Martin Conway
Encyclopedia
William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (12 April 1856 at Rochester, England – 19 April 1937 at London
), known as Sir Martin Conway between 1895 and 1931, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer
.
. He was educated at Repton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he studied mathematics
and became a close friend of Karl Pearson
. He became interested in woodcut
s, engraving
and early printed books, an interest encouraged by the Cambridge University librarian, Henry Bradshaw
. From 1880 Bradshaw financed Conway's tours of the principal libraries of Europe, on which Conway collected material for History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century (1884), the most learned of his thirty books.
as an undergraduate, and was elected to the Alpine Club
in 1877. (He was president from 1902 to 1904.) In 1881 he published the Zermatt Pocketbook, the model for a series of Conway and Coolidge's Climbers' Guides, which he edited with W. A. B. Coolidge
. Conway was responsible for many beautiful mountain names, such as Wellenkuppe
, Windjoch, and Dent du Requin.
In 1892, in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society
, the Royal Geographical Society
and the British Association, he made an ascent of a subsidiary summit of Baltoro Kangri
, claiming a world altitude record
with a height of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). However, subsequent measurements have revised his height to 22,322 ft (6,804 m). In 1896–97 he explored the interior of Spitsbergen
, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivia
n Andes
, climbing Sorata (21,500 ft / 6,553 m) and Illimani (21,200 ft / 6,461 m). He also attempted Aconcagua
(22,831 ft / 6,959 m) stopping short of the summit by 50-ft and explored Tierra del Fuego
making an attempt on Sarmiento . At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905, and served as President of the Alpine Club
for 1902–04 and became the first president of The Alpine Ski Club
at its inaugural meeting in 1908.
Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University
. He was knight
ed in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram
Range in the Himalayas
three years earlier.
Member of Parliament
for the Combined English Universities
in 1918, serving until 1931, when he was raised to the peerage
as Baron Conway of Allington, of Allington
in the County of Kent.
Conway was first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum
and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art
in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle
.
, builder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
, and stepdaughter of Manton Marble
, an investor and former editor and owner of the New York World
. Conway was already engaged to Rose Shakespear, but he broke this engagement, ostensibly on religious grounds, and married Katrina at Marble's home, 532 Fifth Avenue, New York, on 10 June 1884. Supported by Katrina's family, the couple moved to Park Street, London, where their only child, Agnes Conway
, was born on 2 May 1885. In 1924 Conway began a love affair with Monica Hadow, a divorcée forty-four years his junior with whom he worked, but this ended when she remarried in 1930. When his wife, Katrina, died on 22 November 1933, she left her estate, including Allington Castle, to their daughter, although Conway continued to live there and at Westminster. On 17 November 1934, he married Iva, daughter of Daniel Christian and widow of Reginald Lawson, of Saltwood Castle
. He died aged 81 at the Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, on 19 April 1937, and a memorial service was held on 23 April at St Margaret's, Westminster
. This title became extinct on his death. His autobiography of 1932 was called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explained his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (12 April 1856 at Rochester, England – 19 April 1937 at London
), known as Sir Martin Conway between 1895 and 1931, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer
.
. He was educated at Repton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he studied mathematics
and became a close friend of Karl Pearson
. He became interested in woodcut
s, engraving
and early printed books, an interest encouraged by the Cambridge University librarian, Henry Bradshaw
. From 1880 Bradshaw financed Conway's tours of the principal libraries of Europe, on which Conway collected material for History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century (1884), the most learned of his thirty books.
as an undergraduate, and was elected to the Alpine Club
in 1877. (He was president from 1902 to 1904.) In 1881 he published the Zermatt Pocketbook, the model for a series of Conway and Coolidge's Climbers' Guides, which he edited with W. A. B. Coolidge
. Conway was responsible for many beautiful mountain names, such as Wellenkuppe
, Windjoch, and Dent du Requin.
In 1892, in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society
, the Royal Geographical Society
and the British Association, he made an ascent of a subsidiary summit of Baltoro Kangri
, claiming a world altitude record
with a height of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). However, subsequent measurements have revised his height to 22,322 ft (6,804 m). In 1896–97 he explored the interior of Spitsbergen
, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivia
n Andes
, climbing Sorata (21,500 ft / 6,553 m) and Illimani (21,200 ft / 6,461 m). He also attempted Aconcagua
(22,831 ft / 6,959 m) stopping short of the summit by 50-ft and explored Tierra del Fuego
making an attempt on Sarmiento . At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905, and served as President of the Alpine Club
for 1902–04 and became the first president of The Alpine Ski Club
at its inaugural meeting in 1908.
Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University
. He was knight
ed in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram
Range in the Himalayas
three years earlier.
Member of Parliament
for the Combined English Universities
in 1918, serving until 1931, when he was raised to the peerage
as Baron Conway of Allington, of Allington
in the County of Kent.
Conway was first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum
and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art
in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle
.
, builder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
, and stepdaughter of Manton Marble
, an investor and former editor and owner of the New York World
. Conway was already engaged to Rose Shakespear, but he broke this engagement, ostensibly on religious grounds, and married Katrina at Marble's home, 532 Fifth Avenue, New York, on 10 June 1884. Supported by Katrina's family, the couple moved to Park Street, London, where their only child, Agnes Conway
, was born on 2 May 1885. In 1924 Conway began a love affair with Monica Hadow, a divorcée forty-four years his junior with whom he worked, but this ended when she remarried in 1930. When his wife, Katrina, died on 22 November 1933, she left her estate, including Allington Castle, to their daughter, although Conway continued to live there and at Westminster. On 17 November 1934, he married Iva, daughter of Daniel Christian and widow of Reginald Lawson, of Saltwood Castle
. He died aged 81 at the Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, on 19 April 1937, and a memorial service was held on 23 April at St Margaret's, Westminster
. This title became extinct on his death. His autobiography of 1932 was called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explained his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (12 April 1856 at Rochester, England – 19 April 1937 at London
), known as Sir Martin Conway between 1895 and 1931, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer
.
. He was educated at Repton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he studied mathematics
and became a close friend of Karl Pearson
. He became interested in woodcut
s, engraving
and early printed books, an interest encouraged by the Cambridge University librarian, Henry Bradshaw
. From 1880 Bradshaw financed Conway's tours of the principal libraries of Europe, on which Conway collected material for History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century (1884), the most learned of his thirty books.
as an undergraduate, and was elected to the Alpine Club
in 1877. (He was president from 1902 to 1904.) In 1881 he published the Zermatt Pocketbook, the model for a series of Conway and Coolidge's Climbers' Guides, which he edited with W. A. B. Coolidge
. Conway was responsible for many beautiful mountain names, such as Wellenkuppe
, Windjoch, and Dent du Requin.
In 1892, in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society
, the Royal Geographical Society
and the British Association, he made an ascent of a subsidiary summit of Baltoro Kangri
, claiming a world altitude record
with a height of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). However, subsequent measurements have revised his height to 22,322 ft (6,804 m). In 1896–97 he explored the interior of Spitsbergen
, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivia
n Andes
, climbing Sorata (21,500 ft / 6,553 m) and Illimani (21,200 ft / 6,461 m). He also attempted Aconcagua
(22,831 ft / 6,959 m) stopping short of the summit by 50-ft and explored Tierra del Fuego
making an attempt on Sarmiento . At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905, and served as President of the Alpine Club
for 1902–04 and became the first president of The Alpine Ski Club
at its inaugural meeting in 1908.
Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University
. He was knight
ed in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram
Range in the Himalayas
three years earlier.
Member of Parliament
for the Combined English Universities
in 1918, serving until 1931, when he was raised to the peerage
as Baron Conway of Allington, of Allington
in the County of Kent.
Conway was first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum
and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art
in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle
.
, builder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
, and stepdaughter of Manton Marble
, an investor and former editor and owner of the New York World
. Conway was already engaged to Rose Shakespear, but he broke this engagement, ostensibly on religious grounds, and married Katrina at Marble's home, 532 Fifth Avenue, New York, on 10 June 1884. Supported by Katrina's family, the couple moved to Park Street, London, where their only child, Agnes Conway
, was born on 2 May 1885. In 1924 Conway began a love affair with Monica Hadow, a divorcée forty-four years his junior with whom he worked, but this ended when she remarried in 1930. When his wife, Katrina, died on 22 November 1933, she left her estate, including Allington Castle, to their daughter, although Conway continued to live there and at Westminster. On 17 November 1934, he married Iva, daughter of Daniel Christian and widow of Reginald Lawson, of Saltwood Castle
. He died aged 81 at the Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, on 19 April 1937, and a memorial service was held on 23 April at St Margaret's, Westminster
. This title became extinct on his death. His autobiography of 1932 was called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explained his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), known as Sir Martin Conway between 1895 and 1931, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
Background and education
Conway was the son of Reverend William Conway, afterwards canon of WestminsterWestminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. He was educated at Repton
Repton
Repton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent floodplain in South Derbyshire, about north of Swadlincote. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about northeast of Burton upon Trent.-History:...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and became a close friend of Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson FRS was an influential English mathematician who has been credited for establishing the disciplineof mathematical statistics....
. He became interested in woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
and early printed books, an interest encouraged by the Cambridge University librarian, Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw may refer to:*Henry Bradshaw *Henry Bradshaw *Harry Bradshaw, Henry "Harry" Bradshaw, , English football manager*Harry Bradshaw...
. From 1880 Bradshaw financed Conway's tours of the principal libraries of Europe, on which Conway collected material for History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century (1884), the most learned of his thirty books.
Mountaineering
Conway climbed extensively in the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
as an undergraduate, and was elected to the Alpine Club
Alpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
in 1877. (He was president from 1902 to 1904.) In 1881 he published the Zermatt Pocketbook, the model for a series of Conway and Coolidge's Climbers' Guides, which he edited with W. A. B. Coolidge
W. A. B. Coolidge
William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge was an American historian, theologian and mountaineer.Coolidge was born in New York as the son of Frederic William Skinner Coolidge, a Boston merchant, and Elisabeth Neville Brevoort of the Netherlands. He studied history and law at St...
. Conway was responsible for many beautiful mountain names, such as Wellenkuppe
Wellenkuppe
The Wellenkuppe is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland.-External links:*...
, Windjoch, and Dent du Requin.
In 1892, in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and the British Association, he made an ascent of a subsidiary summit of Baltoro Kangri
Baltoro Kangri
Baltoro Kangri is a mountain of the Karakoram mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Baltoro Kangri is the 82nd highest mountain in the world with an elevation of . It lies to the south of the Gasherbrums and east of Chogolisa Peak...
, claiming a world altitude record
World altitude record (mountaineering)
In the history of mountaineering, the world altitude record referred to the highest point on the Earth's surface which had been reached, regardless of whether that point was an actual summit. The world summit record referred to the highest mountain to have been successfully climbed...
with a height of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). However, subsequent measurements have revised his height to 22,322 ft (6,804 m). In 1896–97 he explored the interior of 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...
, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, climbing Sorata (21,500 ft / 6,553 m) and Illimani (21,200 ft / 6,461 m). He also attempted Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
(22,831 ft / 6,959 m) stopping short of the summit by 50-ft and explored Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
making an attempt on Sarmiento . At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905, and served as President of the Alpine Club
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
for 1902–04 and became the first president of The Alpine Ski Club
Alpine Ski Club
- The Alpine Ski Club :The Alpine Ski Club is an active club of ski mountaineers based in the UK and the first ski mountaineering club in Great Britain.The objectives of the club are to:# Promote mountaineering on skis...
at its inaugural meeting in 1908.
Academic career
From 1882 to 1885, Conway was a Cambridge University extension lecturer. From 1884 to 1887 he was Professor of Art at University College, Liverpool; and from 1901 to 1904 he was SladeFelix Slade
Felix Joseph Slade FRA , was an English lawyer and collector of glass, books and engravings.A fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a philanthropist who endowed three Slade Professorships of Fine Art at Oxford University and Cambridge University, and at University College London, where he also...
Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
Range in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
three years earlier.
Political career
Conway had been involved in politics for some time, consorting with both major parties allegedly in pursuit of a knighthood and a barony; he received both. He was elected UnionistConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Combined English Universities
Combined English Universities (UK Parliament constituency)
Combined English Universities was a university constituency represented in the United Kingdom Parliament . It was formed by enfranchising and combining all the English Universities, except for Cambridge, Oxford and London, which were already separately represented.-Boundaries:This University...
in 1918, serving until 1931, when he was raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Conway of Allington, of Allington
Allington, Kent
Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated alongside the sides of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. It is part of the built-up area of Maidstone. It has 2 primary schools; Allington Primary and Palace Wood...
in the County of Kent.
Conway was first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle
Allington Castle
Allington Castle is a stone-built moated castle in Allington, just north of Maidstone, Kent in England.-History:Allington Castle is a Grade I listed building. Much of the stonework was laid in an intricate herringbone pattern which is still visible today...
.
Family
While touring art galleries in Italy in 1883, Conway met Katrina, the only child of Charles Lambard, of Augusta, MaineAugusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, builder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
, and stepdaughter of Manton Marble
Manton Marble
Manton Marble was a New York journalist. He was the proprietor and editor of the New York World from 1860 to 1876.-Life:Marble was born in Worchester, Massachusetts on November 16, 1835. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1855, at age 20...
, an investor and former editor and owner of the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
. Conway was already engaged to Rose Shakespear, but he broke this engagement, ostensibly on religious grounds, and married Katrina at Marble's home, 532 Fifth Avenue, New York, on 10 June 1884. Supported by Katrina's family, the couple moved to Park Street, London, where their only child, Agnes Conway
Agnes Conway
Agnes Ethel Conway was a British historian and archaeologist who worked in the Middle East from 1929-1936. She was noted for her work with her husband George Horsfield at Petra and Kilwa, and produced detailed studies of the history of her father's castle, Allington, in Kent which had been owned...
, was born on 2 May 1885. In 1924 Conway began a love affair with Monica Hadow, a divorcée forty-four years his junior with whom he worked, but this ended when she remarried in 1930. When his wife, Katrina, died on 22 November 1933, she left her estate, including Allington Castle, to their daughter, although Conway continued to live there and at Westminster. On 17 November 1934, he married Iva, daughter of Daniel Christian and widow of Reginald Lawson, of Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle is a castle in Saltwood village—which derives its name from the castle—1 mile north of Hythe, Kent, England.The castle is known as the site where the plot was hatched to assassinate Thomas Becket...
. He died aged 81 at the Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, on 19 April 1937, and a memorial service was held on 23 April at St Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
. This title became extinct on his death. His autobiography of 1932 was called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explained his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
Works on art
- History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century, 1884
- Early Flemish Artists, 1887
- The Literary Remains of Albrecht Dürer, 1889
- The Dawn of Art in the Ancient World, 1891, dealing with ChaldeanChaldean ChristiansChaldean Christians are ethnic Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, most of whom entered communion with the Catholic Church from the Church of the East, which was already Catholic, but most wanted to stray away from the Catholic Church, causing the split in the 17th and 18th...
, AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n and Egyptian art - Early Tuscan Artists, 1902
- Art Treasures of Soviet Russia, 1925
- Giorgione as a Landscape Painter, 1929
Mountaineering and travel works
- Climbing and Exploration in the KaraKoram Himalayas, 1894
- The Alps from End to End, 1895
- The First Crossing of Spitsbergen, 1897
- The Bolivian Andes, 1901
- Aconcagua and Tierra Del Fuego: A Book of Climbing, Travel and Exploration, 1902
- No Man's Land, a History of Spitsbergen from its discovery in 1596 to the beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country, 1906
- Mountain Memories, 1920
External links
William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (12 April 1856 at Rochester, England – 19 April 1937 at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), known as Sir Martin Conway between 1895 and 1931, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
Background and education
Conway was the son of Reverend William Conway, afterwards canon of WestminsterWestminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. He was educated at Repton
Repton
Repton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent floodplain in South Derbyshire, about north of Swadlincote. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about northeast of Burton upon Trent.-History:...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and became a close friend of Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson FRS was an influential English mathematician who has been credited for establishing the disciplineof mathematical statistics....
. He became interested in woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
and early printed books, an interest encouraged by the Cambridge University librarian, Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw may refer to:*Henry Bradshaw *Henry Bradshaw *Harry Bradshaw, Henry "Harry" Bradshaw, , English football manager*Harry Bradshaw...
. From 1880 Bradshaw financed Conway's tours of the principal libraries of Europe, on which Conway collected material for History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century (1884), the most learned of his thirty books.
Mountaineering
Conway climbed extensively in the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
as an undergraduate, and was elected to the Alpine Club
Alpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
in 1877. (He was president from 1902 to 1904.) In 1881 he published the Zermatt Pocketbook, the model for a series of Conway and Coolidge's Climbers' Guides, which he edited with W. A. B. Coolidge
W. A. B. Coolidge
William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge was an American historian, theologian and mountaineer.Coolidge was born in New York as the son of Frederic William Skinner Coolidge, a Boston merchant, and Elisabeth Neville Brevoort of the Netherlands. He studied history and law at St...
. Conway was responsible for many beautiful mountain names, such as Wellenkuppe
Wellenkuppe
The Wellenkuppe is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland.-External links:*...
, Windjoch, and Dent du Requin.
In 1892, in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and the British Association, he made an ascent of a subsidiary summit of Baltoro Kangri
Baltoro Kangri
Baltoro Kangri is a mountain of the Karakoram mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Baltoro Kangri is the 82nd highest mountain in the world with an elevation of . It lies to the south of the Gasherbrums and east of Chogolisa Peak...
, claiming a world altitude record
World altitude record (mountaineering)
In the history of mountaineering, the world altitude record referred to the highest point on the Earth's surface which had been reached, regardless of whether that point was an actual summit. The world summit record referred to the highest mountain to have been successfully climbed...
with a height of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). However, subsequent measurements have revised his height to 22,322 ft (6,804 m). In 1896–97 he explored the interior of 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...
, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, climbing Sorata (21,500 ft / 6,553 m) and Illimani (21,200 ft / 6,461 m). He also attempted Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
(22,831 ft / 6,959 m) stopping short of the summit by 50-ft and explored Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
making an attempt on Sarmiento . At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905, and served as President of the Alpine Club
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
for 1902–04 and became the first president of The Alpine Ski Club
Alpine Ski Club
- The Alpine Ski Club :The Alpine Ski Club is an active club of ski mountaineers based in the UK and the first ski mountaineering club in Great Britain.The objectives of the club are to:# Promote mountaineering on skis...
at its inaugural meeting in 1908.
Academic career
From 1882 to 1885, Conway was a Cambridge University extension lecturer. From 1884 to 1887 he was Professor of Art at University College, Liverpool; and from 1901 to 1904 he was SladeFelix Slade
Felix Joseph Slade FRA , was an English lawyer and collector of glass, books and engravings.A fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a philanthropist who endowed three Slade Professorships of Fine Art at Oxford University and Cambridge University, and at University College London, where he also...
Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
Range in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
three years earlier.
Political career
Conway had been involved in politics for some time, consorting with both major parties allegedly in pursuit of a knighthood and a barony; he received both. He was elected UnionistConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Combined English Universities
Combined English Universities (UK Parliament constituency)
Combined English Universities was a university constituency represented in the United Kingdom Parliament . It was formed by enfranchising and combining all the English Universities, except for Cambridge, Oxford and London, which were already separately represented.-Boundaries:This University...
in 1918, serving until 1931, when he was raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Conway of Allington, of Allington
Allington, Kent
Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated alongside the sides of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. It is part of the built-up area of Maidstone. It has 2 primary schools; Allington Primary and Palace Wood...
in the County of Kent.
Conway was first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle
Allington Castle
Allington Castle is a stone-built moated castle in Allington, just north of Maidstone, Kent in England.-History:Allington Castle is a Grade I listed building. Much of the stonework was laid in an intricate herringbone pattern which is still visible today...
.
Family
While touring art galleries in Italy in 1883, Conway met Katrina, the only child of Charles Lambard, of Augusta, MaineAugusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, builder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
, and stepdaughter of Manton Marble
Manton Marble
Manton Marble was a New York journalist. He was the proprietor and editor of the New York World from 1860 to 1876.-Life:Marble was born in Worchester, Massachusetts on November 16, 1835. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1855, at age 20...
, an investor and former editor and owner of the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
. Conway was already engaged to Rose Shakespear, but he broke this engagement, ostensibly on religious grounds, and married Katrina at Marble's home, 532 Fifth Avenue, New York, on 10 June 1884. Supported by Katrina's family, the couple moved to Park Street, London, where their only child, Agnes Conway
Agnes Conway
Agnes Ethel Conway was a British historian and archaeologist who worked in the Middle East from 1929-1936. She was noted for her work with her husband George Horsfield at Petra and Kilwa, and produced detailed studies of the history of her father's castle, Allington, in Kent which had been owned...
, was born on 2 May 1885. In 1924 Conway began a love affair with Monica Hadow, a divorcée forty-four years his junior with whom he worked, but this ended when she remarried in 1930. When his wife, Katrina, died on 22 November 1933, she left her estate, including Allington Castle, to their daughter, although Conway continued to live there and at Westminster. On 17 November 1934, he married Iva, daughter of Daniel Christian and widow of Reginald Lawson, of Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle is a castle in Saltwood village—which derives its name from the castle—1 mile north of Hythe, Kent, England.The castle is known as the site where the plot was hatched to assassinate Thomas Becket...
. He died aged 81 at the Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, on 19 April 1937, and a memorial service was held on 23 April at St Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
. This title became extinct on his death. His autobiography of 1932 was called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explained his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
Works on art
- History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century, 1884
- Early Flemish Artists, 1887
- The Literary Remains of Albrecht Dürer, 1889
- The Dawn of Art in the Ancient World, 1891, dealing with ChaldeanChaldean ChristiansChaldean Christians are ethnic Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, most of whom entered communion with the Catholic Church from the Church of the East, which was already Catholic, but most wanted to stray away from the Catholic Church, causing the split in the 17th and 18th...
, AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n and Egyptian art - Early Tuscan Artists, 1902
- Art Treasures of Soviet Russia, 1925
- Giorgione as a Landscape Painter, 1929
Mountaineering and travel works
- Climbing and Exploration in the KaraKoram Himalayas, 1894
- The Alps from End to End, 1895
- The First Crossing of Spitsbergen, 1897
- The Bolivian Andes, 1901
- Aconcagua and Tierra Del Fuego: A Book of Climbing, Travel and Exploration, 1902
- No Man's Land, a History of Spitsbergen from its discovery in 1596 to the beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country, 1906
- Mountain Memories, 1920
External links
William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington (12 April 1856 at Rochester, England – 19 April 1937 at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), known as Sir Martin Conway between 1895 and 1931, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
Background and education
Conway was the son of Reverend William Conway, afterwards canon of WestminsterWestminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. He was educated at Repton
Repton
Repton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent floodplain in South Derbyshire, about north of Swadlincote. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about northeast of Burton upon Trent.-History:...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he studied mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and became a close friend of Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson FRS was an influential English mathematician who has been credited for establishing the disciplineof mathematical statistics....
. He became interested in woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
and early printed books, an interest encouraged by the Cambridge University librarian, Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw
Henry Bradshaw may refer to:*Henry Bradshaw *Henry Bradshaw *Harry Bradshaw, Henry "Harry" Bradshaw, , English football manager*Harry Bradshaw...
. From 1880 Bradshaw financed Conway's tours of the principal libraries of Europe, on which Conway collected material for History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century (1884), the most learned of his thirty books.
Mountaineering
Conway climbed extensively in the AlpsAlps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
as an undergraduate, and was elected to the Alpine Club
Alpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
in 1877. (He was president from 1902 to 1904.) In 1881 he published the Zermatt Pocketbook, the model for a series of Conway and Coolidge's Climbers' Guides, which he edited with W. A. B. Coolidge
W. A. B. Coolidge
William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge was an American historian, theologian and mountaineer.Coolidge was born in New York as the son of Frederic William Skinner Coolidge, a Boston merchant, and Elisabeth Neville Brevoort of the Netherlands. He studied history and law at St...
. Conway was responsible for many beautiful mountain names, such as Wellenkuppe
Wellenkuppe
The Wellenkuppe is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland.-External links:*...
, Windjoch, and Dent du Requin.
In 1892, in the course of an exploring and mountaineering expedition undertaken under the auspices of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
and the British Association, he made an ascent of a subsidiary summit of Baltoro Kangri
Baltoro Kangri
Baltoro Kangri is a mountain of the Karakoram mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Baltoro Kangri is the 82nd highest mountain in the world with an elevation of . It lies to the south of the Gasherbrums and east of Chogolisa Peak...
, claiming a world altitude record
World altitude record (mountaineering)
In the history of mountaineering, the world altitude record referred to the highest point on the Earth's surface which had been reached, regardless of whether that point was an actual summit. The world summit record referred to the highest mountain to have been successfully climbed...
with a height of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). However, subsequent measurements have revised his height to 22,322 ft (6,804 m). In 1896–97 he explored the interior of 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...
, and the following year he explored and surveyed the Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, climbing Sorata (21,500 ft / 6,553 m) and Illimani (21,200 ft / 6,461 m). He also attempted Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
(22,831 ft / 6,959 m) stopping short of the summit by 50-ft and explored Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
making an attempt on Sarmiento . At the Paris exhibition of 1900 he received the gold medal for mountain surveys, and the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1905, and served as President of the Alpine Club
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
for 1902–04 and became the first president of The Alpine Ski Club
Alpine Ski Club
- The Alpine Ski Club :The Alpine Ski Club is an active club of ski mountaineers based in the UK and the first ski mountaineering club in Great Britain.The objectives of the club are to:# Promote mountaineering on skis...
at its inaugural meeting in 1908.
Academic career
From 1882 to 1885, Conway was a Cambridge University extension lecturer. From 1884 to 1887 he was Professor of Art at University College, Liverpool; and from 1901 to 1904 he was SladeFelix Slade
Felix Joseph Slade FRA , was an English lawyer and collector of glass, books and engravings.A fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a philanthropist who endowed three Slade Professorships of Fine Art at Oxford University and Cambridge University, and at University College London, where he also...
Professor of Fine Arts at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1895 for his efforts in mapping 5,180 square km of the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
Range in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
three years earlier.
Political career
Conway had been involved in politics for some time, consorting with both major parties allegedly in pursuit of a knighthood and a barony; he received both. He was elected UnionistConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Combined English Universities
Combined English Universities (UK Parliament constituency)
Combined English Universities was a university constituency represented in the United Kingdom Parliament . It was formed by enfranchising and combining all the English Universities, except for Cambridge, Oxford and London, which were already separately represented.-Boundaries:This University...
in 1918, serving until 1931, when he was raised to the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
as Baron Conway of Allington, of Allington
Allington, Kent
Allington is an almost entirely modern village situated alongside the sides of the A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. It is part of the built-up area of Maidstone. It has 2 primary schools; Allington Primary and Palace Wood...
in the County of Kent.
Conway was first Director-General of the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. His photograph collection formed the basis of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
in London. He was also responsible for the restoration of Allington Castle
Allington Castle
Allington Castle is a stone-built moated castle in Allington, just north of Maidstone, Kent in England.-History:Allington Castle is a Grade I listed building. Much of the stonework was laid in an intricate herringbone pattern which is still visible today...
.
Family
While touring art galleries in Italy in 1883, Conway met Katrina, the only child of Charles Lambard, of Augusta, MaineAugusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, builder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
, and stepdaughter of Manton Marble
Manton Marble
Manton Marble was a New York journalist. He was the proprietor and editor of the New York World from 1860 to 1876.-Life:Marble was born in Worchester, Massachusetts on November 16, 1835. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1855, at age 20...
, an investor and former editor and owner of the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
. Conway was already engaged to Rose Shakespear, but he broke this engagement, ostensibly on religious grounds, and married Katrina at Marble's home, 532 Fifth Avenue, New York, on 10 June 1884. Supported by Katrina's family, the couple moved to Park Street, London, where their only child, Agnes Conway
Agnes Conway
Agnes Ethel Conway was a British historian and archaeologist who worked in the Middle East from 1929-1936. She was noted for her work with her husband George Horsfield at Petra and Kilwa, and produced detailed studies of the history of her father's castle, Allington, in Kent which had been owned...
, was born on 2 May 1885. In 1924 Conway began a love affair with Monica Hadow, a divorcée forty-four years his junior with whom he worked, but this ended when she remarried in 1930. When his wife, Katrina, died on 22 November 1933, she left her estate, including Allington Castle, to their daughter, although Conway continued to live there and at Westminster. On 17 November 1934, he married Iva, daughter of Daniel Christian and widow of Reginald Lawson, of Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle
Saltwood Castle is a castle in Saltwood village—which derives its name from the castle—1 mile north of Hythe, Kent, England.The castle is known as the site where the plot was hatched to assassinate Thomas Becket...
. He died aged 81 at the Empire Nursing Home, Vincent Square, London, on 19 April 1937, and a memorial service was held on 23 April at St Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
. This title became extinct on his death. His autobiography of 1932 was called Episodes in a Varied Life, while 1914's The Sport of Collecting explained his passion for collecting artworks, photographs, etc. For a biography see The Conways by Joan Evans.
Works on art
- History of the Woodcutters of the Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century, 1884
- Early Flemish Artists, 1887
- The Literary Remains of Albrecht Dürer, 1889
- The Dawn of Art in the Ancient World, 1891, dealing with ChaldeanChaldean ChristiansChaldean Christians are ethnic Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, most of whom entered communion with the Catholic Church from the Church of the East, which was already Catholic, but most wanted to stray away from the Catholic Church, causing the split in the 17th and 18th...
, AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n and Egyptian art - Early Tuscan Artists, 1902
- Art Treasures of Soviet Russia, 1925
- Giorgione as a Landscape Painter, 1929
Mountaineering and travel works
- Climbing and Exploration in the KaraKoram Himalayas, 1894
- The Alps from End to End, 1895
- The First Crossing of Spitsbergen, 1897
- The Bolivian Andes, 1901
- Aconcagua and Tierra Del Fuego: A Book of Climbing, Travel and Exploration, 1902
- No Man's Land, a History of Spitsbergen from its discovery in 1596 to the beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country, 1906
- Mountain Memories, 1920