Lord Francis Douglas

Lord Francis Douglas ( * February 8, 1847; † July 14, 1865 by crash on Matterhorn ) was a British mountaineer.

Life

As a son of Archibald William Douglas, 8th Marquess of Queensberry, he was descended from a Scottish family of Douglas. He was one of those British alpinists who together with local guides attempted the first ascent still uneroberter Alpine peaks in the 19th century. At the third attempt the first ascent of the upper fork horn in July 1865, he was beaten only by one day from another rope team. Then he turned to the ascent of the Matterhorn, based on the Swiss side of Zermatt.

Matterhorn first ascent

In Zermatt, Lord Francis joined with the British mountaineers Edward Whymper, the Reverend Charles Hudson and his student D. Robert Hadow and the guides Michel Croz ( from Chamonix ), Peter Taugwalder father and son Peter Taugwalder (both from Zermatt ) together. This rope team succeeded on 14 July 1865 the Hörnligrat the first ascent of the Matterhorn. On the descent, the rope team was formed again: At first Croz, then Hadow, then Hudson and Douglas went. These climbers were backed by a 60m rope. The following climbers Taugwalder senior, Whymper and Taugwalder junior were joined by a second, weaker rope with the lead group. On the way down then slipped the inexperienced and fatigued Hadow on a patch of ice above the so-called shoulder, fell on Croz and pulled Hudson and Douglas with it. When tested from Taugwalder senior to keep the slip ends, the rope broke; the climbers fell over the north wall from fatal.

The bodies of Croz, Hudson and Hadow were recovered a few days later from the Matterhorn glacier, the body of Lord Francis Douglas was never found it.

• Mountaineers (United Kingdom)
• Born in 1847
• Died in 1865
• Man