Beatrix_Bulstrode

Beatrix Bulstrode

Beatrix Bulstrode

British journalist and explorer

Beatrix Timbrell Bulstrode (born Mary Beatrix Nunns in 1869, later known as Beatrix Manico Gull after second marriage, died 1951) was a British journalist and explorer. She is best known for her journey through China and Mongolia in the early twentieth century, which she wrote about in a 1920 book, A Tour in Mongolia.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Biography

Bulstrode was born Mary Beatrix Nunns in 1869 in Sussex.[1] She later became a journalist and was on the council of the Society of Woman Journalists.[1] In 1891, she married Herbert Timbrell Bulstrode, who died in 1911.[1] Bulstrode wanted to travel after the death of her first husband.[2]

Bulstrode toured Mongolia twice.[3] The first journey used local guides and she was accompanied by a missionary from Finland.[3][4] Her second trip was with Edward Manico Gull, who she later married.[3] On her travels, she carried a concealed Mauser C96 that she was practiced in using.[5] She also had two Colt revolvers and a shotgun.[2] The entire journey cost her $1,500.[2]

Bulstrode began her journey in September 1911, starting out at Hong Kong.[2] She took a boat to Fuzhow, where she was able to tour southern China.[2] She took another boat trip to the mouth of the Yangzste River and then traveled 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometres) up the river part-way with a local crew and later on a British steamer.[2] She next traveled near Yichang and then went back to Hankou.[2] From there, she traveled to the capital, Beijing.[2] From the capital, she traveled through Zhangjiakou in a cart to Mongolia.[2] Once in Mongolia, she traveled 120 miles (190 kilometres) through open country, encountering Nomadic people.[2] Bulstrode decided not to cross the Gobi Desert and returned to Beijing.[2]

In Beijing, she met Edward Manico Gull who worked for customs in China.[2] They decided to travel to northern Mongolia together and felt they each had complementary skills needed for the journey.[2][4] They took a train to Verkhneudinsk in Siberia and then traveled up the Selenga River in a steamboat.[2] They came to Kyakhta, where Russian customs held them up for some time because of their weapons and ammunition.[2] Finally, they hired a three-horse cart known as a taranta, and began their journey to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.[2] In the capital, she visited a "dungeon," where she described around 150 prisoners, most with life sentences being kept in small boxes, similar to Coffins.[6] She also related an incident where she watched the execution of three soldiers from this prison.[7] Leaving the capital, they traveled by orton and reached Kyakhta.[2] Then they went back to Siberia, took the Trans-Siberian Railway to St. Petersburg and finally returned to Britain.[2]

Bulstrode published a book about her travels in 1920 called A Tour in Mongolia.[8] She begins the stories of her travels in Beijing.[4] The Washington Journal called A Tour in Mongolia a "vivid account" of her journey.[9]

Bulstrode continued to stay involved with China, working to provide relief work in that country in 1937.[10] Bulstrode died in 1951 in Surrey.[1]

Images

  • Beatrix ready to start her journey with Dobdun.
  • Bulstrode in a Peking Cart.

References

  1. [1]
    "Mary Beatrix Nunns (Bulstrode)". Family History Notebook. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  2. [2]
    Brown, Curtis (24 May 1914). "Englishwoman Explores Countries Infested by Brigands and Murderous Native Fanatics". Evening Star. p. 50. Retrieved 5 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. [3]
    Conefrey, Mick (2011). How to Climb Mt. Blanc in a Skirt: A Handbook for the Lady Adventurer. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 60–62. ISBN 978-0-230-10642-0.
  4. [4]
    Robinson, Jane (1990). Wayward Women : a Guide to Women Travellers. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-212261-4. OCLC 187415324 – via Internet Archive.
  5. [5]
    Ferguson, Jonathan (2017). The 'Broomhandle' Mauser. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1617-7.
  6. [6]
    "Lives Spent in Coffins". The Pittsburgh Press. 24 April 1921. p. 74. Retrieved 6 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. [7]
    "Mongolian Prison Horrors Described by a Woman". El Paso Herald. 14 March 1914. p. 9. Retrieved 6 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. [8]
    Bawden, C.R. (2009). Modern History of Mongolia (digital ed.). New York: Routledge. p. 451. ISBN 978-1-136-18822-0.
  9. [9]
    "Woman in Interior China". The Washington Herald. 6 February 1921. p. 18. Retrieved 6 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. [10]
    "Relief Work China". The Guardian. 2 October 1937. p. 17. Retrieved 6 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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