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Lord Francis Douglas

January 01, 1970

Lord Francis William Bouverie Douglas (8 February 1847 – 14 July 1865) was a novice British mountaineer. After sharing in the first ascent of the Matterhorn, he died in a fall on the way down from the summit.

Lord Francis Douglas

Early life edit

 
Memorial to Lord Francis Douglas (top row) outside the Douglas Family Mausoleum, Cummertrees.

Born in Scotland at Cummertrees, Dumfries, Douglas was the son of Archibald William Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry and his wife Caroline, daughter of General Sir William Robert Clayton, Bt. (1786–1866), member of parliament for Great Marlow. He had an older sister, Lady Gertrude Georgiana Douglas (1842–1893); an older brother, John Sholto Douglas, Viscount Drumlanrig (1844–1900), later the ninth Marquess of Queensberry; a younger brother, Lord Archibald Edward Douglas (1850–1938), who became a clergyman; and a younger brother and sister, the twins Lord James Douglas (d. 1891) and Lady Florence Douglas (1855–1905), who married Sir Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie, 11th Baronet.[1][2] He was an uncle of Oscar Wilde's lover Lord Alfred Douglas, and a younger brother of John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry.

In 1858, Douglas's father, Lord Queensberry, died in what was reported as a shooting accident, but his death was widely believed to have been suicide.[2] In 1862, his mother, Lady Queensberry, converted to Roman Catholicism and took her children to live in Paris.[2]

Douglas was educated at the Edinburgh Academy.[3]

Triumph and death on the Matterhorn edit

See also: First ascent of the Matterhorn
 
The Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps; its height is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft)

At the beginning of 1865, the Matterhorn was still unconquered, and more than one assault on it was planned. One such group consisted of Douglas, Edward Whymper, and their guide Peter Taugwalder. Whymper had already made several unsuccessful attempts on the mountain. On 5 July, this group made the second ascent (and the first by the north-north-west ridge) of the Ober Gabelhorn, a peak of 4,053 metres on the north-west side of the Matterhorn;[3] also in July, Douglas made the first ascent of the nearby Unter Gabelhorn (3,391 m) with guides Peter Taugwalder and P. Inäbnit.[4]

Hearing of a planned assault on the main peak by an Italian party, Douglas and Whymper joined forces with two other British climbers, Charles Hudson and Douglas Robert Hadow, and their guide Michel Croz.[5]

At 4:30 a.m. on 13 July, a combined party of seven men, led by Whymper, set off for the Matterhorn under a clear sky: Whymper, Douglas, Hudson and Hadow, plus Taugwalder and son, and Croz. They climbed past the Schwarzsee to a plateau where they camped. Meanwhile, the Italians, led by Carrel, had camped at a height of about 4000 meters on the Lion Ridge.

On 14 July, Whymper's party proceeded to a successful first ascent by the Hörnli route. However, on the way down, Hadow fell, knocking down Croz, and also dragging Hudson and Douglas, connected by a rope. The four fell to their deaths on the Matterhorn Glacier 1,400 metres below. Three of the bodies lost were later found, but not Douglas'.[5]

 
The Matterhorn Disaster, depicted by Gustave Doré

Whymper later described the deaths as follows:[6]

Michael Croz had laid aside his axe, and in order to give Mr. Hadow greater security was absolutely taking hold of his legs and putting his feet, one by one, into their proper positions. As far as I know, no one was actually descending. I can not speak with certainty, because the two leading men were partially hidden from my sight by an intervening mass of rock, but it is my belief, from the movements of their shoulders, that Croz, having done as I have said, was in the act of turning round to go down a step or two himself; at the moment Mr. Hadow slipt, fell against him and knocked him over. I heard one startled exclamation from Croz, then saw him and Mr. Hadow flying downward; in another moment Hudson was dragged from his steps, and Lord Francis Douglas immediately after him. All this was the work of a moment. Immediately we heard Croz's exclamation, old Peter and I planted ourselves as firmly as the rocks would permit; the rope was taut between us, and the jerk came on us both as one man. We held, but the rope broke midway between Taugwalder and Lord Francis Douglas. For a few seconds we saw our unfortunate companions sliding downward on their backs, and spreading out their hands, endeavoring to save themselves. They passed from our sight uninjured, disappeared one by one, and fell from precipice to precipice on to the Matterhorngletscher below, a distance of nearly four thousand feet in height. From the moment the rope broke it was impossible to help them. So perished our comrades! For the space of half an hour we remained on the spot without moving a single step.

The rival party of Italian alpinists reached the Matterhorn's summit three days later.

Aftermath edit

The deaths of Douglas, Croz, Hadow and Hudson led to years of recriminations and debate, many blaming Whymper, others suggesting sabotage and even murder. The coroner in Zermatt (a hotelier) asked few searching questions, and the climbing fraternity was deeply divided over the matter until long after the deaths of all concerned. The incident is seen as marking the end of the Golden age of alpinism.[7]

The Rev. Arthur G. Butler was inspired to defend the climbing of the Matterhorn in verse:[8]

We were not what we are
Without that other fiery element—
The love, the thirst for venture, and the scorn
That aught should be too great for mortal powers.

40 years after the accident, Lord Francis Douglas's sister still hoped that the remains of her brother could be found.[9] Exactly 150 years after the accident an attempt was made to find Douglas's remains.[10]

Ancestry edit

Related images edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ G. E. Cokayne et al., eds., The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new edition, 13 volumes in 14 (1910–1959; new edition, 2000), volume X, page 694
  2. ^ a b c Lady Florence Dixie 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Spartacus-Educational.com (accessed 26 February 2019)
  3. ^ a b Lord Francis Douglas: First ascent of the Matterhorn 2 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine online at edinburghacademy.org.uk (accessed 23 March 2008)
  4. ^ Robin G. Collomb, Pennine Alps Central, London: Alpine Club, 1975, p. 95.
  5. ^ a b The Matterhorn: Hörnligrat, the north-east ridge at powell-pressburger.org (accessed 23 March 2008)
  6. ^ The Lord Francis Douglas Tragedy by Edward Whymper online at oldandsold.com (accessed 24 March 2008)
  7. ^ Goodwin, Stephen (31 August 1997). "Matterhorn conqueror cleared over fatal falls". The Independent. findarticles.com. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  8. ^ Quoted in John Buchan's Lord Minto, a Memoir. 1924. Retrieved 23 March 2008 – via gutenberg.net.au.
  9. ^ "Will the Matterhorn give up its dead after forty years engulfment in a tomb of ice?". The Washington Times. Library of Congress. 14 May 1905. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. ^ "150 years Triumph and Tragedy". Retrieved 21 June 2021.

Bibliography edit

  • Gos, Charles (1948). "The Matterhorn Catastrophe". Alpine Tragedy. Trans. Malcolm Barnes. New York City: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 24–34.
  • Lyall, Alan (1997). The First Descent of the Matterhorn. Llandysul: Gomer Press.
  • Whymper, Edward (1871). Scrambles Amongst the Alps. Illustrated by the author's engravings. London: John Murray. Condensed as Ascent of the Matterhorn (1879).

January 01, 1970
lord, francis, douglas, lord, francis, william, bouverie, douglas, february, 1847, july, 1865, novice, british, mountaineer, after, sharing, first, ascent, matterhorn, died, fall, down, from, summit, contents, early, life, triumph, death, matterhorn, aftermath. Lord Francis William Bouverie Douglas 8 February 1847 14 July 1865 was a novice British mountaineer After sharing in the first ascent of the Matterhorn he died in a fall on the way down from the summit Lord Francis Douglas Contents 1 Early life 2 Triumph and death on the Matterhorn 3 Aftermath 4 Ancestry 5 Related images 6 Notes 7 BibliographyEarly life edit nbsp Memorial to Lord Francis Douglas top row outside the Douglas Family Mausoleum Cummertrees Born in Scotland at Cummertrees Dumfries Douglas was the son of Archibald William Douglas 8th Marquess of Queensberry and his wife Caroline daughter of General Sir William Robert Clayton Bt 1786 1866 member of parliament for Great Marlow He had an older sister Lady Gertrude Georgiana Douglas 1842 1893 an older brother John Sholto Douglas Viscount Drumlanrig 1844 1900 later the ninth Marquess of Queensberry a younger brother Lord Archibald Edward Douglas 1850 1938 who became a clergyman and a younger brother and sister the twins Lord James Douglas d 1891 and Lady Florence Douglas 1855 1905 who married Sir Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie 11th Baronet 1 2 He was an uncle of Oscar Wilde s lover Lord Alfred Douglas and a younger brother of John Douglas 9th Marquess of Queensberry In 1858 Douglas s father Lord Queensberry died in what was reported as a shooting accident but his death was widely believed to have been suicide 2 In 1862 his mother Lady Queensberry converted to Roman Catholicism and took her children to live in Paris 2 Douglas was educated at the Edinburgh Academy 3 Triumph and death on the Matterhorn editSee also First ascent of the Matterhorn nbsp The Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps its height is 4 478 metres 14 692 ft At the beginning of 1865 the Matterhorn was still unconquered and more than one assault on it was planned One such group consisted of Douglas Edward Whymper and their guide Peter Taugwalder Whymper had already made several unsuccessful attempts on the mountain On 5 July this group made the second ascent and the first by the north north west ridge of the Ober Gabelhorn a peak of 4 053 metres on the north west side of the Matterhorn 3 also in July Douglas made the first ascent of the nearby Unter Gabelhorn 3 391 m with guides Peter Taugwalder and P Inabnit 4 Hearing of a planned assault on the main peak by an Italian party Douglas and Whymper joined forces with two other British climbers Charles Hudson and Douglas Robert Hadow and their guide Michel Croz 5 At 4 30 a m on 13 July a combined party of seven men led by Whymper set off for the Matterhorn under a clear sky Whymper Douglas Hudson and Hadow plus Taugwalder and son and Croz They climbed past the Schwarzsee to a plateau where they camped Meanwhile the Italians led by Carrel had camped at a height of about 4000 meters on the Lion Ridge On 14 July Whymper s party proceeded to a successful first ascent by the Hornli route However on the way down Hadow fell knocking down Croz and also dragging Hudson and Douglas connected by a rope The four fell to their deaths on the Matterhorn Glacier 1 400 metres below Three of the bodies lost were later found but not Douglas 5 nbsp The Matterhorn Disaster depicted by Gustave DoreWhymper later described the deaths as follows 6 Michael Croz had laid aside his axe and in order to give Mr Hadow greater security was absolutely taking hold of his legs and putting his feet one by one into their proper positions As far as I know no one was actually descending I can not speak with certainty because the two leading men were partially hidden from my sight by an intervening mass of rock but it is my belief from the movements of their shoulders that Croz having done as I have said was in the act of turning round to go down a step or two himself at the moment Mr Hadow slipt fell against him and knocked him over I heard one startled exclamation from Croz then saw him and Mr Hadow flying downward in another moment Hudson was dragged from his steps and Lord Francis Douglas immediately after him All this was the work of a moment Immediately we heard Croz s exclamation old Peter and I planted ourselves as firmly as the rocks would permit the rope was taut between us and the jerk came on us both as one man We held but the rope broke midway between Taugwalder and Lord Francis Douglas For a few seconds we saw our unfortunate companions sliding downward on their backs and spreading out their hands endeavoring to save themselves They passed from our sight uninjured disappeared one by one and fell from precipice to precipice on to the Matterhorngletscher below a distance of nearly four thousand feet in height From the moment the rope broke it was impossible to help them So perished our comrades For the space of half an hour we remained on the spot without moving a single step The rival party of Italian alpinists reached the Matterhorn s summit three days later Aftermath editThe deaths of Douglas Croz Hadow and Hudson led to years of recriminations and debate many blaming Whymper others suggesting sabotage and even murder The coroner in Zermatt a hotelier asked few searching questions and the climbing fraternity was deeply divided over the matter until long after the deaths of all concerned The incident is seen as marking the end of the Golden age of alpinism 7 The Rev Arthur G Butler was inspired to defend the climbing of the Matterhorn in verse 8 We were not what we are Without that other fiery element The love the thirst for venture and the scorn That aught should be too great for mortal powers 40 years after the accident Lord Francis Douglas s sister still hoped that the remains of her brother could be found 9 Exactly 150 years after the accident an attempt was made to find Douglas s remains 10 Ancestry editAncestors of Lord Francis DouglasSir John Douglas 3rd BaronetSir William Douglas 4th BaronetChristian CunninghamJohn Douglas 7th Marquess of QueensberryWilliam JohnstoneDame Grace JohnstoneArchibald Douglas 8th Marquess of QueensberryCharles James Sholto Douglas son of Sir John amp C Cunningham above Maj James Sholto DouglasBasilia Dawes daughter of James below Sarah DouglasJames DawesSarah DawesLord Francis WilliamBouverie DouglasWilliam Clayton son of 1st Baronet Sir William Clayton 4th BaronetMaria Eliza Catherine LloydSir William Clayton 5th BaronetWilliam East 1st Baronet of Hall Place Maidenhead Mary East JacksonCaroline Margaret ClaytonNeale Neal O Donnell O Donel 1st BaronetHugh O DonnellMary CoaneAlice Hugh Massey O DonnellMassey Hutchinsonof Mount Massey Co CorkAlice HutchinsonRelated images edit nbsp Edward Whymper nbsp Michel Croz nbsp 9th Marquess of Queensberry nbsp Lady Florence DouglasNotes edit G E Cokayne et al eds The Complete Peerage of England Scotland Ireland Great Britain and the United Kingdom Extant Extinct or Dormant new edition 13 volumes in 14 1910 1959 new edition 2000 volume X page 694 a b c Lady Florence Dixie Archived 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine at Spartacus Educational com accessed 26 February 2019 a b Lord Francis Douglas First ascent of the Matterhorn Archived 2 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine online at edinburghacademy org uk accessed 23 March 2008 Robin G Collomb Pennine Alps Central London Alpine Club 1975 p 95 a b The Matterhorn Hornligrat the north east ridge at powell pressburger org accessed 23 March 2008 The Lord Francis Douglas Tragedy by Edward Whymper online at oldandsold com accessed 24 March 2008 Goodwin Stephen 31 August 1997 Matterhorn conqueror cleared over fatal falls The Independent findarticles com Retrieved 24 March 2008 Quoted in John Buchan s Lord Minto a Memoir 1924 Retrieved 23 March 2008 via gutenberg net au Will the Matterhorn give up its dead after forty years engulfment in a tomb of ice The Washington Times Library of Congress 14 May 1905 Retrieved 21 June 2021 150 years Triumph and Tragedy Retrieved 21 June 2021 Bibliography editGos Charles 1948 The Matterhorn Catastrophe Alpine Tragedy Trans Malcolm Barnes New York City Charles Scribner s Sons pp 24 34 Lyall Alan 1997 The First Descent of the Matterhorn Llandysul Gomer Press Whymper Edward 1871 Scrambles Amongst the Alps Illustrated by the author s engravings London John Murray Condensed as Ascent of the Matterhorn 1879 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lord Francis Douglas amp oldid 1216759279, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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