Was 16th-century Scots
alchemist the first man to fly?
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Charlene Sweeney
He was judged by history as a crank, but an alchemist who jumped off the
ramparts of a Scottish castle 500 years ago wearing wings made of hen
feathers may have been the first man to fly.
Not only was John Damian a success, experts now say, but he may also have
invented the world's first hang glider.
Damian's leap of faith in 1507 is the earliest recorded flight experiment in
Scotland. It is believed that the alchemist and inventor was inspired by
Leonardo da Vinci, who carried out his own experiments on the Continent a
few years earlier.
Dressed in a winged contraption made of hen feathers Damian planned to soar
through the skies from Stirling Castle to France. His mission, funded by
King James IV, was intended to demonstrate the glory of Scotland's
Renaissance, but it ended in ignominy when Damian landed in the nearby
castle dungheap, breaking his leg.
The alchemist blamed the disaster on his wings. He said that the hen feathers
from which they were made were attracted to sewage because hens were birds
that “covet the middens and not the skies”. The story has been the source of
much mirth over the centuries. Damian's most famous critic, the court poet
William Dunbar, wrote a long satirical verse, claiming that every bird of
the air had attacked him in protest. Yet the 16th-century Bird Man of
Stirling Castle, as he has come to be known, could have the last laugh.
Charles McKean, professor of Scottish architectural history at the University
of Dundee, has found evidence that, despite falling far short of its
intended destination, the attempt was a success after all. Professor McKean
has analysed contemporary maps and believes that Damian may have flown up to
half a mile. “To obtain the best uplift for his long journey, Damian flew
off the west side of the ramparts' highest point,” he said. “To the repeated
scorn of the poet William Dunbar, he landed in a midden and broke his thigh
bone. He was ridiculed and the attempt dismissed.
“Anyone looking over the west parapet of Stirling Castle would realise that
someone tumbling down the rock at that point would end up very dead.
“Moreover, the royal gardens lay at its foot. Although the exact processional
route between castle and gardens remains unclear, this was no place for a
midden.
“A 1702 plan of the town, on the other hand, indicates the nearest midden half
a mile away, beyond the current Smith Art Gallery. If that was the one in
which Damian landed, there is but one conclusion - the wings worked.”
Professor McKean added: “He didn't reach France, of course, but I believe his
flight should be regarded as an historic success. Either the wings worked as
they were intended to or Damian invented the world's first glider. No one at
that time, including da Vinci, had achieved better results.”
Professor McKean, who will give a public lecture on the historic experiment in
Stirling next month, said that the achievement was ridiculed by Dunbar
because he was jealous of Damian's favoured position with the King and the
massive funding that he received.
A negative version of events was later used by Protest historians to portray
Scotland's Renaissance as inferior to the movement that took place in the
rest of Europe, he said.
The revised version of events has now been included in guided tours of the
Stirling Smith Gallery in Stirling, which is currently hosting an exhibition
of drawings by da Vinci.
Craig Mair, a local historian, said: “John Damian has been branded a failure
for 500 years but it always seemed incredible, if the wings did not work,
that he survived a drop of more than 75 metres with only a broken thigh
bone.
“This new explanation seems entirely plausible. He may, in fact, have been the
first man to fly.”
Damian won the support of King James IV after he claimed to be able to create
gold from base metals. The King granted him the post of Abbot of Tongland,
in Galloway.
Even though his schemes failed, the King was clearly still impressed by Damian
and gave him a pension of 200 ducats when he retired in 1509. Damian
continued to work at the royal court until 1513.
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