Frederica Plunket

The Honourable Frederica Louisa Edith Plunket (1838–1886)[1][2] was an Irish aristocrat from Ballymascanlan, County Louth, a prolific botanical illustrator and pioneering mountaineer.

The book was expressly written for women interested in mountaineering and to show them what was possible for the active healthy woman.

The book describes assents of multiple peaks in Switzerland undertaken in 1874 although the introduction indicates that this is only one of several years of climbing.

[7][8][9] Despite her insistence in the introduction to her book that dangers were over emphasised Plunket herself experienced potentially fatal accidents while climbing.

[4] Although now reported it was Lucy Walker who first succeeded in reaching the top, Anne Rathdonnell, The 1st Lady Rathdonnell wrote in her diary in 1879, that Plunket was known as the first woman to the top of the Matterhorn:"I remember meeting several times in Chester Square the Hon.