Discovery and Naming of The Prince Edward Islands

John Cooper
Prince Edward Islands Management Committee
c/o Avian Demography Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701

Photo by LG Underhill, Dec 2001. The large cave on Prince Edward Island that gave the island its second name: Ile de Caverne. The 1948 annexation flagpole still stands at its mouth.

On 4 March 1663 the Dutch East Indiaman Maerseveen captained by Barent Hamdiscovered two islands in the southern Indian Ocean at 41°°S. He named them Dena and Maerseveen. Although an incorrect position was given, itis likely that Ham had discovered the Prince Edward Islands which are situatedat 46° 55’S.

On 13 January 1772 the French frigates Le Mascarin (Captain M. Marion duFresne) and Marquis de Castries(Captain Julien Crozet) found the Prince Edward Islands in their currentposition.  Du Fresne named the largerisland (now Marion) Ile de l’Espérance (Island of Hope) and the smaller (nowPrince Edward) Ile de la Caverne, for its large cave visible from the sea. Du Fresne did not land on the islands andsailed east to discover the now-named Crozet Island group.

On 12 December 1776 Captain James Cook in the Resolution and Discovery on his third voyage of discovery reached the islands,having heard of them previously from Crozet who had given him a chart. Since Crozet’s chart did not name theislands, Cook called them “Prince Edward’s Islands” after the fourth son of theBritish King, who later became the father of Queen Victoria. It is to be noted that Cook did not giveindividual names to the two islands.

Cook then sailed to the east and named thecurrently named Crozet Islands “Marion’s and Crozet’s Islands” after theirdiscoverers in 1772.  It is not knownhow or when the names Marion and Prince Edward became used for the individualislands but is most likely that this usage became adopted sometime in the firsthalf/middle of the 19^th Century by sealers, who were notoriouslyvague and secretive about naming islands they visited.

Since then no other names have ever been usedfor the Prince Edward Islands over at least a 150-year period. The existing names are thus entrenched inthe scientific and popular literature, on maps and charts and in maritimepilots.

Reference

Cooper, J. & Headland, R.K. 1991. A history of South African involvement inAntarctica and at the Prince Edward Islands. South African Journal of AntarcticResearch 21: 77-91.