Historical Figures Codexery

Alexander Selkirk

Scottish castaway whose survival inspired Robinson Crusoe

The son of a shoemaker and tanner, Alexander Selkirk was born in 1676 in Lower Largo, Fife.[1]

Quick Facts

Born
1676
Birthplace
Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland
Died
13 December 1721 (aged 45)
Place of death
Cape Coast, Gold Coast
Parents
John Selcraig, Euphan Mackie
Known for
Inspiring Robinson Crusoe
Occupation
Sailor

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Selkirk displayed a quarrelsome and unruly disposition in his youth and was summoned before the Kirk Session in August 1693 for indecent conduct in church.[1][2] On the island, Selkirk ate spiny lobsters and feral goats, tamed feral cats for protection against rats, and built two huts from pepper trees.[3][4] He died of yellow fever or typhoid on 13 December 1721 off the coast of West Africa.[5][6] In 1703, Selkirk became part of an expedition to the South Pacific led by the English privateer William Dampier; he served as sailing master on the ship Cinque Ports, which was under the command of Captain Thomas Stradling.[7]

On 2 February 1709, the privateering ship Duke, with William Dampier as pilot and Woodes Rogers as captain, rescued him.[8]

What the cited sources add

The Smithsonian Magazine account notes that Selkirk's birth name was actually Selcraig, not Selkirk.[9] The same source describes Selkirk as a hothead who demanded his captain repair the leaky ship, and that he frantically waded back into the ocean begging forgiveness after being left ashore.[9] The film database Cine Nacional records that the stop-motion film "Selkirk, el verdadero Robinson Crusoe" premiered in Argentina on 2 February 2012 and was a co-production with Uruguay and Chile.[10] According to the Smithsonian article, Selkirk was left on the island with a musket, a pistol, navigation tools, gunpowder, a hatchet, a knife, a pot for boiling food, two pounds of tobacco, cheese, jam, a flask of rum, bedding, and his Bible.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Howell 1829, p. 18–19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Takahashi Caldwell Cáceres Calderón 2007, p. n. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Steele 1713, p. 169–171 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rogers 1712, p. 125 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Souhami 2001, p. 180–181; "The Real Robinson Crusoe", Smithsonian Magazine; Souhami 2001, p. 180–181 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Souhami 2001, p. 180–181; "Masters' logs, including: Weymouth (1718/19 Mar 3 - 1719 Nov 6). / Weymouth (1719/20 Feb 18 - 1722 Apr 25). / Windsor (1719/20 Jan 27 - 1720 Dec 7). / Windsor (1721 May 11 - 1721/2 Feb 10)", 1719–1722 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Funnell 1707, p. 1–2; Funnell 1707, p. 1–2; "Letters of Marque and Reprisal for St George, Declaration of William Dampier", The National Archives, 13 October 1702; Howell 1829, p. 18–19; Howell 1829, p. 18–19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Alexander Selkirk" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rogers 1712, p. 125; Rogers 1712, p. 125; Rogers 1712, p. 125; Rogers 1712, p. 125 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "The Real Robinson Crusoe", Smithsonian Magazine. facts only, no text reused. smithsonianmag.com
  10. "Selkirk, el verdadero Robinson Crusoe", Cine Nacional, 2011. facts only, no text reused. cinenacional.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Alexander Selkirk (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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