William Penhall
Encyclopedia
William Penhall was an English
mountaineer
.
LSA (born 1833 at St Pancras
, Middlesex
, in 1871 a general practitioner
in Hastings
, Sussex
), Penhall was educated at Trinity College
, Cambridge
, where he graduated BA
in 1881. At the time of the 1881 census
, he was enumerated at Trinity, giving his place of birth as Hastings, Sussex, and his occupation as "No Occ."
of a number of peaks and routes in the Alps
during the silver age of alpinism
.
Together with Martin Conway, G. S. Scriven and guides Ferdinand Imseng and Peter and M. Truffer he made the first ascent (in two and a half hours) of the west face of the Zinalrothorn
in August 1878.Helmut Dumler and Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps, London: Diadem, 1994, p. 139. With Albert Frederick Mummery and guides Alexander Burgener and Ferdinand Imseng he made the first ascent of the Dürrenhorn
on 7 September 1879.The High Mountains of the Alps, p. 71.
Penhall was involved in a race with Mummery to be the first to climb the Zmutt ridge of the Matterhorn
, a race which Mummery eventually won. According to Penhall, his interest in finding a new way up the mountain had been kindled by Edward Whymper
's account of the successful first ascent in 1865 in Scrambles amongst the Alps.William Penhall, 'The Matterhorn from the Zmutt Glacier', Alpine Journal, Vol. IX, reprinted in Peaks, Passes and Glaciers, ed. Walt Unsworth, London: Allen Lane, 1981, pp. 64–72. As Mummery and Burgener approached the mountain to attempt the ridge they met Penhall, and guides Ferdinand Imseng and Louis Zurbrücken, who had retreated from the mountain after a bad-weather bivouac on the ridge. After a brief rest in Zermatt
, Penhall returned to the Matterhorn, making the first ascent of the its west face on 3 September 1879, a harder climb than the Zmutt ridge; his party reached the summit one hour after Mummery's.The High Mountains of the Alps, p. 151. Penhall wrote an account of the west face climb in the Alpine Journal
entitled 'The Matterhorn from the Zmutt Glacier'. The Penhall Couloir on the west face is named after him.Robin G. Collomb, Pennine Alps Central, London: Alpine Club, 1975, p. 258.
guide Andreas Maurer were killed by an avalanche high up on the Wetterhorn
on 3 August 1882. Penhall and Maurer share a double gravestone in the Grindelwald
cemetery.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
.
Life and family
The son of Dr John Penhall MRCSMembership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
LSA (born 1833 at St Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, in 1871 a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, 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...
), Penhall was educated at Trinity College
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...
, Cambridge
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...
, where he graduated BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1881. At the time of the 1881 census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
, he was enumerated at Trinity, giving his place of birth as Hastings, Sussex, and his occupation as "No Occ."
First ascents
Penhall made the first ascentFirst ascent
In climbing, a first ascent is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route...
of a number of peaks and routes in the Alps
Alps
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....
during the silver age of alpinism
Silver age of alpinism
The silver age of alpinism is the name given to the era in mountaineering that began after Edward Whymper and party's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 and ended with W. W...
.
Together with Martin Conway, G. S. Scriven and guides Ferdinand Imseng and Peter and M. Truffer he made the first ascent (in two and a half hours) of the west face of the Zinalrothorn
Zinalrothorn
The Zinalrothorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. Its name comes from the village of Zinal lying on the north side and from the German word Rothorn which means Red Peak...
in August 1878.Helmut Dumler and Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps, London: Diadem, 1994, p. 139. With Albert Frederick Mummery and guides Alexander Burgener and Ferdinand Imseng he made the first ascent of the Dürrenhorn
Dürrenhorn
The Dürrenhorn is a summit in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It lies towards the northern end of the Nadelgrat, a high-level ridge running roughly north–south above the resort of Saas-Fee to the east, and the Mattertal to the west. It is part of the Mischabel range, which culminates at the Dom...
on 7 September 1879.The High Mountains of the Alps, p. 71.
Penhall was involved in a race with Mummery to be the first to climb the Zmutt ridge of the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
, a race which Mummery eventually won. According to Penhall, his interest in finding a new way up the mountain had been kindled by Edward Whymper
Edward Whymper
Edward Whymper , was an English illustrator, climber and explorer best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. On the descent four members of the party were killed.-Early life:...
's account of the successful first ascent in 1865 in Scrambles amongst the Alps.William Penhall, 'The Matterhorn from the Zmutt Glacier', Alpine Journal, Vol. IX, reprinted in Peaks, Passes and Glaciers, ed. Walt Unsworth, London: Allen Lane, 1981, pp. 64–72. As Mummery and Burgener approached the mountain to attempt the ridge they met Penhall, and guides Ferdinand Imseng and Louis Zurbrücken, who had retreated from the mountain after a bad-weather bivouac on the ridge. After a brief rest in Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
, Penhall returned to the Matterhorn, making the first ascent of the its west face on 3 September 1879, a harder climb than the Zmutt ridge; his party reached the summit one hour after Mummery's.The High Mountains of the Alps, p. 151. Penhall wrote an account of the west face climb in the Alpine Journal
Alpine Journal
The Alpine Journal is the yearly publication of the Alpine Club of London. It is the oldest mountaineering journal in the world.-History:The journal was first published on 2 March 1863 by the publishing house of Longmans in London, with Hereford Brooke George as its first editor...
entitled 'The Matterhorn from the Zmutt Glacier'. The Penhall Couloir on the west face is named after him.Robin G. Collomb, Pennine Alps Central, London: Alpine Club, 1975, p. 258.
Death
Penhall and MeiringenMeiringen
-References:...
guide Andreas Maurer were killed by an avalanche high up on the Wetterhorn
Wetterhorn
The Wetterhorn is a mountain in the Swiss Alps close to the village of Grindelwald. First climbed in 1844, the 1854 ascent by Alfred Wills and party is more celebrated and is generally regarded to have marked the beginning of the golden age of alpinism.The mountain is composed of three distinct...
on 3 August 1882. Penhall and Maurer share a double gravestone in the Grindelwald
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at above sea level in the Bernese Alps.-Winter sports:...
cemetery.