John Oakley Maund

Sir John Oakley Maund
Born	Laverstock, Wiltshire, England
Died	June 10, 1902(1902-06-10) (aged 56)
Occupation(s)	Banker, stockbroker, entrepreneur, hunter, mountaineer
Years active	19th century

Sir John Oakley Maund (26 May 1846 – 10 June 1902) was a distinguished English figure known for his roles as a banker, stockbroker, entrepreneur, hunter, and mountaineer during the period recognized as the silver age of alpinism.

Personal life

Born in Laverstock, Wiltshire, Maund was the son of William Herbert Maund and Lucy Maund. He served in the Royal Marine Artillery, achieving the rank of lieutenant. In July 1867, he wed Mary Emily Baring, daughter of Major Henry Bingham Baring, a Member of Parliament and Lord of the Treasury. Prior to this marriage, Mary had divorced Sir Richard Lewis Mostyn Williams-Bulkeley, 11th Baronet, following accusations of adultery involving Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Armitage of the Coldstream Guards. Mary passed away on 18 February 1887. Subsequently, Maund married Zoe Gertrude Dudgeon (1868–1935), who survived him and later married businessman Vincent Caillard in 1927. Maund was reputed for having a notably quick temper.

Mountaineer

During the late 19th century’s silver age of alpinism, John Oakley Maund was an active mountaineer and a prominent member of the Alpine Club. At the height of his climbing career, he weighed .

Between 3 and 5 August 1874, Maund undertook his third attempt to reach the main summit of the Meije (Massif des Ecrins, Dauphiné Alps) by ascending its north ridge accompanied by guides Jean Martin and Johann Jaun. Although adverse weather conditions forced them to abandon the climb, their effort demonstrated that the route was achievable.

In 1876, Maund accomplished three first ascents within just eight days in the Mont Blanc massif. On 31 July, alongside Thomas Middlemore, Henri Cordier, and guides Jakob Anderegg, Andreas Maurer, and Johann Jaun, he climbed the Cordier Couloir on the north face of the -high Aiguille Verte. This demanding route remained unrepeated until 1924, and is celebrated as a significant milestone in mountaineering for its steep 900-meter couloir with inclines reaching up to 56°. The team narrowly avoided injury from falling rocks while crossing the bergschrund.

On 4 August 1876, Maund successfully climbed the Cordier route on Les Courtes’ north face with Middlemore, Cordier, and guides Jakob Anderegg, Andreas Maurer, and Johann Jaun, followed by completing the first ascent of Les Droites’ east summit on 7 August with Middlemore, Cordier, Jaun, and Maurer. During this climb, they endured a perilous rockfall:

In 1881, Maund made an attempt on the Mittellegigrat (north-east ridge) of the Eiger alongside J. Baumann, Johann Jaun, Andreas Maurer, and Emile Rey. They reached what is now known as the big step on this ridge—a section that would later be negotiated using a fixed rope. The complete ascent of this ridge was ultimately achieved in 1925 by Maki Yūkō, Fritz Amatter, Fritz Steuri, and Samuel Brawand.

Entrepreneur

Maund was instrumental in the British expansion efforts in southern Africa, especially within the territory that later became known as Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). In June 1889, five months prior to the establishment of the British South Africa Company, the "Exploring Company Limited" was incorporated in London, owning a quarter of the shares in the Rudd-Rhodes Concession. Maund held a position on its Board alongside notable figures such as Alfred Beit, Cecil Rhodes, George Cawston, and Lord Gifford. The company aimed primarily at promoting development in the Bechuanaland Protectorate and the northern adjoining regions.

By December 1896, Maund presided over the second general assembly of the British West Chartered Company, which concentrated on enhancing mining ventures in South Africa and extending the railway network from Bechuanaland further north.

Hunter

Belonging to English high society, Maund was passionate about hunting and managed leases for hunting cooperatives in Austria’s Bregenz Forest area, including territories around Schoppernau, Hopfreben, and Schröcken.

During the 1890s, he acquired a secluded plot in Schoppernau, Hopfreben at the base of the Alps and constructed Villa Maund, a hunting lodge designed in the English country house style. The design is credited to William Morris, who had previously created similar Anglo-Scottish cottages for Maund in Weggis near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. Completed in 1892, Villa Maund welcomed its inaugural hunting party by 1895.