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Godfrey Vigne

Summary

Godfrey Thomas Vigne (1 September 1801 – 12 July 1863) was an English amateur cricketer and traveller.

View of Trebizond from the south in 1833 by Godfrey Thomas Vigne

Early life edit

Vigne was born on 1 September 1801 at Walthamstow, then in Essex, the eldest son of Thomas Vigne. He entered Harrow School in 1817, became a barrister in 1824, and was a member of Lincoln's Inn.[1]

Cricketing career edit

He was mainly associated with Hampshire sides and he made 11 known appearances in first-class matches from 1819 to 1845.[2]

Travels edit

 
Portrait of Richard Wood, British consul in Damascus, drawn by Vigne in 1844

In 1831 Vigne left England for Persia, and then travelled to India. He spent the next seven years travelling in north west India and Central Asia.[1] Between 1835 and 1838 he travelled extensively in Kashmir and Ladakh and was the first European known to have visited Baltistan. He was the first to describe Nanga Parbat.[3]

In 1836 Vigne visited Afghanistan, and met the emir, Dost Mohammed. He was said to be the first Englishman to have visited Kabul.[1] He visited the Lahore Durbar of the Sikh Empire in 1837.[4] After 1852 Vigne travelled in Mexico, Nicaragua, the West Indies and the United States. He published several books describing his travels.[1]

In 1841, the urial, a wild sheep living in Central and Southern Asia, was given the scientific name Ovis vignei in his honour.[5]

Works edit

  • Outline of a Route Through the Panj-áb, Kábul, Kashmír, and into Little Tibet, in the Years 1834-8. Publisher: Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Volume 9, 1 January 1839
  • A personal narrative of a visit to Ghuzni, Kabul, and Afghanistan, and of a residence at the court of Dost Mohamed with notices of Runjit Sing, Khiva, and the Russian expedition. With illus. from drawings made by the author on the spot. Publisher: Whitacker & Co., London, 1840
  • Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, the countries adjoining the mountain-course of the Indus, and the Himalaya, north of the Panjab. Volume I. Publisher: Henry Colburn London, 1842
  • Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, the countries adjoining the mountain-course of the Indus, and the Himalaya, north of the Panjab. Volume II. Publisher: Henry Colburn London, 1842
  • Observation on the Vegetation and Products of Afghanistan, Kaschmir and Tibet by J. Forbes Royal M.D. F.R.S.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Carlyle, Edward Irving (1899). "Vigne, Godfrey Thomas" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ^ Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
  3. ^ Keay, John (1977). When Men and Mountains Meet. pp. 83–98. ISBN 0-7126-0196-1.
  4. ^ Hardgrave, R. L. (1996). An Early Portrayal of the Sikhs: Two 18th Century Etchings by Baltazard Solvyns. International Journal of Punjab Studies, 3(2), 213-27. Accessed via: https://www.laits.utexas.edu/solvyns-project/sikhs.html
  5. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (18 November 2009). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801895333 – via Google Books.

External sources edit

  • Vigne, Godfrey Thomas by Edward Irving Carlyle in: Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 58
  • Books by Godfrey Thomas Vigne Internet Archive – online
  • Watercolour Paintings by Godfrey Thomas Vigne in VAM Museum