Agnes Herbert

Born Agnes Elsie Diana Thorpe in 1873, she became known as Agnes Herbert, a British travel writer and hunter whose life was shaped by movement and adventure. Sources describe her as having been born in Pendleton, Manchester, and spending part of her youth on the Isle of Man before building a public reputation through travel and writing.

She is best remembered for books drawn from major expeditions, including Two Dianas in Somaliland, which recounts a shooting trip taken with her cousin Cecily. She also wrote about Alaska and other far-flung places, turning demanding journeys into lively narratives for readers who were fascinated by exploration.

Herbert's life seems to have stretched well beyond the page. Archival material from the Isle of Man notes that she published around ten books and lived a varied life that included time in Montana and on Vancouver Island; she was also appointed OBE. She died in 1960, leaving behind travel writing that still stands out for its energy and unusual perspective.