Balloon "Great North Star" at Sheffield.

On Monday, 13th September 1839 a planned and advertsied balloon ascent was planned to have taken place from the Hyde Park Cricket Ground, Sheffield by a well known balloonist / aeronaut of the day. A large crowd gathered when the filling of the balloon was started with the gas supply with a fee being charged to witness the whole event. A much larger non-paying crowd outside the cricket ground also gathered. A problem with water in the gas pipes resulted in not enough gas getting to the balloon and it would not fill correctly. It was then announced that the flight would be attempted the following day. The waiting crowd became impatient with one man climbing over fencing and into the balloon car to demand his money back threatening to damage the balloon if his demand was not successful. Word got out to those outside the ground who then began to throw stones over walls into the ground. The aeronaut released all the gas and packed the balloon into it's box before what was described in the newspapers as "a large riotous mob" forced their way inside the ground, opened the storage box and with their pen-knives cut away large portions of the balloon silk. All of the netting was carried off. The aeronaut and those working with the balloon were also roughly treated and sustained some degree of injury.

Aeronaut - Mr Charles Brown.