Albert Hastings Markham
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham, KCB
(11 November 1841 – 28 October 1918) was a British explorer, author, and officer in the Royal Navy
. In 1903 he was made Knight Commander in the Order of the Bath
. He died in London
, England at the age of 76.
had been Archbishop of York. Albert was born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
, France where the family lived before moving to a farm on Guernsey. At age thirteen he was sent to London to live with his aunt, widow of his uncle David Markham who had been Canon of Windsor, at 4 Onslow Square
. Neighbours included the explorer Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy
and novelist William Thackeray
.
Markham's father was short of money for his education and had for some time been trying to find a naval officer willing to sponsor Albert for admission to the navy. He only did so after Albert had passed the normal entry age of fourteen, but by good luck the admiralty at that time had decided to experiment with accepting older cadets. His aunt's son Clements Markham
, who was eleven years older than Albert, had also joined the navy before leaving to become a geographer and explorer. He became a lifelong friend to his cousin Albert and exerted a considerable influence on his career.
When away from Clements and his wife Ninna, who for much of his life he regarded as his only family, Albert was often moody, irritable and defensive. He had a strong sense of duty as a naval officer, which compelled him to serve with a strict adherence to rules and established practices, and strong religious convictions. He did not smoke, allowing that a gentleman might have an occasional cigar, but cigarettes were for effeminate weaklings and a black pipe ruined mind and body. He did not drink and disapproved of those who did. He found it difficult to socialise with other officers. He disliked the peacetime navy, with its endless social engagements, partying and ritual displays.
Markham's family emigrated to the United States and John Markham bought a farm at La Crosse in Wisconsin. Albert visited them twice and he was unimpressed. The trains were slow, the hotels disreputable, and travelling companions murderous. He was impressed by the wild grandeur and wildlife of the Mississippi valley and was invited to hunt with General Mackenzie in Indian territory. Throughout his life he enjoyed hunting all manner of beasts. The only killing at which he showed disgust was the drawn out deaths of whales, which he saw on Arctic voyages.
He married Theodora Grevers in 1894, with whom he had one daughter.
Markham had no great conviction for a naval career, but accepted the constraints it placed upon him in return for the opportunities it presented to further his other interests. He followed the advice he had been given to join and stick with the navy, although he suffered from seasickness and disliked the customary cruelty of service punishments. However, his austere upbringing had better suited him to the rigours of navy life than had his cousin's.
Markham joined the Royal Navy
in 1856 at the age of 15 and spent the first eight years of his career on the China Station
, travelling out in Camilla and later serving on Niger
, Retribution, , and .
His brother John was also in Hong Kong, where he was suffering food poisoning from arsenic added to flour by local Chinese. Chinese pirates were the chief preoccupation of the navy as they would regularly make raids on the harbour. On one occasion aged fifteen Markham led a party of six boys and two marines against a pirate junk. The pirates abandoned ship and those captured were taken ashore and eventually beheaded. On another occasion he commanded a lorcha armed with a 12-pounder howitzer against a pirate ship holding two British captives. After a three hour fight he boarded the ship with five men while heavily outnumbered and took eleven prisoners. The British prisoners were found to have been crucified, so the pirates were executed. He became acquainted with a British Consulate official who encouraged an interest in ornithology and shooting snipe.
In 1862, Markham received a promotion to lieutenant. In 1864, he returned to Britain where he took naval exams and stayed with Clements and his wife Minna, at what was to be his only permanent home in England for 30 years. In November he was appointed to the last three-decker constructed for the Royal Navy, Victoria
, in the Mediterranean
. Life sailing in the Levant was considerably less dangerous, and normally only required the arrival of a British ship to settle a dispute. There was plenty of time for leave and Markham visited Turkey, Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece and the Aegean islands. Appointment to the fleet patrolling the eastern end of the Mediterranean was considered by many as less desirable than the western patrol which visited France and Italy, but the historical sites in the east suited Markham's interests. He kept a journal describing the places he visited, as he did throughout his life. One of his greatest delights was to meet Minna and Clements ashore and to accompany them on archaeological expedition in the region.
In 1868, Markham was appointed first lieutenant of Blanche
on the Australia Station
where he helped suppress "blackbirding
", the illegal trading of slaves between Queensland and the South Sea Islands. This included time spent as an acting commander in Rosario
. The issue was not straightforward, because the Queensland government was ambivalent towards the trade, which provided workers for its plantations. Some of the native workers were pleased to be travelling to Queensland, while others hated all white men. A bishop and three others were murdered in one incident, and Markham led a party to Nukapu to exact revenge
, destroying a local village. Markham's actions were fuelled by his righteous indignation at an attack upon churchmen and he was criticised in parliament and the press for over reacting. The admiralty, however, approved of his decisive actions. Markham himself found the work more worthwhile than the Mediterranean posting, although it meant he no longer saw Clements and Minna.
In 1869 he submitted a design to George Bowen, the Governor of New Zealand for a national ensign for the fledgeling nation. His proposal, incorporating the Southern Cross, was approved and remains in use to this day.
On 29 November 1872 he was promoted to commander
and spent the next six years engaged in Arctic Exploration. As a reward for his efforts in the British Arctic Expedition
of 1876, he was promoted to captain
. From 1879 to 1882 he was the captain of , the flagship of the Pacific Station
. In 1883 he was appointed as captain of HMS Vernon
, a naval torpedo school in Portsmouth
. From 1886 to 1889 he acted as commodore of the training squadron, and on 14 May 1888 he was appointed naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. On 1 August 1891, he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral.
visited the eastern Mediterranean, while the second patrolled the west.
On 22 June 1893, the whole fleet was operating together for the annual exercises off the Syrian coast. The two divisions were proceeding in parallel columns headed towards the shore, which meant that shortly they must turn. Tryon issued orders for a turn through 180 degrees, which was to be done by the two columns turning towards each other. The two columns were only three cables apart, but the minimum safe spacing for such a turn was generally considered to be four cables. Markham was faced with a dilemma, what to do when given an order which appeared impossible to carry out safely. He hesitated acknowledging the order (sent by flag signals), but eventually acknowledged it when Tryon queried his delay. Tryon's flagship Victoria
executed an extreme tight turn, while Markham executed a slower standard turn. The effect was that Victoria turned slightly faster, and Markham's ship, Camperdown
, rammed her towards the bow. Victoria sank within 15 minutes, taking with her 358 men including Tryon.
The surviving crew of Victoria were court-martialled for the loss of their ship and were exonerated. Markham was not tried so no verdict was passed upon his actions. The Victoria verdict noted that it was difficult to condemn an officer for obeying an explicit command, but regrettable that Markham had accepted the order without query. Markham attempted to obtain his own court martial to clear his name, but was persuaded by the new commander of the Mediterranean fleet and chairman of Victorias court martial, Admiral Michael Culme-Seymour
, that it was not in his best interest to persist in this attempt.
Markham completed his tour of the Mediterranean before a period on half pay without a command. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral on 23 August 1897.
On 1 November 1901, he was made Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, making him responsible for the defense of the port of London
and of merchant ships along the East coast of Britain. He was promoted to the rank of admiral on 21 January 1903. Having been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 9 November 1903, he retired upon reaching the age limit on 11 November 1906. At the outbreak of the First World War he offered his services to the Admiralty, but his services were declined. Instead, he worked for the next four years as treasurer for the Mine Sweepers' Fund. He had just finished some fund work on 23 October 1918 when he fell ill, and died on 28 October.
s and Baffin Bay. While performing his share of whaling duties, which he would later write about, he also kept detailed notes on the ice conditions and wrote a report suggesting the route for use with steam vessels.
For the British Arctic Expedition
of 1875–76 he was appointed second-in-command of HMS Alert
under Captain Nares
. Despite suffering from scurvy
and being poorly clothed, he led a sledge-party to reach the highest latitude ever attained at the time (83°20′26″ N), a record that stood for 20 years. They did, however, fail to realize their ultimate goal of reaching the North Pole
.
In 1879, he accompanied Sir H. Gore Booth aboard the Isbjörn to Novaya Zemlya
, a remote island in northern Russia. In 1886, he went alone to report on the ice conditions of Hudson Strait
and Hudson Bay
, a report which garnered thanks from both Houses of the Canadian Parliament
. The ship which took him to Hudson Bay was his old ship Alert from the British Arctic Expedition of 1875-76, by then on loan to the Canadian Marine Service of the Department of Marine and Fisheries.
He served for many years on the Council of the Royal Geographical Society
along with his cousin Sir Clements Markham
, whose biography he would later write. He remained an avid supporter of both Arctic
and Antarctic
exploration and delighted in the successes of young explorers.
. While stationed in the Pacific
from 1879 to 1882 he compiled a list of Pacific Gull
s which was published in 1882 by the ornithologist
Howard Saunders
and republished in 1883 by Osbert Salvin
. Salvin named a bird, Markham's Storm-Petrel
, after him in honor of his contributions to science.
Location of geographical features named after Sir Albert Hastings Markham:
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(11 November 1841 – 28 October 1918) was a British explorer, author, and officer in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. In 1903 he was made Knight Commander in the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England at the age of 76.
Family and background
Albert Markham was the fifth son of Captain John Markham, who had retired from the navy because of ill health with the rank of lieutenant. His grandfather, William MarkhamWilliam Markham (archbishop)
William Markham , English divine and archbishop of York, was educated at Westminster and at Christ Church, Oxford.He was one of the best scholars of his day, and attained to the headship of his old school and college in 1753 and 1767 respectively...
had been Archbishop of York. Albert was born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Bagnères-de-Bigorre is a French commune in the south-western Hautes-Pyrénées department, of which it is a sub-prefecture.-Notable people:Bagnères-de-Bigorre was the birthplace of:*Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke...
, France where the family lived before moving to a farm on Guernsey. At age thirteen he was sent to London to live with his aunt, widow of his uncle David Markham who had been Canon of Windsor, at 4 Onslow Square
Onslow Square
Onslow Square is a garden square in South Kensington, southwest London, England.The square lies between the Old Brompton Road to the northwest and the Fulham Road to the southeast. To the north is South Kensington tube station. To the south is the Royal Marsden Hospital...
. Neighbours included the explorer Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
and novelist William Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
.
Markham's father was short of money for his education and had for some time been trying to find a naval officer willing to sponsor Albert for admission to the navy. He only did so after Albert had passed the normal entry age of fourteen, but by good luck the admiralty at that time had decided to experiment with accepting older cadets. His aunt's son Clements Markham
Clements Markham
Sir Clements Robert Markham KCB FRS was an English geographer, explorer, and writer. He was secretary of the Royal Geographical Society between 1863 and 1888, and later served as the Society's president for a further 12 years...
, who was eleven years older than Albert, had also joined the navy before leaving to become a geographer and explorer. He became a lifelong friend to his cousin Albert and exerted a considerable influence on his career.
When away from Clements and his wife Ninna, who for much of his life he regarded as his only family, Albert was often moody, irritable and defensive. He had a strong sense of duty as a naval officer, which compelled him to serve with a strict adherence to rules and established practices, and strong religious convictions. He did not smoke, allowing that a gentleman might have an occasional cigar, but cigarettes were for effeminate weaklings and a black pipe ruined mind and body. He did not drink and disapproved of those who did. He found it difficult to socialise with other officers. He disliked the peacetime navy, with its endless social engagements, partying and ritual displays.
Markham's family emigrated to the United States and John Markham bought a farm at La Crosse in Wisconsin. Albert visited them twice and he was unimpressed. The trains were slow, the hotels disreputable, and travelling companions murderous. He was impressed by the wild grandeur and wildlife of the Mississippi valley and was invited to hunt with General Mackenzie in Indian territory. Throughout his life he enjoyed hunting all manner of beasts. The only killing at which he showed disgust was the drawn out deaths of whales, which he saw on Arctic voyages.
He married Theodora Grevers in 1894, with whom he had one daughter.
Military career
Markham joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1856 at the age of 15 and spent the first eight years of his career on the China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
, travelling out in Camilla and later serving on Niger
HMS Niger (1846)
HMS Niger was a 8-gun screw sloop launched on 18 November 1846 from Woolwich Dockyard. She had been intended as a sailing sloop but her design was lengthened to fit a steam engine, and she was fitted with screw propulsion at Deptford Dockyard in 1847-48 prior to completion...
, Retribution, , and .
His brother John was also in Hong Kong, where he was suffering food poisoning from arsenic added to flour by local Chinese. Chinese pirates were the chief preoccupation of the navy as they would regularly make raids on the harbour. On one occasion aged fifteen Markham led a party of six boys and two marines against a pirate junk. The pirates abandoned ship and those captured were taken ashore and eventually beheaded. On another occasion he commanded a lorcha armed with a 12-pounder howitzer against a pirate ship holding two British captives. After a three hour fight he boarded the ship with five men while heavily outnumbered and took eleven prisoners. The British prisoners were found to have been crucified, so the pirates were executed. He became acquainted with a British Consulate official who encouraged an interest in ornithology and shooting snipe.
In 1862, Markham received a promotion to lieutenant. In 1864, he returned to Britain where he took naval exams and stayed with Clements and his wife Minna, at what was to be his only permanent home in England for 30 years. In November he was appointed to the last three-decker constructed for the Royal Navy, Victoria
HMS Victoria (1859)
HMS Victoria was the last British wooden first-rate three-decked ship of the line commissioned for sea service.With a displacement of 6,959 tons, she was the largest wooden battleship which ever entered service...
, in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Life sailing in the Levant was considerably less dangerous, and normally only required the arrival of a British ship to settle a dispute. There was plenty of time for leave and Markham visited Turkey, Egypt, the Holy Land, Greece and the Aegean islands. Appointment to the fleet patrolling the eastern end of the Mediterranean was considered by many as less desirable than the western patrol which visited France and Italy, but the historical sites in the east suited Markham's interests. He kept a journal describing the places he visited, as he did throughout his life. One of his greatest delights was to meet Minna and Clements ashore and to accompany them on archaeological expedition in the region.
In 1868, Markham was appointed first lieutenant of Blanche
HMS Blanche (1867)
HMS Blanche was a 1760 ton, 6 gun Eclipse-class wooden screw Royal Navy sloop launched on 17 August 1867 from Chatham Dockyard.She was sent to the Australia Station in January 1868, arriving in April 1868. She undertook a punitive action against Solomon Island natives in September 1869. During...
on the Australia Station
Australia Station
The Australia Station was the British—and later Australian—naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.-History:In the early years following the establishment of the colony of New South Wales, ships based in Australian waters came under the control of the East Indies...
where he helped suppress "blackbirding
Blackbirding
Blackbirding is a term that refers to recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work as labourers. From the 1860s blackbirding ships were engaged in seeking workers to mine the guano deposits on the Chincha Islands in Peru...
", the illegal trading of slaves between Queensland and the South Sea Islands. This included time spent as an acting commander in Rosario
HMS Rosario (1860)
HMS Rosario was an 11-gun Rosario-class screw sloop of the Royal Navy, launched in 1860 at Deptford Dockyard. She served two commissions, including eight years on the Australia Station during which she fought to reduce illegal kidnappings of South Sea Islanders for the Queensland labour market. She...
. The issue was not straightforward, because the Queensland government was ambivalent towards the trade, which provided workers for its plantations. Some of the native workers were pleased to be travelling to Queensland, while others hated all white men. A bishop and three others were murdered in one incident, and Markham led a party to Nukapu to exact revenge
Nukapu Expedition
The Nukapu Expedition occurred between October of 1871 and February of 1872 and was a British punitive operation in response to the murder of Bishop John Coleridge Patteson by the natives of Nukapu...
, destroying a local village. Markham's actions were fuelled by his righteous indignation at an attack upon churchmen and he was criticised in parliament and the press for over reacting. The admiralty, however, approved of his decisive actions. Markham himself found the work more worthwhile than the Mediterranean posting, although it meant he no longer saw Clements and Minna.
In 1869 he submitted a design to George Bowen, the Governor of New Zealand for a national ensign for the fledgeling nation. His proposal, incorporating the Southern Cross, was approved and remains in use to this day.
On 29 November 1872 he was promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and spent the next six years engaged in Arctic Exploration. As a reward for his efforts in the British Arctic Expedition
British Arctic Expedition
The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-1876, led by Sir George Strong Nares, was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. Two ships, HMS Alert and HMS Discovery , sailed from Portsmouth on 29 May 1875...
of 1876, he was promoted to captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
. From 1879 to 1882 he was the captain of , the flagship of the Pacific Station
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
. In 1883 he was appointed as captain of HMS Vernon
HMS Vernon (shore establishment)
HMS Vernon was a shore establishment or 'stone frigate' of the Royal Navy. Vernon was established on 26 April 1876 as the Royal Navy's Torpedo Branch and operated until 1 April 1996, when the various elements comprising the establishment were split up and moved to different commands.-Foundation...
, a naval torpedo school in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. From 1886 to 1889 he acted as commodore of the training squadron, and on 14 May 1888 he was appointed naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. On 1 August 1891, he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral.
Sinking of HMS Victoria
Markham was appointed second in command of the Mediterranean fleet on 20 March 1892, commanding the second division. For part of the year the fleet would operate combined, and for part the first division under Vice-Admiral Sir George TryonGeorge Tryon
Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, KCB was a British admiral who died when his flagship HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown during manoeuvres off Tripoli, Lebanon.-Early life:...
visited the eastern Mediterranean, while the second patrolled the west.
On 22 June 1893, the whole fleet was operating together for the annual exercises off the Syrian coast. The two divisions were proceeding in parallel columns headed towards the shore, which meant that shortly they must turn. Tryon issued orders for a turn through 180 degrees, which was to be done by the two columns turning towards each other. The two columns were only three cables apart, but the minimum safe spacing for such a turn was generally considered to be four cables. Markham was faced with a dilemma, what to do when given an order which appeared impossible to carry out safely. He hesitated acknowledging the order (sent by flag signals), but eventually acknowledged it when Tryon queried his delay. Tryon's flagship Victoria
HMS Victoria (1887)
HMS Victoria was the lead ship in her class of two battleships of the Royal Navy. On 22 June 1893, she collided with near Tripoli, Lebanon during manoeuvres and quickly sank, taking 358 crew with her, including the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon...
executed an extreme tight turn, while Markham executed a slower standard turn. The effect was that Victoria turned slightly faster, and Markham's ship, Camperdown
HMS Camperdown (1885)
HMS Camperdown was an Admiral-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.She was a full sister to , and was an improved version of the earlier and . In comparison to these earlier ships, she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a...
, rammed her towards the bow. Victoria sank within 15 minutes, taking with her 358 men including Tryon.
The surviving crew of Victoria were court-martialled for the loss of their ship and were exonerated. Markham was not tried so no verdict was passed upon his actions. The Victoria verdict noted that it was difficult to condemn an officer for obeying an explicit command, but regrettable that Markham had accepted the order without query. Markham attempted to obtain his own court martial to clear his name, but was persuaded by the new commander of the Mediterranean fleet and chairman of Victorias court martial, Admiral Michael Culme-Seymour
Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet was a senior Royal Navy officer. On 17 September 1880 he became 3rd Baronet, on the death of his father...
, that it was not in his best interest to persist in this attempt.
Markham completed his tour of the Mediterranean before a period on half pay without a command. He was promoted to Vice-Admiral on 23 August 1897.
On 1 November 1901, he was made Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, making him responsible for the defense of the port of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and of merchant ships along the East coast of Britain. He was promoted to the rank of admiral on 21 January 1903. Having been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 9 November 1903, he retired upon reaching the age limit on 11 November 1906. At the outbreak of the First World War he offered his services to the Admiralty, but his services were declined. Instead, he worked for the next four years as treasurer for the Mine Sweepers' Fund. He had just finished some fund work on 23 October 1918 when he fell ill, and died on 28 October.
Exploration
In 1873, Markham shipped as the second mate in the whaler Arctic through Davis StraitDavis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
s and Baffin Bay. While performing his share of whaling duties, which he would later write about, he also kept detailed notes on the ice conditions and wrote a report suggesting the route for use with steam vessels.
British Arctic Expedition
The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-1876, led by Sir George Strong Nares, was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. Two ships, HMS Alert and HMS Discovery , sailed from Portsmouth on 29 May 1875...
of 1875–76 he was appointed second-in-command of HMS Alert
HMS Alert (1856)
HMS Alert was a 17-gun wooden screw sloop of the Cruizer class of the Royal Navy, launched in 1856 and broken up in 1894. She was the eleventh ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name , and was noted for her Arctic exploration work; in 1876 she reached a record latitude of 82°N.-Construction:The...
under Captain Nares
George Nares
Vice-Admiral Sir George Strong Nares KCB FRS was a British naval officer and Arctic explorer. He commanded both the Challenger Expedition and the British Arctic Expedition, and was highly thought of a leader and a scientific explorer...
. Despite suffering from scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
and being poorly clothed, he led a sledge-party to reach the highest latitude ever attained at the time (83°20′26″ N), a record that stood for 20 years. They did, however, fail to realize their ultimate goal of reaching the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
.
In 1879, he accompanied Sir H. Gore Booth aboard the Isbjörn to Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
, a remote island in northern Russia. In 1886, he went alone to report on the ice conditions of Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait
Hudson Strait links the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay in Canada. It lies between Baffin Island and the northern coast of Quebec, its eastern entrance marked by Cape Chidley and Resolution Island. It is long...
and Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, a report which garnered thanks from both Houses of the Canadian Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
. The ship which took him to Hudson Bay was his old ship Alert from the British Arctic Expedition of 1875-76, by then on loan to the Canadian Marine Service of the Department of Marine and Fisheries.
He served for many years on the Council of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
along with his cousin Sir Clements Markham
Clements Markham
Sir Clements Robert Markham KCB FRS was an English geographer, explorer, and writer. He was secretary of the Royal Geographical Society between 1863 and 1888, and later served as the Society's president for a further 12 years...
, whose biography he would later write. He remained an avid supporter of both Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
exploration and delighted in the successes of young explorers.
Writings
Markham wrote numerous books and articles about his exploration as well as two biographiesBiography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
. While stationed in the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
from 1879 to 1882 he compiled a list of Pacific Gull
Pacific Gull
The Pacific Gull is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of competition from the Kelp Gull, which has "self-introduced" since...
s which was published in 1882 by the ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
Howard Saunders
Howard Saunders
Howard Saunders was a British businessman, who later in life molded himself into a noted ornithologist.-Biography:...
and republished in 1883 by Osbert Salvin
Osbert Salvin
Osbert Salvin FRS was an English naturalist, best known for co-authoring Biologia Centrali-Americana with Frederick DuCane Godman. This was a 52 volume encyclopedia on the natural history of Central America....
. Salvin named a bird, Markham's Storm-Petrel
Markham's Storm-petrel
The Markham's Storm Petrel is a species of seabird in the Hydrobatidae family.It is found in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Polynesia, Peru, and possibly Costa Rica....
, after him in honor of his contributions to science.
- The New Hebrides and Santa Cruz Groups, South-West Pacific (1871)
- The New Hebrides and Santa Cruz Groups (1872)
- The Cruise of the 'Rosario' Amongst the New Hebrides and Santa Cruz Islands (1873)
- A Whaling Cruise to Baffin's Bay and the Gulf of Boothia (1874)
- On Sledge Travelling (1876)
- Our Life in the Arctic Regions (1877)
- Northward Ho! (1879)
- The Arctic Campaign of 1879 in the Barents Sea (1880)
- A Visit to the Galapagos Islands in 1880 (1880)
- The Great Frozen Sea (1880)
- A Polar Reconnaissance: Being the Voyage of the 'Isbjörn' to Novaya Zemlya in 1879 (1881)
- Hudson's Bay and Hudson's Strait as a Navigable Channel (1888)
- Life of Sir John Franklin and the North-west Passage (1891)
- The Life of Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., F.R.S (1917)
Posthumous homage
- Markgama IslandMarkgamaMarkgama, or Markham Island is a small, isolated island in the southern region of the Kara Sea off the Sorevnovaniya Bay. This island has only sparse tundra vegetation and it is covered with snow most of the year. The coast of the Taymyr Peninsula is located 15 km to the southeast.The...
- Cape Alberta Markgama , the Northwestern cape of Hooker IslandHooker IslandHooker Island is one of the most important islands of Franz Josef Land. It is located in the central area of the archipelago at . It is administered by the Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia....
- Markham ChannelZichy LandZichy Land is a geographical subgroup of Franz Josef Land, Russian Federation.It is formed by the central cluster of large islands in the midst of the archipelago...
- Markham Ice ShelfMarkham Ice ShelfThe Markham Ice Shelf was one of five major ice shelves in Canada, all located on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. The ice shelf broke off from the coast in early August 2008, becoming adrift in the Arctic Ocean. At the time, the 4,500 year old ice shelf was in size, nearly the...
- Mount Albert Markham in Antarctica
See also
- Arctic explorationArctic explorationArctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. The region that surrounds the North Pole. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle...
- History of AntarcticaHistory of AntarcticaThe history of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe...
- List of polar explorers
- List of explorers