Herbert Weld Blundell facts for kids

Herbert Joseph Weld Blundell (born 1852 – died 5 February 1935) was an English explorer, archaeologist, and a generous supporter of good causes. He was also a skilled yachtsman. In 1924, he shortened his last name from Weld Blundell to just Weld.

Early Life and Adventures

Herbert Weld Blundell went to school at Stonyhurst College. He loved to travel and explore, visiting places like Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1891. For about ten years, from 1894 to 1905, he explored North Africa and East Africa. He even worked as a reporter for a newspaper called the Morning Post during the Second Boer War in South Africa.

His exciting journeys included:

• 1891-1892: He visited Persepolis, an ancient city in Persia, with an artist named Lorenzo Giuntini. They made copies of the detailed carvings found there.
• 1894-1895: He explored Libya and Cyrenaica in North Africa, taking many photographs to record what he saw.
• 1898: He joined an expedition to Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) with Lord Lovat and Reginald Koettlitz.
• 1904-1905: He explored the area around Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Discoveries and Collections

In 1922, during an expedition named after him, Herbert Weld Blundell made a very important find: the Weld-Blundell Prism. This ancient clay prism is covered in writing and tells the story of early kings. It is now kept at the Ashmolean Museum in England.

Between 1921 and 1922, he gave a large collection of artifacts, known as the Weld Blundell Collection, to the University of Oxford.

Later Life and Challenges

After 1923, Herbert Weld Blundell continued to support important explorations. He helped fund an expedition to Yemen in 1923 and another big project called the Field Museum-Oxford University Joint Expedition to Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), which explored the ancient city of Kish.

In 1923, he married Theodora Mclaren-Morrison, but she sadly passed away in 1928. In the same year, he inherited Lulworth Castle from a cousin. Later in 1928, he also inherited the rest of the large Lulworth Estate.

He was very concerned about the land he owned. From 1923, he started speaking out against the Army using Bindon Hill, part of his estate, as a firing range. This began a long disagreement about the future of places like Tyneham and other parts of the Lulworth Estate.

Herbert Weld Blundell also loved sailing. From 1924, he owned a large racing yacht called S/Y Lulworth. It was a very famous racing boat of its time, competing 28 times in 1925 and always finishing in the top three!

In 1929, Herbert Weld wanted to sell two very old and valuable family treasures: the Luttrell Psalter and the Bedford Book of Hours. These were beautiful handwritten books with amazing illustrations. However, just before they were to be sold, lawyers discovered that these treasures actually belonged to Mrs. Mary Angela Noyes, who was related to the family. Herbert Weld went to court, but his attempt to sell them was stopped. The British Museum then bought both books from Mrs. Noyes.

Later in 1929, Lulworth Castle was badly damaged by a fire, and some of the disputed family items were unfortunately burned. When Herbert Weld Blundell passed away, the Lulworth Estate went to another cousin, Joseph William Weld.

His Writings

Herbert Weld Blundell also wrote a book:

• The Royal Chronicle of Abyssinia, 1769–1840, with Translation and Notes (published in 1922).