Richard Lindon - Lawrence Sheriff Street, Rugby, Warwickshire.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 52° 22.249 W 001° 15.794
30U E 618237 N 5803702
Richard Lindon was the inventor of the inflatable football bladder, and had his workshop here.
Waymark Code: WMDRT2
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/20/2012
Views: 2
Richard Lindon, born 30th June 1816, died 10th June 1887, was the inventor of the inflatable india rubber football bladder. He lived and worked here at 6 Lawrence Sheriff Street from 1867.
Before his invention the bladders for balls were made from 'fresh green' pigs bladders which had to be inflated by 'lung power' and any disease the pig may have carried was inevitably passed to the inflator. Unfortunately Richard's wife, Rebecca, fell foul of this practice and after inflating bladders for several years, and having 17 children, she died from a lung infection.
The bladders Richard produced were used for both round and oval balls and as they were much harder to inflate he needed to produce something to do the job. After seeing an ordinary ear syringe he produced a much larger version in brass to do this which he demonstrated, and won medals for, at an exhibition in London.
Today the shop is a Barber shop, Bailie's, the blue plaque is next to the first floor window, left side of the shop. There are also three painted panels below the shop window aluding to the former shop useage.
For lots more information about Richard Lindon and his relationship to William Gilbert, the Gilbert of the modern rugby ball, see: Richard Lindon