Selma Huxley Barkham, 2009 WINGS Elected Fellow

"Always take an interest in something new." — Selma Huxley Barkham

Historical-geographer

Born: 1927-01-01

Hometown: Bosham, Sussex, England

Education: Studies at the Universities of London and Paris; two Honorary Doctorates

Achievements

Discoveries: 16th century Basque whaling sites on the South Coast of Labrador, Canada

Expeditions: South Coast of Labrador, Quebec North Shore, West Coast of Newfoundland, Canada; Basque Coast of Spain and France

Biography

Selma Barkham is recognized for her discovery of thousands of manuscripts, many of which lay untouched for centuries in mostly Spanish and Basque archives.  She has uncovered 16th-century Basque sites along coastal Newfoundland, Labrador, and Quebec North Shore, which respresent some of the earliest European sites in Canada.  She uncovered the existence of a Basque whaling station and shipwrecks in Red Bay, Labrador. Barkham's research demanded years of painstaking analysis of historical manuscripts and maps in Spain, Portugal, Italy, England and France, as well as numerous expeditions to Quebec, Labrador and Newfoundland. Where once there was but the vaguest knowledge of Basque presence on Canada’s Atlantic coast in the 1500s, Barkham has painstakingly reconstruted details that contribute greatly to 16th-century Basque and Canadian history.

Fun Facts

Favorite Item to have in the field: chocolate, binoculars and a warm jacket.

Heroes: Nelson Mandela for courage, Captain Cook for excellence in work, Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad for perseverance.