An Early Scandinavian Traveller

Arthur de Capell Brooke, one of the original Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society in 1830, was probably the first Englishman to travel overland to the North Cape. Leaving London in May 1820, he travelled through Sweden and Norway, making his way to Hammerfest. From a settlement nearby, Fuglenaes, he went by boat to the island of Mageroy, close to the North Cape, arriving on 20 August, and building a cairn to bear witness to his presence there. Deciding to stay on in Fuglenaes, Brooke made a study of the Laplanders and learned to speak Norwegian and a little of the local Lapp tongue. He left for an eventful journey home on 26 November, travelling again through Norway and Sweden, and reached Lowestoft in February 1821. Back in England, he was instrumental in founding the Raleigh Club, later renamed the Geographical Club.