Person Holman; James (1786 - 1857) Holman James 1786 - 1857 British Male Fore Street, Exeter, Devon, England 15 October 1786 His lodgings near the Minories, London 28 or 29 July 1857 Burial: Highgate Cemetery, London

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 Fellow 02/02/1826 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) International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 15 Oct 1786 - 28 or 29 Jul 1857 NA7499 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 28/03/2023 RS_NET\JonathanB Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/64786670 a80e6bd2-f937-427f-96af-f36458be17f8