John Birkbeck (6 July 1817 – 31 July 1890) was a Yorkshireman, banker, alpinist, and pioneer potholer.
Early life and career
Born in
Settle
Settle or SETTLE may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
* Settle, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community
* Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England
** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district
Music
* Settle (band), an in ...
and educated at the local
Giggleswick School
Giggleswick School is a public school (English private boarding and day school) in Giggleswick, near Settle, North Yorkshire, England. Early school
In 1499, Giggleswick School was founded on half an acre of land leased by the Prior and Co ...
and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
(although, as a Quaker, he could not take a degree) he spent most of his life in his home town where he was a partner in the Craven Bank, which his family had established in 1791. He was also a justice of the peace in later life. The family home was Anley (now a nursing home).
Caving
His name is remembered for his involvement in some early explorations of some of the potholes of
Ingleborough
Ingleborough () is the List of peaks in the Yorkshire Dales, second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent), and is frequently climbed as part of ...
, especially
Gaping Gill and
Alum Pot, although the records are sparse.
Around 1842, Birkbeck had the water from Fell Beck diverted down 'the Birkbeck Trench' and went first 100 and then 190 feet down the Main Shaft of Gaping Gill, where there is a ledge which now bears his name, but then 'barred further descent'; no further attempts reached the bottom until
Martel reached the Main Chamber, another 170 feet lower, in 1895.
In 1847, Birkbeck provided ropes to enable the first recorded descent of Alum Pot, made via Long Churn cave. The bottom was not reached on that occasion, but in the following year a direct descent was made of the main shaft, followed by further descents to where 'the water sank in a quiet rotary pool, so that further progress was impossible'. He was also there for the next descent, which was not until 1870 but is better known as it was described by
William Boyd Dawkins
Sir William Boyd Dawkins (26 December 183715 January 1929) was a British geologist and archaeologist. He was a member of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, Curator of the Manchester Museum and Professor of Geology at Owens College, M ...
in his book, Cave Hunting published in 1874.
Dawkins 1874, Cave Hunting pp.41-47
/ref>
Mountaineering
He was a member of the party which made the first ascent of Monte Rosa
Monte Rosa (; ; ; or ; ) is a mountain massif in the eastern part of the Pennine Alps, on the border between Italy (Piedmont and Aosta Valley) and Switzerland (Valais). The highest peak of the massif, amongst several peaks of over , is the D ...
in 1855 and, in 1857, a founder member of the Alpine Club
Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...
, having been a friend of its first president, John Ball, at Cambridge.
See also
* Caving in the United Kingdom
Recreational caving in the United Kingdom dates back to the mid-19th century. The four major caving areas of the United Kingdom are North Yorkshire, South Wales, Derbyshire, and the Mendips. Minor areas include Devon, North Wales, and the Scottis ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birkbeck, John
British cavers
1817 births
1890 deaths