Frank Cowper | |
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| Born | (1849-01-18)18 January 1849 London, England |
| Died | 28 May 1930(1930-05-28) (aged 81) |
| Occupation |
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| Nationality | English |
| Education | Aldenham;Brentwood;Blackheath Proprietary School |
| Alma mater | The Queen's College, Oxford |
| Period | 1870–1930 |
| Genre | Travelogue, novel, non-fiction |
| Notable works | Sailing Tours series The Captain of the Wight Xmas Eve on a Haunted Hulk |
| Spouse | E. E. Cowper |
| Children | 10, includingFrank Cadogan Cowper |
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Frank Cowper (18 January 1849 – 28 May 1930)[1] was anEnglish single-handedyachtsman, explorer, author, illustrator, artist, and journalist who was influential in popularizing single-handed cruising.[2] He has been credited as "the forefather of modern cruising",[3] following the publication of his five books, Sailing Tours, describing his circumnavigation of the British Isles, the East coast of Ireland, and the French coast of Brittany in a converted 29-ton, 48-foot Dover Fishing boat named Lady Harvey. In a review of the last of his sailing books published in the year of his passing, recognition of his achievements during and after his eventful life are summarized with the following accolades. His books "laid the foundation" of the pilot guides used by yachtsmen today.[4]
He was initially Frank Cooper but assumed the spelling of Cowper by deed-poll in 1885, and was the second son of five children to Henry Cooper of London. He studied classical history atThe Queen's College, Oxford, where he matriculated in 1867, graduating B.A. in 1871 and M.A. in 1875.[5][6]
Cowper learned to sail on theUpper Thames, hiringcatboats with friends when he was an undergraduate atOxford.[5] In 1870, in his final year at university, he spent his summer vacation inAuray, Brittany in northern France, sailing a smalldinghy in theGulf of Morbihan and out intoQuiberon Bay.[5]
Between 1892 and 1895,[7] Cowper circumnavigated the British Isles, exploring practically every river and creek along the coast.[8] He also crossed theEnglish Channel to France and Belgium.[citation needed]
Cowper's most well-known work,Sailing Tours, describes these voyages and was published in five volumes between 1892 and 1896. Original copies are now quite collectable, and a full set can fetch as much as £500.[4] In 1985, Ashford Press published afacsimile reprint of all five volumes.[citation needed]
Cowper originally undertook the voyages documented inSailing Tours, mostly single-handed, in theyawlLady Harvey, a 44 foot (13 m) Dover fishinglugger built in 1867. In his 1921 bookSingle-Handed Cruising, Francis B. Cooke claimed that no amateur yachtsman had ever single-handed a larger vessel.[8] Cowper soldLady Harvey in 1895,[4] then building aketch of his own design,Undine II, which became his favourite but which he sold in 1899. He next owned a yawl namedZayda, followed by a French fishing lugger,Idéal, and a 14-toncutterLittle Windflower. In 1921, Cowper purchased the 41 foot (12 m) cutterAilsa, which was to be the last boat he owned.
Sailing Tours continued to be cited in sailing guides, with Neville Featherstone describing Cowper's writing as "a rich blend of navigational facts laced with his own semi-libellous observations on the world around him".[7]Alan Titchmarsh described it as a "rich source of inspiration" for his 1999 novel,The Last Lighthouse Keeper.[9]
Cowper also wrote several adventure and romance novels. One of these,The Island of the English (1898), was described as having "a strong, compelling note of verity" and "a vivid, flexible style".[10]
On 28 December 1876, Cowper married fellow authorEdith Elise Cadogan, daughter of the Rector ofWicken.[11][12] They made their home on theIsle of Wight and Edith bore eight children; one did not survive infancy[11] but their eldest son,Frank Cadogan Cowper, grew up to become a recognisedPre-Raphaelite artist.[13] The marriage broke down — and they separated in 1890.[14] His brother, Colonel Harry Cooper CMG CBE, becameADC to Queen Victoria from 1898 to 1901 and to King Edward Vll from 1901 to 1904.[15][16]
Frank Cadogan Cowper was born in Wicken, Northamptonshire in 1877. His father was Frank Cowper, an author who specialised in writing yachting novels and was the grandson of the Rector of Wicken.
Not much is known of Edith Cowper outside of evidence provided in COW/3.
Works related toFrank Cowper at Wikisource| International | |
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