Frederica Plunket facts for kids

The Honourable Frederica Louisa Edith Plunket (born 1838, died 1886) was an amazing Irish woman. She was from a noble family in Ballymascanlan, Ireland. Frederica was very talented. She was known for drawing beautiful plants and for being one of the first women to climb big mountains.

Frederica Plunket's Family

Frederica Plunket was born in 1838 in Kilsaran, a place near Castlebellingham in Ireland. Her father, Thomas Plunket, 2nd Baron Plunket, was a church leader. He became a Bishop, which is a high-ranking position in the church.

Her family was quite important. Her grandfather, William Plunket, 1st Baron Plunket, was a very important judge in Ireland. Frederica had an older sister named Katherine Plunket. Katherine became famous for living a very long time! She was known as Ireland's oldest person.

Botanical Art and Travels

Drawings of Aconitum flowers from Wild Flowers from Nature

Frederica was a talented artist who loved to draw plants. This is called botanical illustration. She traveled all over Europe with her sister Katherine. They visited countries like France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. They also explored their home country, Ireland.

During their travels, they sketched many different flowers. Frederica collected these drawings into a special book. It was called Wild Flowers from Nature. This book is now kept at the Irish National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. It helps us see the beautiful plants she drew.

Pioneering Mountaineering

Frederica Plunket was also a brave mountaineer. She loved climbing mountains in the Alps during the 1870s. She even wrote a book about her adventures called Here and there among the Alps. It was published in 1875.

Her book was special because it was written for other women. Frederica wanted to show them that women could also climb mountains. She believed that climbing was possible for active and healthy women. She wanted to encourage women to try new things and push their limits.

Frederica's book described her climbs in Switzerland in 1874. She explained that climbing wasn't always as dangerous as people thought. Even though she said this, she did have some risky moments while climbing.

Many years ago, people thought Frederica was the first woman to climb the famous Matterhorn mountain. A woman named Lady Rathdonnell wrote in her diary that Frederica was known for this amazing feat. However, it is now believed that Lucy Walker was the first woman to reach the top of the Matterhorn.