Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim (12 June 1826 – 30 September 1886) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer, Arctic explorer, barrister, and author. He was the first man who travelled from a ship on the eastern side of the

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...

to one on the western side.

Early years

Pim was born in

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, son of Edward Bedford Pim of Weirhead,

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, a

British navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer who died of yellow fever in 1830 off the coast of Africa while engaged in the suppression of the slave trade, and Sophia Soltau Harrison, eldest daughter of John Fairweather Harrison, Esquire of

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

. Educated at the

Royal Naval School The Royal Naval School was an English school that was established in Camberwell, London, in 1833 and then formally constituted by the ( 3 & 4 Vict. c. lxxxvi). It was a charitable institution, established as a boarding school for the sons ...

, the younger Pim went to India in the

British Merchant Navy The British Merchant Navy is the collective name given to British civilian ships and their associated crews, including officers and ratings. In the UK, it is simply referred to as the Merchant Navy or MN. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensi ...

, and in 1842, upon return to England, was appointed a volunteer in the Royal Navy.

Career

In 1845, Pim was posted to the

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pu ...

, HMS ''Herald'', under Captain

Henry Kellett Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett, (2 November 1806 – 1 March 1875) was an Irish naval officer and explorer. Career Born at Clonacody in Tipperary County, Ireland, on 2 November 1806, Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822. He spent three years ...

. By 1846 he was in command of the 'Owen,' one of the Herlad's tenders which made extensive surveys on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Central America. In 1847 he travelled with

Berthold Carl Seemann Berthold Carl Seemann (25 February 1825, in Kingdom of Hanover – 10 October 1871, in Nicaragua) was a German botanist. He travelled widely and collected and described plants from the Pacific and South America. In 1844 he travelled to the Unit ...

on a journey across the Cordillera of the Andes. He also took part in surveys in the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; ), commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and from Cape Dub ...

, the western coast of South America, and north to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. During this time he took part in three detours to search for the missing Sir

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...

expedition. He transferred from ''Herald'' to HMS ''Plover'', wintering at

Chamisso Island Chamisso Island ( Iñupiaq: ''Iguaġvik'') is a small island in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska. It is located off Spafarief Bay at the mouth of Eschscholtz Bay, just south of the Choris Peninsula. The island is roughly triangular. It is long and an ...

Kotzebue Sound Kotzebue Sound is an arm of the Chukchi Sea in the western region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is on the north side of the Seward Peninsula and bounded on the east by the Baldwin Peninsula. It is long and wide. Kotzebue Sound is located in ...

during 1849/50, spending considerable time with the local Malimiut, before returning to ''Herald''. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1851, and in April 1852 he returned to the Arctic, taking part in the rescue of

Robert McClure Vice-Admiral Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure (28 January 1807 – 17 October 1873) was an Irish explorer who explored the Arctic. In 1854 he traversed the Northwest Passage by boat and sledge, and was the first to circumnavigate the ...

and the crew of . Pim was the first man to travel from a ship on the eastern side of the

to one on the western side. Pim served in the Baltic in 1855 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

commanding HMS ''Magpie'' where he was wounded. He was wounded again in 1857 while commanding HMS ''Banterer'' in Chinese waters. He was made a commander in 1858. The following year, he investigated the possibility of a transoceanic canal and became a proponent of the

Nicaragua Canal Attempts to build a canal across Nicaragua to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean stretch back to the early colonial era. Construction of such a shipping route—using the San Juan River as an access route to Lake Nicaragua—was ...

. Pim went to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

in command of HMS ''Gorgon'' in 1860 and returned home on HMS ''Fury''. He made post captain in 1868 and was compulsorily retired in 1870. He studied law after retirement and was

called to the Bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1873. Pim practiced law in Bristol, mainly on admiralty cases, and became a magistrate for the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. He wrote, ''When Do Sheriffs Take Office?'' in 1879. A

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, Pim stood unsuccessfully for election in

in July 1865 and

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

in December 1868. He was elected Member of Parliament for Gravesend in 1874. Pim was made rear-admiral in 1885. Pim wrote several articles, books, and pamphlets. "Remarks on the

Isthmus of Suez The Isthmus of Suez is the land bridge"Suez Canal."< ...

, with Special Reference to the Proposed Canal" was published in the ''Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London'' in 1859, and ''Proposed Transit-Route across Central America, from a New Harbour in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

'' was published three years later. His 1839 ''A Brief sketch of the life of the late

Zachary Macaulay Zachary Macaulay (; 2 May 1768 – 13 May 1838) was a Scottish statistician and abolitionist who was a founder of London University and of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, and a Governor of British Sierra Leone. Early life Macaulay wa ...

, Esq., F.R.S. As connected with the subjects of the abolition of the slave trade and slavery'' was his only biography. His journals as a

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

aboard the ''

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

'' provided most of the discussion for the Arctic portions of the six-year cruise.

Organisations

Pim belonged to several scientific organisations. He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

in 1854. In 1861, he became an associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers. He was also an honorary member of the

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

Science Society.

Personal life

Pim was a major landowner in Central America and the Caribbean. He married Susanna Locock on 3 October 1861 and they had two sons, including the Rev. Henry Bedford Pim. They lived for a time at Belsize and

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

. Pim died at

Deal, Kent Deal is a coastal town in Kent, England, which lies where the North Sea and the English Channel meet, north-east of Dover, England, Dover and south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town whose history is closely linked t ...

, England, on 30 September 1886. A brass plaque honoring Pim was moved in 1981 from The Missions to Seamen Institute to St. Nicholas Church,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England. Pim was a virulent racist. In both ''The Negro and Jamaica'' and ''Dottings on the Roadside'' he articulated personal concerns with the supposed "savagery" of African peoples. Despite the acclaim Pim has garnered for his explorations, many of his personal observations of Africans in Jamaica perpetuated falsely racist claims about cannibalism and profligacy.

Legacy

Pim Island (2005) *

Pim Island Pim Island (previously Bedford Pim Island) is an uninhabited island located off the eastern coast of Ellesmere Island, part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Located within the Arctic Archipelago, it is a part of t ...

, Nunavut, Canada. * Pim's Bay (variant Monkey Point), of Greytown, Nicaragua

Partial works

* (1857) ''An earnest appeal to the British public on behalf of the missing Arctic Expedition.'' * (1858) ''Notes on Cherbourg.'' * (1863) '' The Gate of the Pacific.'' * (1868) ''The negro and Jamaica. Read before the Anthropological Society of London, etc.'' * (1869) ''Dottings on the Roadside in Panama, Nicaragua, and Mosquito ... Illustrated with plates and maps.'' * (s.d.) ''War chronicle, with memoirs of the emperor Napoleon III, the emperor-King William I, map and official documents, from the breaking out of the war to the final evacuation of French territory by the German troops.'' *I''n the 1870s he was the proprietor of a newspaper "The Navy Royal and Mercantile". Edition no.38 volume II bears the date "Saturday, Feb 13, 1875".'' * (1876) '' British Manufacturing Industries series'', vol. 10: "Ship-building" * (1877) ''The Eastern question, past, present and future : with official documents.'' * (1881). ''Gems from Greenwich Hospital.'' * (1883). ''Transit across Central America.''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pim, Bedford 1826 births 1886 deaths British explorers of the Arctic Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Members of the Inner Temple Writers from Bideford Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War Royal Navy personnel of the Second Opium War UK MPs 1874–1880 Military personnel from Bideford