Llewellyn W. Longstaff
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Llewellyn Wood Longstaff OBE
(1841–1918) was an English industrialist and member of the Royal Geographical Society
. He is best known for being the chief private-sector patron and financial angel of the Discovery Expedition
to the Antarctic.
, London
, on 23 December 1841. He married Marie Lydia Sawyer, with whom he had 10 children, including mountaineer Tom George Longstaff. He owned a significant equity share in Blundell Spence & Co., a ₤400,000 firm based in Kingston upon Hull
that crushed linseed oil
to manufacture oil paint
. He was also a member of several nongovernmental organizations, including the Freemasons, the Hull Chamber of Commerce and Shipping, and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).
Longstaff's Society membership coincided with the presidency of longtime RGS leader Sir Clements Markham
, whose dream was to organize a British expedition to the then-unknown Antarctic continent. Markham's initial efforts to lobby for funds were met with indifference in London; but Longstaff's friendship with Markham made it possible for the impecunious expedition plans to move forward, as the industrialist pledged in 1899 to donate ₤25,000 sterling. The British government then promised to appropriate ₤40,000 as matching funds
, thus creating a budget to support the construction in 1900-1901 of a ship for the expedition, RRS Discovery
. The ship, partly paid for by Longstaff, would be commanded by Markham's protégé Robert Falcon Scott
.
The paint manufacturer's donation gave him the standing to recommend potential expedition members to Markham. After Sir Llewellen's son Cedric befriended a junior Union Castle merchant navy officer while their ship was heading for South Africa, young Cedric recommended his friend to Longstaff's attention. Longstaff got the sea officer, Ernest Shackleton
, a crucial interview with Markham that led to his selection for the expedition. The Discovery Expedition sailed south, with Scott as commander and Shackleton as a key officer, in August 1901. The expedition members treated Longstaff in absentia
as their principal patron, and in December 1902 Scott and Shackleton, in a probe southward over the Ross Ice Shelf
, discovered and named the Longstaff Peaks
, a mountain system in the Holland Range
.
Longstaff died on 20 November 1918 in Wimbledon
, London. The RRS Discovery, built with his donation, was preserved as a historic landmark. As of 2011 it is permanently moored in Dundee
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1841–1918) was an English industrialist and member of 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...
. He is best known for being the chief private-sector patron and financial angel of the Discovery Expedition
Discovery Expedition
The British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, generally known as the Discovery Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since James Clark Ross's voyage sixty years earlier...
to the Antarctic.
Antarctic patron
Llewellyn Longstaff was born in WandsworthWandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, 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...
, on 23 December 1841. He married Marie Lydia Sawyer, with whom he had 10 children, including mountaineer Tom George Longstaff. He owned a significant equity share in Blundell Spence & Co., a ₤400,000 firm based in Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
that crushed linseed oil
Linseed oil
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil, is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction...
to manufacture oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
. He was also a member of several nongovernmental organizations, including the Freemasons, the Hull Chamber of Commerce and Shipping, and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).
Longstaff's Society membership coincided with the presidency of longtime RGS leader Sir Clements Markham
Clements Markham
Sir Clements Robert Markham KCB FRS was an English geographer, explorer, and writer. He was secretary of the Royal Geographical Society between 1863 and 1888, and later served as the Society's president for a further 12 years...
, whose dream was to organize a British expedition to the then-unknown Antarctic continent. Markham's initial efforts to lobby for funds were met with indifference in London; but Longstaff's friendship with Markham made it possible for the impecunious expedition plans to move forward, as the industrialist pledged in 1899 to donate ₤25,000 sterling. The British government then promised to appropriate ₤40,000 as matching funds
Matching funds
Matching funds, a term used to describe the requirement or condition that a generally minimal amount of money or services-in-kind originate from the beneficiaries of financial amounts, usually for a purpose of charitable or public good.-Charitable causes:...
, thus creating a budget to support the construction in 1900-1901 of a ship for the expedition, RRS Discovery
RRS Discovery
The RRS Discovery was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain. Designed for Antarctic research, she was launched in 1901. Her first mission was the British National Antarctic Expedition, carrying Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their first, successful...
. The ship, partly paid for by Longstaff, would be commanded by Markham's protégé Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
.
The paint manufacturer's donation gave him the standing to recommend potential expedition members to Markham. After Sir Llewellen's son Cedric befriended a junior Union Castle merchant navy officer while their ship was heading for South Africa, young Cedric recommended his friend to Longstaff's attention. Longstaff got the sea officer, Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
, a crucial interview with Markham that led to his selection for the expedition. The Discovery Expedition sailed south, with Scott as commander and Shackleton as a key officer, in August 1901. The expedition members treated Longstaff in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
as their principal patron, and in December 1902 Scott and Shackleton, in a probe southward over the Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
, discovered and named the Longstaff Peaks
Longstaff Peaks
Longstaff Peaks is a series of high peaks standing just west of Davidson Glacier in the N-central part of the Holland Range. Discovered by the Discovery expedition , and named Mount Longstaff for Llewellyn W. Longstaff, principal contributor to the expedition. The descriptive term was amended by...
, a mountain system in the Holland Range
Holland Range
Holland Range is a rugged coastal range, about 60 nautical miles long, lying just west of the Ross Ice Shelf and extending from the Robb Glacier to Lennox-King Glacier. Named by the Ross Sea Committee for Sir Sidney Holland, who as Prime Minister of New Zealand supported that nation's...
.
Longstaff died on 20 November 1918 in Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
, London. The RRS Discovery, built with his donation, was preserved as a historic landmark. As of 2011 it is permanently moored in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
.