Francis Vernon facts for kids

Francis Vernon (born around 1637 – died 1677) was an English explorer and writer. He traveled to many places and wrote about his adventures.

Early Life and First Travels

Francis Vernon was born near Charing Cross in London around 1637. He was the son of Francis Vernon and the brother of James Vernon, who later became a politician.

• In 1649, he started attending Westminster School.
• Later, in 1654, he joined Christ Church, Oxford, a famous college.
• He earned his first degree in 1658 and a master's degree in 1660.

Even before finishing his master's degree, Francis began traveling. During one trip, pirates captured him and sold him. After he was freed, he returned to Oxford. In 1668, because of his travel experience, he was chosen to go with Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle, who was a special ambassador to Sweden. The king even wrote to Christ Church to allow Francis to take time off for this important journey.

Adventures in Paris

Next, Francis Vernon was asked to go to Paris with Ralph Montagu as a secretary for the English embassy. His letters from Paris were sometimes seen as too focused on gossip about the court and city life. For example, he reported on the first performances of plays by famous French writers Jean Racine and Pierre Corneille in 1670.

While in Paris, Francis became a key person connecting scholars in France and England.

• In 1670, a very sick scientist named Christiaan Huygens chose Francis to deliver his important papers to the Royal Society in London if he died.
• Francis also secretly copied a map-making study called Mésure de la terre by Jean Picard for the Royal Society. This meant the Royal Society saw it in 1671, even though the French government officially released it much later in 1676.

Francis also helped other scholars.

• He gave copies of a Latin book by Edward Pococke's son to the Sorbonne and to Christiaan Huygens.
• He also got books for John Collins, including works by René Descartes and Blaise Pascal.
• He even sent James Gregory a copy of a math book by Fermat.

Because of his valuable help to scholars, Francis Vernon was chosen to join the Royal Society when he returned to England in 1672.

His Final Journey and Tragic End

Francis Vernon's last big trip started from Venice. He planned to travel through places like Dalmatia, Greece, and its islands, all the way to Persia. This journey was very important because it helped people in Western Europe find the location of Delphi again, which had been lost for a long time.

• On June 20, 1675, Francis set off with George Wheler, Jacob Spon, and Sir Giles Eastcourt.
• They traveled on a ship belonging to the bailo (a Venetian official).
• At Corfu, they were mistakenly thought to be spies, which was a common problem for travelers back then.
• The group split up at Zante.

All four of them, along with Bernard Randolph (whom Francis met later), wrote about their travels. At the time, a book about Athens called Athènes Ancienne et nouvelle had just come out. It claimed to be based on real experience but was actually put together from other books. Jacob Spon wanted to compare this new book with what was actually there.

Francis Vernon actually checked the book before Spon did.

• He landed in central Greece in August 1675.
• He traveled to Athens and then explored the Peloponnese region starting on September 2 with Eastcourt.
• They went through Mistra and Kalamata, then turned north to Patras.
• Sadly, at Naupaktos, Eastcourt became very ill and died at Vitrinitza.
• Francis continued alone, passing through Salona, Delphi, and Thebes, returning to Athens on October 3.

In the spring of 1677, Francis arrived alone in Persia. There, he got into an argument over a small penknife and was tragically murdered. He was buried in Ispahan two days later. News of his death was sent back to England by Robert Huntington from Aleppo.

Francis Vernon's Writings

Francis Vernon's travel Journal was found among the papers of Robert Hooke, a famous scientist. This journal started in Spalatro and ended in Ispahan. It contained notes and many important inscriptions he found.

• A letter he wrote to Henry Oldenburg, dated January 10, 1675, was printed in a scientific paper called the Philosophical Transactions in 1676. It was titled Observations made during Travels from Venice through Dalmatia … to Smyrna.
• This letter was later translated into French by Jacob Spon and included in his own book.
• It contained the very first description of Athens by an English visitor.
• Importantly, Francis wrote about the Parthenon in Athens, several years before it was damaged by a bombardment led by Francesco Morosini.
• His observations, along with notes from another traveler named Jacques Carrey, were used by William Bell Dinsmoor to help reconstruct the Parthenon's south frieze (a decorative band).

Francis Vernon also wrote a Latin poem called Oxonium Poema, published in 1667. It describes the city of Oxford and the areas around it.