Jane Inglis Clark (1859/1860–1950) was a Scottish mountaineer and rock climber. She co-founded the

Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club The Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club was founded by Jane Inglis Clark, her daughter Mabel, and Lucy Smith at a boulder near Lix Toll, Perthshire in 1908. It now has about 120 members and is the oldest active climbing club exclusively for wome ...

with Lucy Smith and Mabel Clark in 1908.

Life

Inglis Clark was born Jane Isabella Shannon to Isabella Struthers Wilson and David Shannon, a tea planter. In 1884 she married William Inglis Clark and they had two children, Mabel Clark (1885-1967) and Charles Clark (1888-1918). During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Inglis Clark was a Voluntary Aid Detachment Commandant for the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. From 1919-1938 she was a parish and county councillor in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, where she also served as a Justice of the Peace. Cic-1

Mountaineering

Inglis Clark was a keen

hillwalker Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiva ...

who discovered

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

in 1897. With a natural aptitude for climbing difficult routes, from 1897 to 1904, Inglis Clark was part of six first ascents on

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; , ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles. Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Highland region of Lochaber, close to the town of Fort William. The mount ...

. She was proud to be a pioneer and was keen to encourage other women to take up mountaineering. Since women were not allowed to join the all-male

Scottish Mountaineering Club Established in 1889, the Scottish Mountaineering Club is a club for climbing and mountaineering in Scotland. History The Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in March 1889, as one of Scotland's first mountaineering ...

, Inglis Clark, together with Lucy Smith and her daughter Mabel founded the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club in 1908. The Club's purpose was "to bring together Ladies who are lovers of mountain-climbing, and to encourage mountaineering in Scotland, in winter as well as in summer." Inglis Clark wrote about her mountaineering experiences in her book ''Pictures and Memories'', published in 1938, which also commemorates women’s increased participation in climbing. Cic-2

Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut

As a memorial of their son, a keen mountaineer who was killed in the First World War, Jane and William Inglis Clark funded the Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut on Ben Nevis, which opened in 1929. Archive footage shows mountaineers gathering on Ben Nevis for the opening ceremony.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Inglis Clark, Jane 19th-century births 1950 deaths Year of birth uncertain People associated with Edinburgh Scottish mountain climbers British female climbers Scottish women activists Scottish justices of the peace Scottish women's rights activists