Mansfield Parkyns: Difference between revisions

Mansfield Parkyns (16 February 1823– 12 January 1894) was a British traveler who became well known among the eighteenth century Victorian society for his travel book Life in Abyssinia : being notes collected during three years' residence and travels in that country (1853). In this book he described his experiences and observations during three years (1843-1846) travels in Abyssinia, modern Eritrea and Ethiopia territories.

Youth

Parkyns was born at Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, where his family was well-known in local affairs. His father was from landed gentry and his mother from a rising commercial class.^[1] As a young boy Parkyns loved wildlife. He also had a formal education to help him develop his talents drawing and painting. In 1833, when Parkyns was only ten years old, his father passed away. Six months later he was parted from Ruddington to the Leicestershire countryside, where he attended a grammar school at Uprpingham in Rutland; however there he was not for a long time because after his mother remarried, he was sent to be educated at Woolwich and at Trinity College, Cambridge. At college Parkyns was very interested in mathematics and he also enjoyed learning Latin. In 1838,when Parkyns was at the age of fifteen, his mother died as well. Later Parkyns was obliged to leave the college for some unknown reasons. He did not finish his education but in 1842, when Parkyns was nineteenth years old, he decided to leave England and start travelling. Parkyns did not tell about his plans to anyone, hence for a long time people did not have any information about him and he was given up for lost.^[2]

His travels

The exact time and date when Parkyns made a decision to travel and search for the sources of the White Nile and to cross Africa from the Red sea to the Atlantic is not known. As his motives, Parkyns mentioned his interest to visit new lands and study natural history. Particularly, he was interested in finding and collecting specimens of outlandish birds, animals and insects. In total Parkyns spent nine years travelling. After Parkyns left England, he visited Switzerland and Italy, then he arrived in Greece and decited to go to the Levant.In Syra, the principal island of the Cyclades Parkyns met Richard Monckton Milnes who just like Parkyns was also planning from there go on to Istanbul and after that visit Egypt. Milnes invited Parkyns to accompany him,hence the first eighteenth months of his travels, Parkyns traveled in Europe and Asia Minor. In December 1842 both travelers arrived at Egypt. On March 5th 1843 Parkyns left Cairo alone on a journey of exploration into Abyssinia where he stayed among the Abyssinians for more than three years and not only observed their lives but also adopted their dress and customs. The rest of travelling he did in various parts of Nubia, Kordofa, and Egypt. Eventually he did not cross Africa and did not find sources of the White Nile but decided to stay in Abyssinia. During his travels there, Parkyns had a journal where he took notes which some time later became basis of his book.^[2]

Parkyns' book Life in Abyssinia (1843-1846)

In Abyssinia Parkyns spent over three years which he described in his travel book Life in Abysssinia : being notes collected during three years' residence and travels in that country. The first edition of the book was published in two volumes by an English publisher John Murray in 1853. It was dedicated to Lord Palmerston and made many references and comments on the quite famous Scottish traveler James Bruce who traveled to Abyssinia between the years 1768 and 1773. The second edition of Parkyns' book was published in 1868. The author wrote a completely new introduction which had to do with Abyssinian history and methods of government at a time of the Abyssinian expedition commanded by Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala. In short, Parkyns described the political changes which had occurred after he left the country. He was hoping to offer the Victorian reader "a tolerably accurate idea of Abyssinia and Abyssinians"^[3] The book consists of 33 chapters which are divided in two volumes and each of them covers different subject - Travel, and Manners and Customs. The first volume describes the journey from the coast to the capital and Parkyns' visit to the northern provinces, encounters with others, learning local languages and gaining new experiences. The second volume describes Abyssinian manners and customs, natural history and Parkyns’ route from Adoua to Abou Kharraz on the Blue Nile. In total there are 33 illustrations which Parkyns drew himself by using watercolors. A map at the end of his book shows a part of Abyssinia and a part of Nubia to illustrate the journey of Parkyns.

In the introduction of his book Parkyns stated that it is not a scientific work and neither an entertaining one. He wrote that in this book he has described what he witnessed and experienced during his stay in Abyssinia. Particularly, Parkyns was interested in learning more about the Abyssinian customs but he also very enjoyed exploring more about the natural history. Especially he liked to observe various birds that he had never seen before in Europe. He believed that the best results he can achieve by identifying himself with the natives. Hence as he left Massawa, he decided that he will not try to preserve any European comforts. Throughout his time in Abyssinia, Parkyns did wear only Abyssinian clothes, walked barefoot, even had an Abyssinian hairstyle, and ate whatever was offered to him. In the book he also described his experiences of working as a silversmith for a year in Abyssinia. However,some parts of Parkyns' private life in the book are not mentioned. For instance, Duncan Cummings in his book The Gentlemen Savage(1987) assumes that during Parkyns' stay in Abyssinia he got married to an Abyssinian woman and even had a son with her.^[2] In his book Parkyns offered very detailed descriptions of the Abyssinian manners and customs, habits, personal appearance, dress, births and marriages, deaths and funerals, religion, superstitions etc.

His return

Parkyns returned back to Europe in 1846. Between years 1850 and 1852 he was appointed an attaché to the embassy at Constantinople. After that he came back to England in 1852 and settled down in Nottinghamshire, where he purchased an estate Woodborough Hall. In the same year he also got married to Emma Louisa, a daughter of an advocate Sir Bethell QC, by whom Parkyns had eight daughters “Mansfield Parkyns - Obituary 1823-1894”. Further Parkyns served in the Sherwood Foresters militia, and after a little while he became lieutenant-colonel of the Nottinghamshire Rifle Volunteers. In 1858 he started to work as official assignee in the Court of Bancrupcy at Exeter but later in London. Parkyns’ wife Emma died in 1877. In 1884 Parkyns retired from his job and spent his retirement years at Woodborough where he enjoyed taking care of a farm and he also did some garden works. On top of that, Parkyns was actively involved in Royal Geographical Society. He was considered to be an excellent linguist as from his travells he had gained an uncommon knowledge in Europe of many of the less known dialects of the Nile Basin and of Western Asia. Parkyns died on 12 January 1894. As his wife, he was also buried in Woodborough church "Mansfield Parkyns"

Editions of his book

Parkyns, M. (1853). Life in Abyssinia: Being Notes collected during three years’ Residence and Travels in that country1st edition. London: John Murray.

Parkyns, M. (1868). Life in Abyssinia: Being Notes collected during three years’ Residence and Travels in that country2nd edition. London: John Murray.

References

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