Emmeline Lewis-Lloyd (18 November 1827 – 22 September 1913) was an early

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

alpine mountaineer. She was in the first party to climb Aiguille du Moine in 1871 with Jean Charlet.

Life

Lloyd was born in 1827 in Wales. She was the fourth child. Her father and mother owned the Nantgwyllt manor house in the, now flooded, Elan valley. Her father, Thomas Lewis-Lloyd, was a Justice of the Peace and

High Sheriff of Cardiganshire The office of High Sheriff of Cardiganshire was established in 1541, since when a high sheriff was appointed annually until 1974 when the office was transformed into that of High Sheriff of Dyfed as part of the creation of Dyfed from the amalgama ...

in 1822. Lewis Lloyd was an independent child and she ran a farm at Llandyfaelog Fach that bred mountain ponies. Her hobbies included walking, fishing and otter hunting. She would tell stories of her exploits climbing the alps with her friend Isabella Straton. One of her guides had been Jean Charlet, a French

mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced professional mountaineer who is certified by local authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered to be high-level experts in mountaineering, and are hired to instruct or ...

from

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

, who had been a groom in Nantgwyllt for a year. Lewis Lloyd and Straton had been two of the very rare women who climbed the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

and

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

in the 1860s and 70s. In 1869 just four years after it was first climbed they made an unsuccessful attempt on the

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

. In 1870 they became the first women to climb

Monte Viso Monte Viso or Monviso (; oc, Vísol; Piedmontese: ''Brich Monviso'' or ''Viso'') is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps. It is located in Italy close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape and, because it i ...

and the following year they made the first ascent of Aiguille du Moine guided by Joseph Simond. The summit is at an altitude of 3,412 m and it requires climbers to abseil on the descent.Aiguille du Moine
summitpost.og, retrieved 6 April 2014 Lewis Lloyd retired from climbing in 1873, but Straton continued to climb with Jean Charlet and she eventually married him. Lloyd died at Hampstead Hill Gardens in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She is buried at Llansanffraid Cwmteuddwr and the church there has a memorial. The plaque notes that she was the eighth woman to climb Mont Blanc.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Emmeline Lewis 1827 births 1913 deaths People from Powys British mountain climbers Female climbers