From its foundation, the society received an annual grant from the Sovereign of the United Kingdom for awards with royal approval. The medal originated from an annual donation starting in 1831 of 50 guineas from King William IV.[1] The award was instituted as the Royal Premium or Royal Award, an annual cash prize.[2] In 1836, the society with agreement from King William IV, decided to allocate half of the premium to a 'Gold Medal'.[3] This would be awarded by the Sovereign, on the advice of the Council of the Royal Geographical Society.[2] Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne before the first gold medal, which was designed in coordination with King William IV, was awarded.[2] Queen Victoria announced her intention of continuing the grant commenced by her uncle.[4] The council ultimately decided to divide the grant into two gold medals of equal standing; the Founder's Medal in memory of the founding patron King William IV and the Patron's Medal with the image of Queen Victoria as the active royal patron of the society.[5]
Design
The medal, like the Patron's Medal, is a gold medallion designed by William Wyon, Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint. The obverse side has a portrait of William IV. The reverse side shows a figure of Britannia, wearing a helmet and standing by a sextant and globe. She is holding a wreath in her outstretched right hand and a map in the left. The name of the recipient is engraved on the edge of the medal. The medal was struck in gold until 1974. From 1975 onwards it has been struck in silver-gilt. Exceptionally, on account of wars, the medals of 1918−21 and 1940 were struck in bronze.[6]
Award history
While generally awarded annually, the Founder's Medal was not awarded in the years 1850, 1851, 1855, 1913, 1943 and 1944. In 1850, the Patron's Medal was awarded but instead of awarding a Founder's Medal the council presented David Livingstone with a chronometer watch for 'his journey to the great lake of Ngami'.[7] In 1851, the council awarded no gold medals and instead awarded 25 guinea prizes to each of Georg August Wallin and Thomas Brunner.[7] In 1855, the Patron's Medal was awarded but instead of awarding a Founder's Medal the council presented Charles John Andersson with a set of surveying instruments (containing a sextant and stand, artificial horizon, watch, thermometers and measuring tapes).[8][7] Awarding a prize funded by the annual royal grant that was not a medal recognized the valuable work of the recipient while concurrently indicating "the service had not been of sufficient importance to justify the award of a gold medal, the highest award at the disposal of the society."[9] In 1913, the Patron's Medal was awarded but instead of awarding a Founder's Medal the council presented an engraved casket to Kathleen Scott containing the Patron's Medal and the Special Antarctic Medal awarded to her late husband Robert Falcon Scott.[10][11] No awards were made in 1943 or 1944 on account of the Second World War.
For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the northern shore of America.
For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent
For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E
For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography.
Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901)
For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology
Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies
British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915)
For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained
In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service
British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913)
The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works
The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes
For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale
For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers
2023
Andrew W. Mitchell
zoologist
For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change
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References
↑ "Royal Geographical Society", Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 2, london: John Murray: vii
1 2 3 Cumming, Duncan (July 1977), "Royalty and the Royal Geographical Society", The Geographical Journal, 143 (2): 171, doi:10.2307/1795871
↑ "At the General Meeting, May 16, 1836: Report from the Council", Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 6, London: 4, 1836, JSTOR1797551
↑ Markham, Clements R (1881), The Fifty Years' Work of the Royal Geographical Society, London: London J. Murray, p.60, OCLC2773780
↑ "At the Annual General Meeting, May 27, 1839: Report from the Council", Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 9, London: iv, 1839, JSTOR1797709
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