author
Dixon Denham
1786–1828
An army officer turned explorer, he helped open European knowledge of Central Africa through a grueling early 19th-century journey across the Sahara to the Lake Chad region. His life also ended in public service, as governor of Sierra Leone.
1 Audiobook
Narrative of travels and discoveries in Northern and Central Africa, in the years 1822, 1823, and 1824
by Dixon Denham, Hugh Clapperton, Walter Oudney
About the author
Born in London on January 1, 1786, Dixon Denham was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and first trained for the law before joining the British Army in 1811. He served in the Napoleonic Wars, including the campaigns in Portugal, Spain, France, and Belgium, before becoming known for exploration rather than soldiering.
Denham is best remembered for volunteering in 1821 for a British government expedition into the African interior with Walter Oudney and Hugh Clapperton. The journey crossed the Sahara to Bornu and reached the Lake Chad region, helping bring back one of the earliest detailed British accounts of that part of Central Africa. He later published an account of the expedition, which helped secure his reputation as a traveler and observer.
In the last part of his career, Denham was appointed governor of Sierra Leone. He died there in 1828, at the age of 42. Though his life was short, he remains an important figure in the history of early British exploration in Africa.