Henry Wemyss Feilden
Encyclopedia
Colonel Henry Wemyss Feilden (1838−1921) was a British Army
officer, Arctic explorer and naturalist
.
Feilden was the second son of Sir William Henry Feilden (1812−1879), 2nd Baronet of Feniscowles). After joining the Black Watch
, at the age of nineteen, he fought in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. He also volunteered on the side of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War
of 1862−1865, after which he returned to the British Army, where he made captain in the Royal Artillery
in 1874. He also served at the Taku Forts
in China
and in the First Boer War
in 1881 and again in Africa in 1890. He was decorated for his service in India, China and South Africa, and was awarded the C.B. in 1900.
Feilden also collected information on the geology
, flora
and fauna
of newly explored areas, and served as naturalist on Sir George Nares' Northern Polar Expedition in 1875 on board Alert
. He was a fast friend of the famous writer and poet Rudyard Kipling
.
In 1864, Feilden married Julia, daughter of Judge David MacCord of South Carolina. In 1880 Feilden settled in Wells-next-the-Sea
, Norfolk
. Feilden joined the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society in 1880 and became President in 1885. He lived in Norfolk for over 20 years, moving to Burwash, Sussex
in 1902. Feilden contributed to Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society and submitted scientific papers to The Zoologist
and Ibis
(the journal of the British Ornithologists' Union
, to which he was elected in 1873), amongst others.
Feilden partook in expeditions to Novaya Zemlya
, Kolguyev
, Spitsbergen
, Lapland
and the Kara Sea
between 1895 and 1897.
As well as being a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Feilden was nominated as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, but was rejected. The following is from his nomination certificate:
Feilden died at his home in Burwash in 1921, aged 83, about one year after his wife. He had no children.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer, Arctic explorer and naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
.
Feilden was the second son of Sir William Henry Feilden (1812−1879), 2nd Baronet of Feniscowles). After joining the Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
, at the age of nineteen, he fought in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny. He also volunteered on the side of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
of 1862−1865, after which he returned to the British Army, where he made captain in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1874. He also served at the Taku Forts
Taku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and in the First Boer War
First Boer War
The First Boer War also known as the First Anglo-Boer War or the Transvaal War, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881-1877 annexation:...
in 1881 and again in Africa in 1890. He was decorated for his service in India, China and South Africa, and was awarded the C.B. in 1900.
Feilden also collected information on the geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of newly explored areas, and served as naturalist on Sir George Nares' Northern Polar Expedition in 1875 on board Alert
HMS Alert (1856)
HMS Alert was a 17-gun wooden screw sloop of the Cruizer class of the Royal Navy, launched in 1856 and broken up in 1894. She was the eleventh ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name , and was noted for her Arctic exploration work; in 1876 she reached a record latitude of 82°N.-Construction:The...
. He was a fast friend of the famous writer and poet Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
.
In 1864, Feilden married Julia, daughter of Judge David MacCord of South Carolina. In 1880 Feilden settled in Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Feilden joined the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society in 1880 and became President in 1885. He lived in Norfolk for over 20 years, moving to Burwash, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in 1902. Feilden contributed to Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society and submitted scientific papers to The Zoologist
The Zoologist
The Zoologist was a monthly natural history journal founded in 1843 by the publisher Edward Newman, published in London. Newman acted as editor until his death in 1876, when he was succeeded by James Edmund Harting and William Lucas Distant .Originating from an enlargement of The Entomologist...
and Ibis
Ibis (journal)
Ibis, subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. Topics covered include ecology, conservation, behaviour, palaeontology, and taxonomy of birds. The editor-in-chief is Paul F. Donald. The journal is published by...
(the journal of the British Ornithologists' Union
British Ornithologists' Union
The British Ornithologists' Union aims to encourage the study of birds in Britain, Europe and elsewhere, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation....
, to which he was elected in 1873), amongst others.
Feilden partook in expeditions to Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
, Kolguyev
Kolguyev
Kolguyev Island is an island in Nenets Autonomous Okrug Russia located in the south-eastern Barents Sea to the north-east of the Kanin Peninsula. The approximately circular-shaped island has a diameter of and is in area. The highest point on the island is at 166 meters...
, Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, Lapland
Lapland (region)
Lapland is a region in northern Fennoscandia, largely within the Arctic Circle. It streches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula . On the North it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the West by the Norwegian Sea and on the East by the White Sea...
and the Kara Sea
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
between 1895 and 1897.
As well as being a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Feilden was nominated as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, but was rejected. The following is from his nomination certificate:
Feilden died at his home in Burwash in 1921, aged 83, about one year after his wife. He had no children.
Works
- Nares, G.S., Feilden, H.W., 1878. Narrative of a Voyage to the Polar Sea During 1875-6 in H.M. Ships AlertHMS Alert (1856)HMS Alert was a 17-gun wooden screw sloop of the Cruizer class of the Royal Navy, launched in 1856 and broken up in 1894. She was the eleventh ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name , and was noted for her Arctic exploration work; in 1876 she reached a record latitude of 82°N.-Construction:The...
̓and DiscoveryHMS Discovery (1874)HMS Discovery was a wooden screw storeship, formerly the whaling ship Bloodhound. She was purchased in 1874 for the British Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876 and was sold in 1902.-Design and Construction:...
(sections on Ethnology, Mammalia and Ornithology, and Geology jointly with Charles Eugene de Rance)