Everything about Robert Bald totally explained
Robert Bald (1776 – 1861) was a surveyor and mining engineer. Born in
Culross, Scotland. Bald was one of the earliest and most eminent mining engineers and land surveyors in Scotland.
The son of Alexander Bald (1753 - 1823), colliery agent of
Alloa. His brother was
Alexander Bald, poet and friend of
James Hogg.
His life
As a young man Bald helped
Thomas Telford (1757 - 1834) survey the
Göta Canal from Lake
Mälaren (Stockholm) to the lakes of
Vänern and
Vättern in central Sweden.
Between 1808 and 1825, Bald published reports (NAS ref. CB27) on the mineral deposits, workings, buildings and drainage at collieries across Scotland. One of Bald’s earliest publications was
A General View of the Coal Trade in Scotland (1808). Bald worked with his cousin,
William Bald (1789 - 1857) the civil engineer and cartographer, between 1829 and 1833 to produce a geological map for Scotland on behalf of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
For much of his life, Bald was employed by the
Earl of Mar to manage collieries in Alloa. Together they condemned the practice of employing women and girls underground in the coal mines. 'In 1822 I tried to stop the employment of women and children as coal bearers, but the women had no other work so there was a great deal of hardship.' Together they started
Friendly Societies to offer miners the opportunity to save money, they gave a small pension to retired miners, and set up a court system where miners could deal with their problems and settle differences between themselves.
Bald acted as a mentor for the teenaged
James Nasmyth, engineer and inventor of the steam hammer, introducing him to noted engineers and taking him on trips to engineering sites. Nasmyth mentions Bald in his autobiography:
“His sound judgment and long practical experience in regard to coal-mining and the various machinery connected with it, rendered him a man of great importance in the northern counties, where his advice was eagerly sought for. Besides his special knowledge, he'd a large acquaintance with literature and science. He was bright, lively, and energetic. He was a living record of good stories, and in every circle in which he moved he was the focus of cheerfulness. In fact, there was no greater social favourite in Edinburgh than Robert Bald.”
Later in his life, Bald went into partnership with John Geddes as consulting engineers in Edinburgh.
Bibliography
- 'An Enterprising Family: The Balds of Alloa', by Isabel Grant Stewart
- James Nasmyth: Engineer, An Autobiography
- The Emergence of the Professional Manager in the Scottish Coal Industry, 1760-1815, Baron F. Duckham. The Business History Review, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Spring, 1969), pp. 21-38
- A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. A. W. Skempton
Further Information
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