James Fussell IV
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James Fussell IV (1748–1832)[1] was an iron magnate operating the Old Iron Works, Mells in Vallis Vale between Mells and Great Elm in Somerset. He was a promoter of the Dorset and Somerset Canal and the inventor of both the roller chain and the balance lock.
The balance lock was a type of boat lift designed by James Fussell IV to transport boats up and down a hillside on a canal. An experimental balance lock was built as part of the Dorset and Somerset Canal
Invention of roller chain
Sketches by Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century show a chain with a roller bearing.[2] In 1800, James Fussell IV patented a roller chain on development of his balance lock[3] and in 1880 Hans Renold patented a bush roller chain.[4]