Joyce Dunsheath (8 November 1902 – 30 July 1976), née Cissie Providence Houchen, was an English mountaineer, traveller, explorer and writer.

Personal life

Born in Heigham, near

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, she was the daughter of Charles Houchen, insurance clerk, and Gertrude Providence, née Balls. She married in 1938 Percy Dunsheath (1886–1979). He was a renowned electrical engineer and writer and a widower. Joyce had met him during a skiing holiday in the

Austrian Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps, comprise the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slov ...

. She and Percy shared a love for travel, mountaineering and exploration. They made their home at St Paul,

Abinger Hammer Abinger Hammer is a village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It lies in the Vale of Holmesdale in the Surrey Hills National Landscape and is located on the A25 about east of Guildford and west of Dorking. The village is name ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. Dunsworth was a keen

Girl Guide Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of The Girl Guides ...

member. During WWII she was district commissioner for Poplar and in Surrey, where she also ran a Brownie pack. She subsequently became division commissioner and chair of the training committee for

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

Education & awards

She obtained a Degree in Modern Languages at Bedford College,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, in 1924. She was a 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 ...

from 1951. In 1956 she 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 ...

, serving in its council from 1965 to 1968. She also took a BSc degree when in her sixties, and an

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

Russian.

Climbing and exploration

In 1956 she set off to explore the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

in an expedition together with Eileen Gregory, biochemist, and Frances Delaney, geologist, and Hilda Reid, nurse. The target was the little known mountainous territory in the Kulu district of

East Punjab East Punjab was a state of Dominion of India from 1947 until 1950. It consisted parts of the Punjab Province of British India that remained in India following the partition of the state between the new dominions of Pakistan and India by the ...

. Driving all the way the 9000 miles from her home in Surrey was an exploration in itself, she managed to reach Manali, the "Darjeeling" of the Kulu district in seven weeks. Thanks to a grant of £500 from the Everest Foundation, she was able to survey thoroughly the Bara Shigri Glacier, by means of plane-table and panoramic camera, in order to compile subsequently a detailed map based on her detailed processing of her photographs and figures. In July 1957 she climbed the highest mountain in Europe, the 18,000 feet high, snow-capped

Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the south ...

, in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region, walking through its western, central regions, and in

Svaneti Svaneti (Svan language, Svan: შუ̂ან, ლემშუ̂ანიერა; ''shwan, lemshwaniera'', and Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georg ...

a, Georgia. The whole area had been shut to the public since the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, and she was able to access it thanks to an invitation from the deputy Minister of Electric Power Stations, who had been in touch with her husband Percy about organizing an international electro-technical conference in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. In 1961, she climbed

Mount Damavand Mount Damavand ( ) is a Volcano#Dormant, dormant stratovolcano and is the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia, the List of volcanoes by elevation, highest volcano in Asia, and the 3rd highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere (after Mount K ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The account of her journey and her companion Eleanor Baillie in this expedition can be read on her published book ''Afghan Quest'' (Harrap, 1961). In 1964 she was invited by Bharat Scouts and Guides' Association to lead a team of six Indian women, aged between 18 and 31, to climb Mount

Mrigthuni Mrigthuni () is a mountain of Kumaon Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. Mrigthuni standing majestically at 6855 meter 22,490 feet. Its joint 28th highest located entirely within the Uttarakhand, India. Nanda Devi is the highest mountain in this cate ...

, 22,490 feet high, between the frontiers of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, in the

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India * Ga ...

Himalayas. Following the successful ascent of

Mount Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at it ...

by Sherpa Tensing in the team led by Sir John Hunt's in 1953, there was a very active interest in climbing in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, with climbing courses becoming very popular. The expedition was successful, and "would make the path easier in all senses for future generations of Indian women". She also climbed in the

Japanese Alps The is a series of mountain ranges in Japan which bisect the main island of Honshu. The peaks that tower over central Honshu have long been the object of veneration and pilgrimage. These mountains had long been exploited by local people for raw m ...

, the Canadian Rockies, visited the Peruvian

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

in 1965, and in 1973 she added

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

and

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Meru people, Meru: ''Kĩrĩmaara,'' Kikuyu people, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba: ''Ki nyaa'', Embu language, Embu: ''Kĩ nyaga'') is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highe ...

to her list of successful climbs.

Publications

Her accounts and memories were published in three books: *''Mountains and Memsahibs'', 1956 with the other members of the expedition to the Bara-Shigri glacier *''Guest of the Soviets'', 1959 *''Afghan Quest'', 1961 Together with a number of articles in the '' Ladies Alpine Club Journal''.

Legacy

She was a paladin of a conception of mountaineering in its purest sense, free from professionalism and competition, and she petitioned passionately to promote her views. According to her, the right approach to it was to regard it as "a sport to be enjoyed ... to harden the body and learn the skills which will make for success ... each one matching her own strength against the strength of the mountain ... involving the whole man, physical, mental and spiritual ... those gaining the summit know that the spirit of the hill is not of this world".

References

External links

Joyce Dunsheath
"Mrigthuni"
''

Himalayan Journal The ''Himalayan Journal'' is the annual magazine of the Himalayan Club in India. History and profile The magazine was established in 1929. The first editor-in-chief was the English geographer Kenneth Mason. He was a surveyor operating from Shi ...

'' 26, 1965. Diary of the Mrigthuni climb and view a picture of the Indian team led by Dunsheath. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunsheath, Joyce 1902 births 1976 deaths Alpine Club (UK) Alumni of Bedford College, London English women travel writers English mountain climbers English travel writers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society British female climbers People from Norwich