers Artillery person

See also

References