| Authorised form of name | Holman; James (1786 - 1857) |
| Dates | 1786 - 1857 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Fore Street, Exeter, Devon, England |
| Date of birth | 15 October 1786 |
| Place of death | His lodgings near the Minories, London |
| Date of death | 28 or 29 July 1857 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
Highgate Cemetery, London |
| Activity | Career:
Son of a Chymist and Surgeon'. In 1798, at age 12, entered the Royal Navy as a volunteer first class, the entry level for future officers; Lieutenant (1807); became blind (at age 25). Gained appointment as a Knight of Windsor in order not to be a burden on his family, his main requirement being to attend religious functions. Sought and obtained permission to travel as a palliative to his ailments. Holman crafted a cane which was metal tipped, and which he held like a paint brush, so he could tap his way through foreign lands. Circumnavigated the globe, visiting Siberia, Tasmania and previously unexplored areas of the African interior. He rode on horseback and walked; he sailed on merchant ships and rode on rudimentary, horse-drawn carts. Holman's accounts of his trips made him a popular author in England, although he was attacked by John Dundas Cochrane, the Pedestrian Traveller whose books did not sell so well in comparison. His most remarkabel achievement was his first attempt to circumnavigate the world by journeying east from England across Europe to Russia and Siberia. Eventually stopped by Russian authorities.
Memberships:
FLS |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 02/02/1826 |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Notes:
Boase gives death date as 28 July 1786
Roberts, James 'A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveller' (2006) |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/64786670 |
| Code | NA7499 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| IM/Maull/002184 | Holman, James | nd |
| IM/002185 | Holman, James | nd |
| IM/002186 | Holman, James | nd |
| NLB/16/897 | Copy letter from Robert William Frederick Harrison, to H Wilson Holman, 92 Billiter Buildings, E.C. | 29 June 1898 |
| EC/1825/19 | Holman, James: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| MC/5 | Volume 5 of miscellaneous correspondence regarding business matters, sent to the Royal Society | 1851-1858 |
| MC/5/337 | Letter from Andr [Andrew] Holman, 10 John Street, America Square, to General [Edward] Sabine, Treasurer of the Royal Society | 11 March 1858 |
| P/0069 | Portrait of Holman, James | |