Francis Fox Tuckett

Francis Fox Tuckett 1868

Francis Fox Tuckett (born February 10, 1834 in Frenchay near Bristol ; † June 20, 1913 ibid) was an English alpinist who was best known for many first ascents in the Alps.

Life

Tuckett was born in Frenchay, near Bristol , in 1834 . His father, Francis Tuckett of Frenchay (1802–1868), was a world traveler, leather merchant, horticulturist, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker . His mother Mariana (1807–1863) was a member of the influential Fox family from Falmouth (Cornwall) , daughter of the businessman Robert Were Fox the Elder (1754–1818) and sister of the geologist and natural philosopher Robert Were Fox the Younger (1789–1877). Francis Fox was the oldest of five children and the couple's only son. Tuckett entered his father's business and worked as a hobby farmer and antiquarian . As such, he was active in the Clifton Antiquarian Club and published, among other things, on Norwegian churches and Egyptology. For his alpine activities he took about two to three months vacation a year. Tuckett was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science and has always been scientifically active. His collections can now be found in the Pitt Rivers Museum . In 1865 King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy awarded him the Knightly Order of St. Mauritius and Lazarus for his contribution to the exploration of the Dolomites. From 1866 to 1868, Tuckett was Vice President of the Alpine Club in London. On January 17, 1896, at the age of 62, he married Alice Fox in New Zealand. Tuckett died in Frenchay in 1913 and was buried at the meeting house of the local Quaker community.

The Tuckettspitze ( 3462  m ) and the Tuckettjoch ( Passo di Tuckett , 3354  m ) in the Ortler Alps are named after him, as well as the Tucketthütte ( Rifugio Tuckett , 2271  m ) in the Brenta and the Bocca del Tuckett pass ( 2648  m ) in the Brenta and the Punta Tuckett ( 3804  m ) on the Grivola bear his name.

Alpinism

In 1842, Tuckett, accompanied by his father, traveled to the Alps for the first time and visited the Mer de Glace in Chamonix . His first ascent was the Aletschhorn , the summit of which he reached on June 18, 1859 with the guides Johann Josef Benet , Peter Bohren and V. Tairraz. In the spirit of alpinism of that time, Tuckett made it a priority not to forego scientific measurements even in the most adverse conditions. In 1861 he undertook the first experiments to develop a sleeping bag suitable for high altitudes , which he successfully continued for several years. In 1862 he worked with Michel Croz , Peter Perren and Bartolommeo Peyrotte to develop the Dauphiné Alps . The planned first ascent of the Barre des Écrins ( 4102  m ) did not succeed, but he was able to cross several high passes for the first time.

In 1861, Tuckett found today's normal route to Mont Blanc with Johann Josef Benet (1824–1864), Leslie Stephen and Melchior Anderegg and Peter Perren . In 1864 he turned to the Dolomites . Together with Douglas William Freshfield , he crossed the Pala group without maps and with little equipment . This was considered an excellent alpine achievement and was essential for the increasing popularity of the Dolomites in alpine circles at that time. In the same year he also managed the first ascent of Monte Confinale ( 3370  m ) and the Kristallspitzen ( 3480  m ) as well as the first secured ascent of the 3851  m high Königspitze with TF and EN Buxton, Christian Michel and Franz Biner . A little later they found a new path to the Ortler ( 3905  m ). In 1865 he was able to do the first ascent of Pizzo Tresero ( 3594  m ), Punta San Matteo ( 3678  m ), Großer Möseler ( 3478  m ) and Langtauferer Spitze with Freshfield, James Backhouse, George Henry Fox, led by François Devouassoud and Peter Michel ( 3529  m ) perform. In 1871 he managed the first ascent of the Cima Brenta ( 3151  m ) with Douglas William Freshfield, led by Henri Dévouassoud.

Edward Whymper described Tuckett as a "great alpinist" who was "known throughout the Alps". Geoffrey Winthrop Young certified him an "encyclopedic access to mountaineering".

plant

• FF Tuckett: A Pioneer in the High Alps: Alpine Diaries and Letters of FF Tuckett, 1856–1874 (London: E. Arnold, 1920)

Web links

• Francis Fox Tuckett at frenchaymuseumarchives.co.uk, accessed July 8, 2008
• Personal folder for Francis Fox Tuckett (PDF) in the historical Alpine archive of the Alpine clubs in Germany, Austria and South Tyrol (temporarily offline)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ DWF, 'Obituary: Francis Fox Tuckett', in: The Geographical Journal , Vol. 42, No. 2 (August, 1913), pp. 206-207.
2. ^ Philip Payton: Fox, Robert Were (1754-1818). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of January 2008
3. ^ William Jerome Harrison:  Fox, Robert Were . In: Leslie Stephen (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 20:  Forrest - Garner. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1889, p. 133 (English).
   Denise Crook: Fox, Robert Were (1789–1877). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of January 2008
4. ^ ^{A b c} Francis Fox Tuckett on frenchaymuseumarchives.co.uk, accessed July 8, 2008
5. ↑ Proceedings of the Clifton Antiquarian Club , Vol. I (1888) pp. 114-129
6. ^ Proceedings of the Clifton Antiquarian Club , Vol. II (1889) pp. 115-135
7. ^ Relational Museum Collector Information: Collector Francis Fox Tuckett on prm.ox.ac.uk, accessed July 8, 2008
8. ↑ Index to 'Proceedings of the Clifton Antiquarian Club' on cliftonantiquarian.co.uk, accessed on July 11, 2008 (PDF, English; 177 kB)
9. ↑ Tuckethütte at auf-die-berge.de
10. ^ Robin Collomb, Bernina Alps , Goring: West Col Productions, 1988, p. 47
11. ↑ Sleep Well Part 1: Temperature Ratings: A Review of Temperature Standards for Sleeping Bags ( Memento of March 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) at mammut.ch, accessed on July 11, 2008, in the Internet Archive at archive.org, as of: March 27, 2007 (PDF)
12. ^ Whymper, Scrambles amongst the Alps , p. 135
13. ↑ The British Mountaineering Tradition in Trentino ( Memento of the original from July 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 115 kB) from italtourism.com, accessed on July 8, 2008 
14. ^ Edward Whymper, Scrambles amongst the Alps , 6th Edition, London: John Murray, 1936, p. 134.
15. ↑ Geoffrey Winthrop Young, 'Mountain Prophets', Alpine Journal , Vol. LIV, reprinted in Peaks, Passes and Glaciers , ed. Walt Unsworth, London: Allen Lane, 1981, p. 127.