St Vincent Whitshed Erskine facts for kids
St Vincent Whitshed Erskine (1846 – 1918) was an important explorer and surveyor in South Africa. He was the first European to travel the entire length of the Limpopo River all the way to where it meets the ocean. He also explored a region called Gazaland.
Family Life
St Vincent Erskine was born in Tasmania on February 7, 1846. His father was Lieutenant Colonel The Honourable David Erskine. In 1870, St Vincent married Alice Lindley Buchanan. Her father, David Dale Buchanan, started a newspaper called "The Natal Witness" (The Witness (South African newspaper)).
St Vincent and Alice Erskine had six children:
- Charles Howard Erskine
- Echo Emmeline Erskine
- Gyneth Erskine
- Iris Erskine
- Esme Nourse Erskine
- Renira Erskine
St Vincent Erskine was good friends with Thomas Baines, a famous artist who drew scenes from African explorations. Thomas Baines had even traveled with the well-known explorer David Livingstone.
St Vincent Erskine passed away on July 8, 1918, at 72 years old, due to the Spanish flu. He is buried in Cape Town. Alice Erskine died a few years later in 1922.
African Explorations
Between 1868 and 1875, St Vincent Erskine went on several important journeys in Southern Africa. He traveled north from Natal into an area known as Gazaland, which is now part of modern-day Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
He was likely the first European to explore deep inland from the Sofala coast since the 1500s. His most famous journey was traveling down the entire Limpopo River to its mouth.
His adventures were so important that they were written about in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society in London. These reports included:
- Journey of Exploration to the Mouth of the River Limpopo
- Journey to Umzila’s, South East Africa in 1871-1872
- Two Journeys of Mr St Vincent Erskine in Gasa Land during the years 1873, 1874 and 1875
Later Work
After his exciting explorations, St Vincent Erskine worked as a surveyor. A surveyor measures and maps land. He worked in Natal, the Transvaal, and Cape Province. He and his family settled in Cape Town, where he lived until he passed away in 1918.
Stories and Records
St Vincent Erskine kept a journal about his travels on the Limpopo River. His wife, Alice, also kept a diary. These important records are kept at the University of Natal.
Alice's diary mentions a time in 1878 when their family lived in Kokstad, East Griqualand. They faced a difficult situation when the Griquas rebelled. Both St Vincent and Alice were injured with broken legs when a powder magazine exploded. Alice even had to travel to England for medical treatment to save her leg. After returning, the family moved to Vryheid a year later, describing the tough journey by ox wagon.
Records about St Vincent Erskine, including his work as a land surveyor and details about his family, can also be found in the National Archives of South Africa and the Royal Geographical Society archives.
