Frank Kingdon-Ward: Difference between revisions
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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[[File:Rhododendron wardii var puralbum.jpg|thumb|''Rhododendron wardii'' var. ''puralbum'', a naturally occurring white-flowered variety of the yellow-flowered species named for Frank Kingdon-Ward]] |
[[File:Rhododendron wardii var puralbum.jpg|thumb|''Rhododendron wardii'' var. ''puralbum'', a naturally occurring white-flowered variety of the yellow-flowered species named for Frank Kingdon-Ward]] |
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[[File:Siroi Lily.jpg|thumb| |
[[File:Siroi Lily.jpg|thumb|Shirui lily, ''Lilium mackliniae'']] |
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Son of [[Harry Marshall Ward]] and Selina Mary Ward, née Kingdon; he went on around 25 expeditions over a period of nearly fifty years, exploring [[Tibet]], North Western China, [[Myanmar]] and [[Assam]] (in Northeastern [[India]]).<ref>Based on his 25 published books. Some expeditions blurred into each other, hence the ambiguity about the exact number of expeditions.</ref> In Myanmar he met and conducted some research into forestry and plants in the country with native botanist [[Chit Ko Ko]]. |
Son of [[Harry Marshall Ward]] and Selina Mary Ward, née Kingdon; he went on around 25 expeditions over a period of nearly fifty years, exploring [[Tibet]], North Western China, [[Myanmar]] and [[Assam]] (in Northeastern [[India]]).<ref>Based on his 25 published books. Some expeditions blurred into each other, hence the ambiguity about the exact number of expeditions.</ref> In Myanmar he met and conducted some research into forestry and plants in the country with native botanist [[Chit Ko Ko]]. |
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Among his collections were the first viable seed of ''[[Meconopsis betonicifolia]]'' ([[Himalayan blue poppy]], first discovered by [[Delavay|Pére Delavay]]),<ref>''Land of the Blue Poppy''</ref> ''[[Primula]] florindae'' (giant cowslip, named after his first wife Florinda, ''née'' Norman-Thompson)<ref name="works">His published works, as listed above</ref> and ''[[Rhododendron]] wardii'', a yellow flowered species.<ref name="works"/> |
Among his collections were the first viable seed of ''[[Meconopsis betonicifolia]]'' ([[Himalayan blue poppy]], first discovered by [[Delavay|Pére Delavay]]),<ref>''Land of the Blue Poppy''</ref> ''[[Primula]] florindae'' (giant cowslip, named after his first wife Florinda, ''née'' Norman-Thompson)<ref name="works">His published works, as listed above</ref> and ''[[Rhododendron]] wardii'', a yellow flowered species.<ref name="works"/> |
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A species of lizard, ''[[ |
A species of Asian lizard, ''[[Pseudocalotes kingdonwardi]]'', is named in his honor.<ref>[[Species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]]; [[species:Michael Watkins|Watkins, Michael]]; [[species:Michael Grayson|Grayson, Michael]] (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Kingdon-Ward, p. 141).</ref> He is also commemorated in [[Ward's trogon]], ''Harpactes wardi''. |
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He survived many accidents on his expeditions including |
He survived many accidents on his expeditions including hunger, extreme weather, slope slides and cliffhangers, becoming lost, roughing it with little shelter, altercations with indigenous Asians,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kingdon Ward |first=F. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.2447/ |title=Plant Hunting on the Edge of the World |date=1930 |publisher=[[Victor Gollancz]] |location=London}}</ref> and impalement. During an expedition in Assam, he was close to the epicentre of an [[1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake|earthquake]] (registering 8.6 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]]) on 15 August 1950.<ref>{{Cite journal | last=Kingdon-Ward | first=F. | date=1953 | title=The Assam Earthquake of 1950 | journal=The Geographical Journal | jstor=1791200 | volume=119 | issue=2 | pages=169–182 | doi=10.2307/1791200| bibcode=1953GeogJ.119..169K }}</ref><!--ref only supports the earthquake--> |
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In addition to his professional activities as a botanist, in the 1930s Kingdon-Ward also served as a spy for the British India Office. In 1935, Kingdon-Ward was arrested by [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]] after he crossed the [[Sela pass]] into the Tawang tract ( now [[Tawang District]] of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], India) despite being refused permission to do so by the Tibetan authorities who were then administering Tawang. Tibetans protested this violation of their border to the British mission then visiting [[Lhasa]]. Kingdon-Ward was quickly released, but this incident led the British to investigate the status of the border, and it was discovered that the entire Tawang tract had been ceded to British India by Tibet by the [[Simla Accord (1914)|Simla Convention]] negotiated by Sir Henry McMahon with the Tibetans in 1914.<ref>{{cite book | last=Lamb | first=Alister | title=British India and Tibet, 1766–1910 | publisher=Routledge | year=1986 | page=418ff | isbn=0-7102-0872-3}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2023|reason=Spurious citation seems to have been added; much of the content is not supported by it.}} |
In addition to his professional activities as a botanist, in the 1930s Kingdon-Ward also served as a spy for the British India Office. In 1935, Kingdon-Ward was arrested by [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]] after he crossed the [[Sela pass]] into the Tawang tract ( now [[Tawang District]] of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], India) despite being refused permission to do so by the Tibetan authorities who were then administering Tawang. Tibetans protested this violation of their border to the British mission then visiting [[Lhasa]]. Kingdon-Ward was quickly released, but this incident led the British to investigate the status of the border, and it was discovered that the entire Tawang tract had been ceded to British India by Tibet by the [[Simla Accord (1914)|Simla Convention]] negotiated by Sir Henry McMahon with the Tibetans in 1914.<ref>{{cite book | last=Lamb | first=Alister | title=British India and Tibet, 1766–1910 | publisher=Routledge | year=1986 | page=418ff | isbn=0-7102-0872-3}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2023|reason=Spurious citation seems to have been added; much of the content is not supported by it.}} |
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He was married twice, first to Florinda Norman-Thompson on 11 April 1923; later, to [[Jean Rasmussen|Jean Macklin]], on 12 November 1947,<ref name="lyte">''Frank Kingdon-Ward, Last of the Great Plant Hunters'', Charles Lyte (1989)</ref> to whom he remained married until his death. |
He was married twice, first to Florinda Norman-Thompson on 11 April 1923; later, to [[Jean Rasmussen|Jean Macklin]], on 12 November 1947,<ref name="lyte">''Frank Kingdon-Ward, Last of the Great Plant Hunters'', Charles Lyte (1989)</ref> to whom he remained married until his death. |
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Florinda Kingdon-Ward had a brief political career which included standing as a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] candidate for Parliament at the 1950 UK General Election in [[Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)|Lewes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge50/i13.htm|title=UK General Election results: February 1950 [Archive]|work=politicsresources.net}}</ref> |
Florinda Kingdon-Ward had a brief political career which included standing as a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] candidate for Parliament at the 1950 UK General Election in [[Lewes (UK Parliament constituency)|Lewes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge50/i13.htm|title=UK General Election results: February 1950 [Archive]|work=politicsresources.net|date=12 October 2022 }}</ref> |
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Even towards the end of his career he was still active, his greatest "swansong" plant was probably ''[[Siroi lily|Lilium mackliniae]]'', found jointly with his second wife after whom it is named. At age 68 he climbed to over 1,730–2,590 metres (5,680–8,500 ft) above sea level in the [[Ukhrul district]] of Manipur, India (near the boundary of Myanmar to the east) and was still discovering new species of plants on his last expedition in 1956,<ref name="works"/> including ''[[Roscoea australis]]'', the most southerly representative of its genus.<ref name=Cowl82>{{Citation |last=Cowley |first=E.J. |year=1982 |title=A revision of ''Roscoea (Zingiberaceae)'' |journal=Kew Bulletin |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=747–777 |jstor=4117918 |doi=10.2307/4117918}}</ref> |
Even towards the end of his career he was still active, his greatest "swansong" plant was probably ''[[Siroi lily|Lilium mackliniae]]'', found jointly with his second wife after whom it is named. At age 68 he climbed to over 1,730–2,590 metres (5,680–8,500 ft) above sea level in the [[Ukhrul district]] of Manipur, India (near the boundary of Myanmar to the east) and was still discovering new species of plants on his last expedition in 1956,<ref name="works"/> including ''[[Roscoea australis]]'', the most southerly representative of its genus.<ref name=Cowl82>{{Citation |last=Cowley |first=E.J. |year=1982 |title=A revision of ''Roscoea (Zingiberaceae)'' |journal=Kew Bulletin |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=747–777 |jstor=4117918 |doi=10.2307/4117918|bibcode=1982KewBu..36..747C }}</ref> |
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He was made an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in 1952.<ref name ="ODNBKingdonWard">{{Cite ODNB|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34327|title=Ward, Francis [Frank] Kingdon-}}</ref> |
He was made an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] in 1952.<ref name ="ODNBKingdonWard">{{Cite ODNB|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34327|title=Ward, Francis [Frank] Kingdon-}}</ref> |
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Latest revision as of 10:25, 2 September 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2007) |
Frank Kingdon-Ward | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francis Kingdon Ward 6 November 1885 Manchester, England |
| Died | 8 April 1958 (aged 72) |
| Resting place | Grantchester, England |
| Occupation | Botanist, explorer, plant collector and author |
| Genre | Natural history |
| Subject | Plants |
| Notable works | On the Road to Tibet |
| Spouses | Florinda Norman-Thompson (m. 1923), Jean Macklin (m. 1947) |
| Relatives | Harry Marshall Ward and Selina Mary Ward |
Francis Kingdon-Ward, born Francis Kingdon Ward OBE, (6 November 1885 in Manchester – 8 April 1958) was an English botanist, explorer, plant collector and author. He published most of his books as Frank Kingdon-Ward and this hyphenated form of his name stuck, becoming the surname of his wives and two daughters. It also became a pen name for his sister Winifred Mary Ward by default.
Biography
[edit]
Son of Harry Marshall Ward and Selina Mary Ward, née Kingdon; he went on around 25 expeditions over a period of nearly fifty years, exploring Tibet, North Western China, Myanmar and Assam (in Northeastern India).[1] In Myanmar he met and conducted some research into forestry and plants in the country with native botanist Chit Ko Ko.
Among his collections were the first viable seed of Meconopsis betonicifolia (Himalayan blue poppy, first discovered by Pére Delavay),[2] Primula florindae (giant cowslip, named after his first wife Florinda, née Norman-Thompson)[3] and Rhododendron wardii, a yellow flowered species.[3]
A species of Asian lizard, Pseudocalotes kingdonwardi, is named in his honor.[4] He is also commemorated in Ward's trogon, Harpactes wardi.
He survived many accidents on his expeditions including hunger, extreme weather, slope slides and cliffhangers, becoming lost, roughing it with little shelter, altercations with indigenous Asians,[5] and impalement. During an expedition in Assam, he was close to the epicentre of an earthquake (registering 8.6 on the Richter magnitude scale) on 15 August 1950.[6]
In addition to his professional activities as a botanist, in the 1930s Kingdon-Ward also served as a spy for the British India Office. In 1935, Kingdon-Ward was arrested by Tibetans after he crossed the Sela pass into the Tawang tract ( now Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh, India) despite being refused permission to do so by the Tibetan authorities who were then administering Tawang. Tibetans protested this violation of their border to the British mission then visiting Lhasa. Kingdon-Ward was quickly released, but this incident led the British to investigate the status of the border, and it was discovered that the entire Tawang tract had been ceded to British India by Tibet by the Simla Convention negotiated by Sir Henry McMahon with the Tibetans in 1914.[7][failed verification]
In 1923 he moved to Hatton Gore, a big house on the east side of Hatton Road, Hatton, London; the site of the house is now under the east end of London Heathrow Airport. He built there a big rockery looking like a bend in a river ravine in the Himalayas.[8] He sold the house due to a loss that he made running a plant nursery business.[9]
He was married twice, first to Florinda Norman-Thompson on 11 April 1923; later, to Jean Macklin, on 12 November 1947,[10] to whom he remained married until his death.
Florinda Kingdon-Ward had a brief political career which included standing as a Liberal Party candidate for Parliament at the 1950 UK General Election in Lewes.[11]
Even towards the end of his career he was still active, his greatest "swansong" plant was probably Lilium mackliniae, found jointly with his second wife after whom it is named. At age 68 he climbed to over 1,730–2,590 metres (5,680–8,500 ft) above sea level in the Ukhrul district of Manipur, India (near the boundary of Myanmar to the east) and was still discovering new species of plants on his last expedition in 1956,[3] including Roscoea australis, the most southerly representative of its genus.[12]
He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1952.[13]
Frank Kingdon-Ward died on 8 April 1958 aged 72. He had suffered a stroke and went into a coma from which he never recovered.[10] He was buried in the churchyard at Grantchester.
Published works
[edit]He wrote 25 books, mostly accounts of his expeditions. The titles, dates and publishers are as follows:
- On the Road to Tibet (1910) Shanghai Mercury Ltd. Shanghai
- Land of the Blue Poppy (1913) Cambridge University Press[14]
- In Farthest Burma (1921) Seeley Service and Co[15] (reprinted by Orchid Press, Thailand; 2nd rev edition (Jan 2005) ISBN 978-974-524-062-9)
- Mystery Rivers of Tibet (1923) Seeley Service and Co (reprinted by Cadogan Books, 1986 ISBN 0-946313-52-0)
- From China to Hkamti Long (1924) Edward Arnold and Co
- The Romance of Plant Hunting (1924) Edward Arnold and Co
- Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges (1926) Edward Arnold and Co
- Rhododendrons for Everyone (1926) The Gardener's Chronicle Ltd
- Plant Hunting on the Edge of the World (1930) Victor Gollancz (reprinted 1974, Theophrastus)
- Plant Hunting in the Wilds (1931) Figurehead (Pioneer series)
- The Loom of the East (1932) Martin Hopkinson Ltd
- A Plant Hunter in Tibet (1934) Jonathan Cape (reprinted by White Orchid, Thailand (2006) ISBN 978-974-524-087-2)
- The Romance of Gardening (1935) Jonathan Cape
- Plant Hunter's Paradise (1937) Jonathan Cape
- Assam Adventure (1941) Jonathan Cape
- Modern Exploration (1945) Jonathan Cape
- About This Earth (1946) Jonathan Cape
- Commonsense Rock Gardening (1948) Jonathan Cape
- Burma's Icy Mountains (1949) Jonathan Cape (reprinted by White Orchid, Thailand; 2nd edition (2006) ISBN 978-974-524-084-1)
- Rhododendrons (1949) Latimer House
- Footsteps in Civilization (1950) Jonathan Cape
- Plant Hunter in Manipur (1952) Jonathan Cape
- Berried Treasure (1954) Ward Lock and Co. Ltd. London and Melbourne
- Return to the Irrawaddy (1956) Andrew Melrose
- Pilgrimage for Plants (1960) George C. Harrap and Co. Ltd
Famous relatives
[edit]His sister, Winifred Mary Ward, was a founder of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and wrote several books on speech therapy.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Based on his 25 published books. Some expeditions blurred into each other, hence the ambiguity about the exact number of expeditions.
- ^ Land of the Blue Poppy
- ^ a b c His published works, as listed above
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Kingdon-Ward, p. 141).
- ^ Kingdon Ward, F. (1930). Plant Hunting on the Edge of the World. London: Victor Gollancz.
- ^ Kingdon-Ward, F. (1953). "The Assam Earthquake of 1950". The Geographical Journal. 119 (2): 169–182. Bibcode:1953GeogJ.119..169K. doi:10.2307/1791200. JSTOR 1791200.
- ^ Lamb, Alister (1986). British India and Tibet, 1766–1910. Routledge. p. 418ff. ISBN 0-7102-0872-3.
- ^ page 52, Sherwood, Philip. (2009) Heathrow: 2000 Years of History. Stroud: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-5086-2
- ^ "Frank Kingdon-Ward timeline of events in his life". french4tots.co.uk.
- ^ a b Frank Kingdon-Ward, Last of the Great Plant Hunters, Charles Lyte (1989)
- ^ "UK General Election results: February 1950 [Archive]". politicsresources.net. 12 October 2022.
- ^ Cowley, E.J. (1982), "A revision of Roscoea (Zingiberaceae)", Kew Bulletin, 36 (4): 747–777, Bibcode:1982KewBu..36..747C, doi:10.2307/4117918, JSTOR 4117918
- ^ "Ward, Francis [Frank] Kingdon-". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34327. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Review of The Land of the Blue Poppy: Travels of a Naturalist in Eastern Tibet by F. Kingdon Ward". The Athenaeum (4473): 66. 19 July 1913.
- ^ Davies, H. R. (September 1921). "Review of In Farthest Burma by Captain F. Kingdon Ward". The Geographical Journal. 58 (3): 230–232. doi:10.2307/1780494. JSTOR 1780494.
- ^ International Plant Names Index. Kingdon-Ward.
Sources
[edit]- Frank Kingdon-Ward's own works, as listed above
- Frank Kingdon-Ward – Last of the Great Plant Hunters, Charles Lyte (1989), John Murray Publishers Ltd, ISBN 978-0-7195-4735-5
- Frank Kingdon-Ward, timeline of events. 1885–1958
External links
[edit]- Biography of Frank Kingdon-Ward, french4tots.co.uk
- Oliver Tooley, Francis (Frank) Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958) Brief biography with much useful material not covered here
- Forgotten Travellers: In the Land of the Blue Poppy Essay on F. Kingdon Ward
- In the Footsteps of Kingdon Ward: photos of the Salween river, Tibet
- Timeline of Frank Kingdon-Ward's life
- 1885 births
- 1958 deaths
- People educated at St Paul's School, London
- Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
- Writers from Manchester
- British Indian Army officers
- Veitch Memorial Medal recipients
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- English botanists
- English explorers
- Plant collectors
- English writers
- Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates