Markham, Sir Clements Robert (1830-1916)

The collection comprises three bound volumes describing Markham's travels in South America in 1852-1853 (beginning his journey in Canada and ending it in Southampton), apparently prepared for publication in Markham's old age but not published in this form (the volumes include inserted material, some of it dating from before the journeys in question, and overall span the period 1845-1915); and a file of letters by Markham, spanning the period 1865-1913 (plus undated material).

1845-1915

2 volumes and 1 file Holograph; bound volumes with inserted material, plus a file of loose letters.

MS.7308 comprises letters by Markham, while WMS/Amer.126 is a set of two volumes concerned with his travels in South America.

WMS/Amer.126 purchased from T.A. Joyce, 1932. MS.7308 purchased from various sources, 1930-1932.

Clements Markham was born in 1830. He served in the Royal Navy from 1844 to 1851, taking part in the search for Sir John Franklin (1786-1847). In 1853 he entered the civil service, being from 1867 to 1877 in charge of the geographical work of the India Office. During the latter years of the 19th century he lobbied for the resumption of Polar exploration by the United Kingdom, his pressure lying behind the 1875 Nares expedition to the Arctic. He was President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1893 to 1905 and became a Knight-Commander of the Bath in 1896. He died in 1916.

The Dictionary of National Biography 1912-1921, O.U.P., 1927, pp. 367-368, summarises Markham's life; a fuller memoir by Sir J. Scott Keltie appeared in the Geographical Journal, 1916, 47, 165-176. See also Admiral Sir A.H. Markham, The life of Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., F.R.S., London, J. Murray, 1917.

At other repositories:

The Royal Geographic Society holds much material by Markham, including accounts of his travels that follow a very similar format to WMS/Amer.126.

Database description transcribed from S.A.J. Moorat, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1962-1973); Robin Price, 'An Annotated Catalogue of Medical Americana in the Library of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine' (London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1983); and subsequent typescript supplementary finding aids by Richard Aspin, Christopher Hilton, Keith Moore and Richard Palmer.