Charles Brown

Charles Brown (1797- 23 may 1869) Was an English aeronaut and pioneer in the Sheffield hot air balloon field being the first person to do a single manned hot air balloon flight in Sheffield, and to do it solo and fly with the first women to fly, Charles was born to Roger and Sarah brown with 12 siblings all born and died in Sheffield. A family of slaters, Charles lived a fairly regularly life until the 1820's when Charles found a passion in hot air balloons. It's unclear when he started or if he flew with William wyndham sadler.

Flight career

Charles first flight happened 17th July 1824 in carver street, derby, he charged a 2 shilling admission for upper classed people and a shilling for working classed people, his balloon was 35 feet in diameter, 33 inches wide and over 60 feet long, it was coloured in crimson and white silk, this was William Wyndham Sadler's balloon which he borrowed.

The flyer for Charles second time flying a hot air balloon.

Mr James Hibberson’s backgarden where Charles brown took off and did his first solo flight.

his second flight ever (which was a solo) happened on August 10th 1824 where at 2 o'clock in the afternoon he decided to takeoff from James hibberson's garden in sycamore street Sheffield. Charles sold tickets ranging from 1-3 shillings to view his ascent. He initially wanted to bring his brother along but it couldn't support 2 people, the gas company provided Charles with 10,500 cubic feet of gas. He had never piloted a balloon before but through a snow storm, after he flew past tick hill he shouted but wasn't heard and then his balloon suddenly started to go down fast, wanting to preserve his final sand bag he prepared to removed his boots but the balloon stabilised in time before he threw his boots. He kept going until reached Mr pearson's rye field at axholme, a few men from tickhill who followed quickly helped him out and recover the balloon. Charles referred to these men as "Peasants".

Charles full account of the day.

The first man to rush towards Charles aid was "rather frightened" according to Charles, the random Samaritan used all his power in order to assist Charles. The men from tickhill offered to bring his balloon back, followed with some musicians back to bawtry, Charles makes it back to Sheffield by 2 o'clock in the morning and bells were ringing and the whole city was up cheering for Charles. The band kept following him further into the city playing many"delightful tunes". A few days later he gives the whole journey and experiences to the news and they publish and article on August 14 1824. A tavern was named the balloon tavern in honour of this flight.

His third flight was in Barnsley with a new balloon named herschell. It was planned on 6th September 1824 at 2pm at some ground next to the gas house. The tickets were 2 shillings and 6 pence or 1 shilling from the timber yard, due to bad weather it was delayed a day. Everything goes well and he manages 3190 yards landing 2 miles away from ferrybridge landing at sir John ramsey's park.

His next recorded flight was on 10th of August 1825 a year after his 2nd exactly, this time he is at the wright and haslehurst’s cricket ground at the top of the park in Sheffield. He put a crimson and white parachute on the balloon being released with an animal attached, this unfortunately did happen due to storms and the balloon didn’t fill out properly and he didn’t make 600 feet, the spectators followed him around due to Charles request to get help via rooftop, at 5pm the balloon finally filled up properly and weather was a bit better and he made an astonishing 3400 feet while going to heeley, eventually landing at brincliffe edge.

21 days later on 31st August 1825 at hull was another successful flight, there’s not much on it since it had no faults and went perfectly. On may 26th 1826 at 12:00PM when he takes off from mr Thompson back yard beckside, Beverley, North Yorkshire and his destination was Wincle, Macclesfield, Cheshire his hot air balloon namedHerschell attempted to ascend from mr Thompsons back garden in Beverly during a race meeting. Around 12:30 the balloon was ready to ascend but due to strong winds and the weight of both Charles and Mr Reese Davies the balloon failed to rise and hit a wall, Mr Davies left the basket to lighten the load, after that it successfully ascended and closely missed the sails of a windmill drifted near Crowley and Thorne on mr meggitts moors. The grappling hooks failed to hold during landing throwing Charles out and dislodging the ballast and sending the balloon back into the air. Nobody knew where it went or if it returned but Charles was treated in white hart in Thorne before being sent back to Sheffield. A few days later Charles offered a reward to find Herschel, and it was fortunately spotted by a woman on a tree in swithamly hall near leek. While unmanned the balloon collapsed a wall and was returned back to Sheffield.

Charles went to fixing and improving herschell for his next flight on 4th June 1827 on The Hyde park cricket ground once again. When he arrived around 3pm he was devastated and angry to learn his assistants had let herschell get damaged by the wind. Herschell was abandoned for a week until his brother Roger brown accompanied him and they took off.

30th August 1827 he uses a patch of land behind the balloon tavern (named after what Charles did 1824.) at sycamore street to ascent.

6th September 1827 he had travelled 10 long miles to Pontefract to ascent.

6th October 1827, Charles was unfortunately sick on this day and his younger brother Roger brown who had never flown before some reason stepped up to fly, the location was wood street in Wakefield, after some delays at 5pm Roger got the balloon up and disappeared in the clouds, Roger didn’t know what he was doing and the balloon was going in many directions out of control, spectators heard the terrified voice of Roger, after that he started pulling the ropes and accidentally released the majority of the gas. He lands in a village called flanshaw 2 miles away and crash lands, the spectators present rushed towards the crash site, 2 boys reaching their first and pulling Roger out, fortunately Roger wasn’t seriously injured and sustained a broken foot, a dislocated ankle and a few head injury and was sent to a surgeon and made a full recovery.

After that near fright Charles doesn’t touch a hot air balloon until July 1838 when he gets a new balloon called the “Great North Star” made by Charles himself to be used for the botanical gardens his first event was cancelled due to the weather and having no gas on 2nd August 1838 botanical gardens, 4 days later on Monday Charles takes a brewery master called mr spring of the masbro’ brewery and almost hits the gateway but Charles thinks quick and pushes the stone and moves the balloon out of the way and Mr Spring throwing the ballast. It was a very successful flight flying over Doncaster and landing next to wadworth and with musical instruments were walked to a cart which went to tickhill and then back to Sheffield.

13 August 1838 on Queen Adelaide’s birthday Charles plans to takeoff but there wasn’t enough gas due to water in them to lift a human, at 7 pm it was sent off alone unmanned to hackenthorpe.

24th August 1838 Charles flies to Newcastle-on-Tyne with 2 other people in the car with him, 3 total people in one!

11 September 1838 during his 13th flight with the new balloon Great North Star at Glasgow, not having the ballast the balloons accidentally smashed into a window and breaks a chimney.

13th September 1839 at hyde park a cricket ground Charles when filling the balloon up with gas the non paying guests crowed outside to watch when filling it up the gas got destroyed by water and they had to announce it would be postponed until the next day, the crowd became restless and impatient with one man jumping the wall demanding his money back threatening to damage the balloon then everybody outside heard of the situation and throw rocks and items at the balloon and Charles then Charles quickly packed the balloon up but the mob unfortunately found it and opened it up and cut it up with a pen knife with the netting also stolen, the assistants working with Charles and Charles included was beaten up by the mob and sustained some injuries.

25 September 1838 he takes off at the park cricket ground, around noon the balloon is filled with 50,000 cubic metres of gas near sheaf bridge and was able to bring 4 total people along at once (3 passengers and pilot) over a retort house but by 4pm it couldn’t lift a man due to a damaged envelope allowing gas to escape.

5th October 1838 a private flight was arranged by Roger brown and another man from the gas works yard, they didn’t get correct gas and the balloon came down near cloudy house where his passenger alighted and the balloon made it to chesterfield road.

9th October 1838 at the peace hall at Halifax a flight was planned but they couldn’t get enough gas and ended up not being able to carry a man and they had to yet again send it off unmanned to Barnsley unfortunately damaged.

19th September 1843 Charles brings out his final balloon which will be flown at the bear pit in the botanical gardens, this was his 41st trip, the balloon didn’t fill fast enough and he couldn’t launch, Charles reschedules it to the hard of G.O a Brown and Co near the gas works, not many people paid so he didn’t make much profit but he did make it to Lincoln, this was his final official lift off, he did fly many more times but privately, he even took his son Charles to newhall gardens who he taught to fly.

Family and steel career and final years.

Charles married his wife Agnes Heathcoat 14th July 1816 at Rotherham.

Charles first child John was born 4th November 1817, second child Mary brown 1819, third child 1824 fourth child William 10th March 1826 and Charles also born 1836 (same son who was taught and drove one of Charles balloons), fifth child Fredric 1830 , sixth child Samuel born 1833 and final child Sarah born 1838. All born and died in Sheffield.

Charles wife Agnes dies 10th August 1871 in Sheffield

Charles parents Roger and Sarah died 1818 and 1831 both also in Sheffield.

Charles spends his final years in his daughter Mary’s house and dies in the company of his daughter, son in law, grandchildren and a great grandchild.

during the 1850’s Charles gets into steel and finds himself into a lawsuit in 1857 where an American steel company accuses him of stealing their brand and goes to court in London and wins.

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