Famous Adventurers and Explorers
William Tomison | John Rae | Isabel Gunn | Dr William Baikie | Margaret Graham
Orcadians in the 18th and 19th Century had a traditionally very hard life, to survive they had to be practised at surviving in extreme conditions, able to adapt to change and understand each other. Consequently Orkney has produced a number of notable adventurers and explorers over time.
William Tomison (1740-1829)
Born 1740 in South Ronaldsay, William Tomison joined the Hudson's Bay Company
in 1760. He started of as a labourer and worked his way up to become the
Company's first "Chief, Inland." He was responsible for spreading
the company's activities from the bay further inland.
He is notable as he is credited with founding the city of Edmonton. William Tomison established the first Fort Edmonton for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1795. He named it Edmonton, from Edmonton, England, the birthplace of the deputy-governor of the company Sir James Winterlake.
He retired back to South Ronaldsay, where he left a large amount of money to set up a school, "Tomison's Academy."
John Rae (1813-1893)
"We of the Hudson's Bay Company
thought very little of our Artic
work. For my own part at least
I thought no more of it than
any ordinary journey."
- extracted from a letter to R H Major, June 1875 from John Rae
John Rae was born 30th September 1813, Clestrain, Orphir, Orkney. He graduated in surgery from Edinburgh University; he then joined the Hudson's Bay Company as a physician and was posted to Moose Factory, where he was based until 1845. There he worked as a surgeon and as a trader. During this time he learnt the way of life and survival skills of the natives of the area. During 1846-47 he explored the Artic coast westward from Fury and Hecla Straits to the Boothia Isthmus, mapping more than 600 miles of shoreline.
He went on to search for the lost Sir John Franklin expedition during which he charted 630 miles of unknown territory. 1853-54 saw him undertake a mapping expedition which covered over 1000 miles, during this trip he found some concrete evidence concerning fate of Franklin and his crew. His thirst for expeditions did not end there though with further explorations in 1860 and 1864.
He contributed in many ways to our understanding of the geography, climate, natural history and ethnography of one of the world's last frontier territories. He received little recognition of the importance and diversity of his achievement but he did obtain the Founder's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society of London (1852). And in 1880 was awarded the degree of LLD from Edinburgh University and the degree of MD from McGill University, Montreal. In 1850, his book, "Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Artic Sea in 1846 and 1847" was published in London. He eventually left Canada and moved to London where he died in 1893. He is buried at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.
Isabel Gunn
Isabel Gunn is notable as she was the young Orcadian woman who disguised
herself as a man, John Fubbister, and went to work with the Hudson's
Bay Company in Canada in 1806. Her actions are surprising as in 1806,
white women were not allowed to travel and were certainly not permitted to
do the same type of work as a man. It is believed that she was forced to
travel out to Canada because of the love of a man and poverty.
Her disguise was incredibly convincing and she earned the reputation as a hard worker, however, her cover was blown when she gave birth to a baby boy in 1807. Little is documented about the next stages of her life but in 1808 the mother and son went to Fort Albany where she became a washerwoman.
In 1809 they both sailed home for Orkney as for what happened to them after this, is still a mystery.
Dr William Baikie (1825-1864)
Although not widely known, the explorer, William Baikie is credited
with exploring Niger and Tchadda and opening up these places
to trade and Christianity. He was born in Kirkwall, 1825 and after
attending Kirkwall Grammar School for a short time was taught privately.
He went on to study medicine at Edinburgh University and upon graduating
he took the post of assistant surgeon with the Royal Navy. Whilst at Gosport
after completing several voyages with different ships he got the chance to
accompany the steamer Pleiad at Sierra Leone for an exploratory
trip inland.
During this voyage he investigated uncharted territory, he is reported to have said of the trip, "We have discovered a navigable river, an available highway, conducting us into the very heart of a large continent…we have met on friendly terms with numerous tribes…anxious to trade with us."
He went on to found the Lokoja settlement and as the only white man there, regarded his position as an ambassador for Britain. He began to be plagued by ill health and asked the British Government for relief. It was on his return back to Britain in 1864 via Sierra Leone when he died at the age of 39.
Margaret Graham (1860-1933)
Born April 26th 1860, Orphir, Orkney, Margaret went on to become a nurse,
missionary and devoted her life to the children of Nigeria.
After qualifying as a teacher, she moved to Glasgow to train as a nurse.
It was during this time that the Government were recruiting nurses to go
to Calabar, Nigeria, Margaret decided to go and left in 1895. She went on
to nurse in the Calabar Hospital where she was one of just two nurses.
In 1901, the British Government launched an expedition to pacify a particular tribe, the Aros. Margaret was the nurse on this expedition. She received the Africa General Service Medal (Aro expedition) and after ten years of service in Calabar she was awarded the Cross of the Order of St John.
She retired in 1919 and travelled back to Orkney. After only two years at home she went back to Nigeria. This time she went as a missionary nurse and was based in Arochuku where she stayed for 11 years until her death in 1933. As a missionary nurse she ran a dispensary, visited the nearby villages helping the sick, the outcast and the hungry. Babies were brought to the Mission and she enjoyed healing the children and training women in childcare. She became so devoted to her work that at her request her salary went directly to pay for medicine at the Mission.
In 1964 a memorial plaque was unveiled in St Magnus Cathedral to commemorate the life and work of Orkney's "special missionary."