The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Angus balloon pioneer first British man to ‘fly’
The story of eccentric hot air balloonist James Tytler is a mov ie -maker ’s dream. The “bungling” Angusborn aviation pioneer, the first to “fly” in Scotland, was a man who fell from grace and ultimately became a laughing stock.
Born the son of a minister in 1745 in Fern, Forfarshire – now known as Angus – Tytler’s life was one of many ups and downs.
He managed to claw his way out of poverty to study medicine at Edinburgh University before heading to sea to work as a doctor.
He never made it as a surgeon and returned to the capital to become a pharmacist in Leith.
He ran up huge debts before he and his wife fled his creditors to England, later returning to Edinburgh to take up writing.
Under the pseudonym Ranger, Tytler published Ranger’s Impartial List Of The Ladies Of Pleasure In Edinburgh, a private book detailing 66 working ladies in the city.
In 1777, he became editor of The Encyclopaedia Britannica and learned of hot air ballooning and the first-piloted ascent by the France-based Montgolfier brothers in 1783.
As a ma n who had witnessed so many failures, Tytler set his mind to becoming the first to successfully emulate such aviation adventures in Britain.
“He set about constructing his very own ‘ Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon’ with very little money and probably even less public support,” said Edinburgh-based historian and Tytler fan Robert Murray.
“He charged 6d to see a model, and eventually had his balloon ready for a public inflation, though not for a flight.”
Tytler’s early attempts to get up, up and away were woeful but he refused to give up.
He advertised his first public ascent, to be held at Comely Gardens, on August 6 1784 but it was dogged by technical problems and the weather.
“The press attacked him and the mob attacked his balloon,” said Robert.
“Discouraged but not beaten, he was ready again towards the end of the month.”
On August 25, his balloon rose just a few feet from the ground.
According to the Edinburgh Evening Courant: “The balloon, together with the projector himself, and basket in which he sat, fairly floated.”
Two days later, however, he had even greater success, “navigating the atmosphere” for about half a mile to the nearby village of Restalrig and reaching a height of 350ft.
Tytler was famous. He was lauded as a national pioneer – the first Briton to defy the laws of gravity – and the first to fly a hot air balloon in the country.
Buoyed by his success, Tytler started to charge the public a small fee to watch.
However, much to the disappointment of his new fans, later trials were less fortunate.
When his efforts failed, he became a laughing stock, the press deriding him and his “bungling, misshapen, smoke bag”.
In October 17 8 4 his balloon only took off after Tytler left the basket.
Having previously been “the toast of Edinburgh”, he was mocked and called a coward.
His last flight was on July 26 1785.
Ty t ler was soon overshadowed by Lunardi – the self-styled Daredevil Aeronaut – who carried out five sensational flights in Scotland , creating a ballooning fad and inspiring ladies’ fashions in skirts and hats.
Tytler’ s misfortune continued with complete bankruptcy and then his first wife Elizabeth Rattray sued him for divorce.
He ended up in Salem, Massachusetts, where he edited the Salem Register, published some works and sold medicine.
His body was found on the shore there on January 9 1804. He had left home drunk, fell into the water and drowned.
In Edinburgh, a small street called Tytler Gardens near Holyrood pays tribute to the quirky character.
Historian Dr Nicky Small, a local history officer with Culture Perth and Kinross, believes Tytler deserves to be remembered as a man of many talents.
“His story would make a great movie,” she said.
“It has everything from modest beginnings to unsuitable marriage and a pioneer turned disaster.
“He was a really unlucky person. A book on Tytler by Sir James Fergusson details all the previous biographies about him and outlines contemporary reports on Tytler’s life and work and he tends to use the word ‘unlucky’ so often.
“He was adventurous and actually took to sea in a whaler when he was 19.
“When he returned he was married very young and went on to have quite a number of children by three partners – and he enjoyed a drink!
“His personal situation and providing for his family meant they were always on the poverty line.
“Fergusson states that he could be industrious and had an eye for projects but had no sense of business – he rarely profited from his work.”
While Tytler clearly played a role in aviation history, his name is little known.
“He was right there at the heart of things, but he’s always on the periphery of any history,” said Robert Murray.
“Although he was the first person in Britain to ‘fly’, he doesn’t always get that credit.
“He was a highly unusual character, and the Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon episode is typical.
“How many people would have researched this new thing called ‘aerostation’ ( the art of raising and guiding balloons in the air), thought, ‘I could do that!’, and then actually gone ahead and achieved it?”
Left home drunk, fell into the water and drowned