Walter Oudney (1790 – 12 January 1824) was a Scottish physician, budding naturalist and briefly African explorer.

Biography

He received a medical doctorate at

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1817. In 1819 he became a member of the

Wernerian Natural History Society The Wernerian Natural History Society (12 January 1808 – 16 April 1858), commonly abbreviated as the Wernerian Society, was a learned society interested in the broad field of natural history, and saw papers presented on various topics such as ...

alongside his friend and colleague James Robinson Scott. Oudney has been described as quiet, self-effacing, and a short man with a weak constitution particularly unsuited to the rigors of African exploration. He was also brave and resolute.

Bornu Mission

After the failure of

Joseph Ritchie Doctor Joseph Ritchie (c. 1788 – 20 November 1819) was an English surgeon, explorer and naturalist. His primary interest lay in the natural sciences, though he is best known for playing a minor role in the British exploration of Africa. Lif ...

's expedition, John Barrow heard about Oudney though a botanist friend, and asked Oudney if he would mount a "Mission" from Tripoli southward to the Kingdom of Bornu near Lake Chad. With the intention of discovering if the Niger River flowed into Lake Chad or continued further east possibly merging with the Nile. In early 1822, he departed from

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

with explorers

Dixon Denham Dixon Denham (1 January 17869 June 1828) was an English soldier, explorer of West Central Africa, and ultimately Governor of Sierra Leone. Early life Dixon Denham was born at Salisbury Square, Fleet Street, London on New Year's Day, 1786, the s ...

(1786–1828) and

Hugh Clapperton Bain Hugh Clapperton (18 May 1788 – 13 April 1827) was a Scotland, Scottish naval officer and explorer of West and Central Africa. Early career Clapperton was born in Annan, Dumfriesshire, where his father, George Clapperton, was a surgeon. He ...

(1788–1827), reaching Bornu in February 1823, and thus becoming the first Europeans to accomplish a north–south crossing of the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. Stricken by illness, Oudney died on 12 January 1824 in the village of Murmur, located near the town of

Katagum Katagum is a town, a local government area and a traditional emirate in Bauchi State of north eastern Nigeria. The town is located on the northern bank of the Jama'are River, which is a tributary of the Hadejia. Most of the inhabitants are Mu ...

. On the journey he collected regional plants, and after his death Scottish

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Robert Brown (1773–1858) named the botanical genus ''Oudneya'' from the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The le ...

in his honor. In 1826 the two-volume "Narrative of Travels and Discoveries in Northern and Central Africa in the years 1822, 1823, and 1824" was published, describing the African exploits of Oudney, Denham and Clapperton. Scans
Volume 1Volume 2
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References

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
Death of Dr. Oudney
CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names
by Umberto Quattrocchi Scottish explorers 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Explorers of Africa 19th-century explorers 1790 births 1824 deaths {{Explorer-stub