Mark Beaufoy

Who was Mark Beaufoy?

Colonel Mark Beaufoy FRS was an English astronomer and physicist, mountaineer, explorer and British Army officer. His father, Mark Beaufoy, who was originally from Evesham, established a vinegar factory in Lambeth, London.

He was the first-known English climber to make an ascent of a high mountain in the Alps. In 1787, he made an ascent of Mont Blanc. This mountain was an attraction to his fellow countrymen, such as J. D. Forbes, A.T. Malkin, John Ball and Sir Alfred Wills. He describes his ascent of Mont Blanc:

"At last, however, but with a sort of apathy which scarcely admitted the sense of joy, we reached the summit of the mountain; when six of my guides, and with them my servant, threw themselves on their faces and were immediately asleep. I envied them their repose; but my anxiety to obtain a good observation for the latitude, subdued my wishes for indulgence."

He devoted much of his life to naval experiments at the Greenland Dock with James Scott and Captain John Luard of the "Society for the Improvement in Naval Architecture"; a volume Nautical and Hydraulic Experiments with Numerous Scientific Miscellanies was published by his son Henry in 1834.