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William Bald
(c1788-1857) Born in Burntisland
Pioneering Cartographer, Surveyor and Civil Engineer
Significant contributor to the infrastructure of Ireland
by Ian Sommerville
According to Portlock (see above) William Bald left school in Burntisland at the age of 12 and, after a brief period of schooling in Edinburgh, was apprenticed to John Ainslie in 1803. This was an impressive start to his working life, as Ainslie was the leading Scottish map-maker of his generation.
Around this time, there was a strong demand for map-making services from Scottish landowners, who were keen to develop their estates and thereby increase their profitability. It was on such projects that Bald, supervised by Ainslie, worked initially. Bald must have developed his cartographic expertise remarkably quickly, because within two years he was given personal responsibility for mapping the Western Isles of Scotland - at the age of only 17! The maps which he produced were a major factor in transforming the way in which the Western Isles were depicted in the new atlases of the day.
There is an amusing postscript to the mapping of the Western Isles' Clanranald Estate. In July 1809, Ainslie wrote to Robert Brown, the estate factor, about the non-payment of the account for the work: "If you do not settle the whole Account or pay a part of it the consequence will be that he [William Bald] will come over from Ireland and there will be the Divill to pay. ..... I can assure you he is now a very big man and it will not do to triffle with him any longer." One assumes that the bill was paid, and that Bald got the money due to him!
Bald had indeed moved to Ireland by 1809, and at the age of 21 was embarking on his most significant period of work. We know from a property transaction that, in 1815, he described himself as a Land Surveyor, and was living in Castlebar, County Mayo. It was in Ireland that his principal mapping, surveying and civil engineering works were undertaken, and it is in Ireland that he is chiefly remembered today. He was responsible for the construction and improvement of roads, harbours and railways throughout Ireland. And his 25-sheet map of Mayo, completed in 1830, was regarded as a masterpiece. The Mayo County Library in Castlebar holds a full set, which can now be viewed online by clicking here.
Among Bald's many projects in Ireland were improvements to the River Boyne and the harbour at Drogheda. He was also responsible for Ireland's first suspension bridge, at Kenmare in County Kerry. Sadly, it was replaced in 1933, but photographs can be seen on the Kenmare website.
However, it is the Antrim coast road, in particular the section from Larne to Cushendall, which is recognised as William Bald's greatest achievement. It was built between 1832 and 1842, and gave proper access to the beautiful Antrim Glens region. At the time of its construction, it had the added benefit (for the authorities) of allowing more efficient movement of British troops, following the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
The new road was regarded as a brilliant engineering feat, and has some fine examples of bridge construction along its route. It was the proving ground for innovative techniques, such as the blasting of complete headlands and the use of the resultant rock to create sea defences.
A poll of 5,000 British respondents carried out in 2006 demonstrated the enduring attraction of the road. The respondents were asked to name the "greatest view in the world" and the Antrim coast road took fifth place, preceded only by Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, sunset in Mauritius, Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand, and the Victoria Falls.
On the Antrim coast road, outside Chaine Park, is a fitting memorial, in simple basalt stone, to engineer William Bald and the other men whose spectacular creation opened up one of the most beautiful regions of Ireland. It was erected by the Larne and District Historical Association in 1978. The memorial is pictured left. (Many thanks to David Orr for supplying the photo.)
