Trunk call brings Mungo Park heirloom home

But last week his 220-year-old trunk finally completed its own 12,000 miles journey to return home.

And several of the supporters who helped repatriate the heirloom were in the town’s Halliwell’s House Museum to welcome it back.

The story of Mungo Park’s trunk is almost as dramatic and contentious as its initial owner’s adventures But the gathered audience in Selkirk were all in agreement that they were happy to have it back.

Lord Steel of Aikwood was instrumental in raising the money to buy the trunk from a Māori chief from Wellington.

Along with 11 other benefactors, including Lord Sanderson of Bowden, Lord Smith of Kelvin and author Alexander McCall Smith, the former Borders MP stumped up £1,000 towards the asking price.

During Thursday’s reception Lord Steel told us: “I wrote to a dozen friends and said 'I’m putting in a thousand pounds, will you?’ and thankfully they agreed. It is an amazing piece of history to bring back to the Borders. Only Lord Sanderson was with us tonight, but I have spoken with the other benefactors and they would like to come here and see it for themselves.

“I am sure, like many other people, they will make the pilgrimage to Halliwell’s House Museum to see Mungo Park’s trunk.” Mungo Park was born at Foulshiels in the Yarrow Valley.

He was the seventh of 13 children born to Mungo and Elspeth Park on September 11, 1771.

He studied to become a surgeon in nearby Selkirk and Edinburgh University before taking his first job as a surgeon’s mate aboard the East India ship, Worcester.

His interest in Africa began aboard the Worcester - and in 1795 he mounted his first expedition to explore the lands beyond Gambia and map the course of the Niger.

During his travels through darkest Africa he was held captive by a Moorish chief for four months before escaping.

During his two-and-a-half year expedition he was robbed many times, suffered from fever and endured much of the journey on his own.

But he found the Niger and his taste for adventure was truly born.

He arrived back in Scotland on December 22, 1795. He married his childhood sweetheart Allie Anderson, set up a doctor’s practice in Peebles, and wrote the hugely popular 'Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa’.

Despite being happily married, Park’s discontent with country doctor life was evident. And on January 31, 1805, he set sail once more for Africa.

He was joined on the expedition by two friends from Selkirk - draughtsman, George Scott, and his brother-in-law, Alexander Anderson.

On arrival at the island garrison of Goree, he recruited 39 soldiers and escorts.

The ill-fated trek through Gambia saw around 30 Europeans die of dysentery or fever by the time they had reached the Niger.

In October 1805 Park wrote to William Scott back in Selkirk to tell him his son, George, and Alex Anderson had both died from fever.

More and more of the men died before Park set sail down the Niger with just one remaining officer, three soldiers, a guide and three natives. He sent another guide back to Gambia with letters for his wife and the Colonial Office. These were the last letters from Park.

It would be some five years later before one of the guides was to tell of the explorer’s final months.

Park’s route along the river would have taken him north east through western Africa, then into the Sahara and past Timbuktu, then south east through modern-day Nigeria to the sea. He never made it.

Despite fighting off attacks from tribes and covering close to 1,000 miles by boat, the expedition party eventually succumb after being stranded on rocks in Nigeria.

They drowned as they attempted to flee from tribesmen at the straits of Boussa - although some believe he was escaping from the slave traders he opposed.

A large monument to Mungo Park stands close to the spot of his death on the banks of the Niger in modern-day Nigeria.

Lord Steel and his wife, Judy, have visited the monument.

And local councillor Vicky Davidson has also followed in the explorer’s footsteps.

Councillor Davidson initiated the purchase of Park’s trunk more than a year ago after learning it was being sold at auction in New Zealand.

She told us: “I have always been fascinated by Mungo Park and foolishly tried to cross west Africa myself using public transport.

“Mungo Park is still celebrated in some countries as he was strongly opposed to the slave trade.

“When I learned of the trunk being sold I thought it should come back to Selkirk. Lord Steel has always had an interest in Mungo Park as well and he did all the work in contacting people and asking them to help.

“We owe Lord Steel and the other benefactors a big thank you.

“It is a very special trunk - I doubt if the craftsmen who sawed the wood and put it together would ever have imagined that it would still be travelling the world in 2015?” Mungo Park’s trunk, which is covered in hide, almost certainly originates from west Africa.

It is believed the trunk sailed back with the explorer after his first expedition in 1797.

It was widely believed that it was taken to New Zealand in 1839 by Mungo Park’s descendant, Robert Park.

Robert, who was to become a celebrated surveyor, arrived with the advance guard of The New Zealand Company, and for the next 20 years experienced and charted early colonial life at Wellington, Dunedin, Hawkes Bay, Wanganui and Canterbury, contributing many sketches and watercolours of these places.

Robert fathered three families during his years in New Zealand - including one with a Māori wife.

But a recently published book, Mungo Park’s Trunk - A Journey, Scotland to New Zealand by Nora Easdale, claims the trunk was taken to New Zealand in 1912 by a descendent, Gladys Currie.

Councillor Davidson told us: “It would seem there was a bit of confusion but we know the trunk was stored in the attic of the Laing family’s home at Viewfield after Mungo Park brought it back to Selkirk. It was a large house and Mungo Park was related to the Laings.

“There is evidence that Gladys sailed to Wellington in 1912 with the trunk. There are two different Robert Parks - one a surveyor and one a descendent - and I think that’s where the confusion comes from.” Pamela Strachan, wife of the Lord Lieutenant for Tweeddale, Sir Hew Strachan, is a direct descendant of surveyor Robert Park. And Pamela was amongst the invited guests at last week’s reception.

How, and when, Mungo Park’s trunk arrived on the shores of New Zealand may be contentious, but it is agreed that the trunk ended up in the possession of a high-ranking Māori family in Petone.

And it had been on exhibition loan to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Māori chief Peter Love decided to sell the trunk last year - and that’s when auctioneer Dunbar Sloan became involved.

Mr Sloan was in Selkirk last week for the reception. He said: “The trunk came from a high-class Māori chief called Peter Love - I know him very well as he and his family live just outside Wellington.

“I was told the trunk had arrived in New Zealand in about 1840 but we’re not sure if that’s correct now.

“Peter wanted 50,000 New Zealand dollars but I said that was too much and it should be going home to Scotland.

“Mungo Park was the first white man into deepest Africa, he is a hero and he should be a national hero in Scotland. We agreed to half the price for its sale to Selkirk and that is how the trunk, and myself, have ended up here.” Mungo Park’s achievements were not lost on the people of Selkirk as they raised enough money to commission a statue in his honour in 1859.

Sculptor Andrew Currie’s tribute still stands tall at the bottom of Back Row with additional bronze panels and statues added by Thomas Clapperton in 1906 and 1912.

A plaque in Peebles’ Northgate also marks the spot where his surgery was between 1801 and 1804.

Mungo Park’s oldest living descendant, Nichol Park, was amongst Thursday’s guests at Halliwell’s House Museum. The 95-year-old from Selkirk is the great, great grandson of Alexander Park, who was a younger brother of Mungo.

Nichol said: “I am pleased to see the trunk back where it belongs.

“I have always been proud of my connections with Mungo Park. We were taught all about him at school - he was very brave man as well as a clever man.” Scottish Borders Council’s museum service are planning on creating a replica of the trunk to take around local schools.

And further promotional work is also planned on taking the Mungo Park story to a younger audience.

The Mungo Park trunk is now on permanent display at Halliwell’s House Museum.