Introduction

Tonight, I am posting information on Alexander Selkirk whose maritime adventures formed the basis of the fictional Robinson Crusoe.

Alexander Selkirk Statue at Lower Largo, Fife

Information on Alexander Selkirk-An overview

Alexander Selkirk, a Scot, spent his early boyhood at Lower Largo on the Fife Coast in eastern Scotland. He had a fierce temper and following family disputes he went to sea. In 1704 he was sailing master of the vessel Cinque Ports. After elapse of 8 months Selkirk had a violent quarrel with the ship’s captain and was put ashore on an uninhabited island. This was Juan Fernandez island off the coast of Chile. Archaeologists have  located his camp on the island. After 4 years and 4 months he was rescued and later returned to Lower Largo with considerable wealth gained from piracy.

Information on Alexander Selkirk-Detail of his life part 1

• Born 1876, the son of a shoemaker and tanner in Lower Largo.
• His real name was Selcraig with change possibly due to a misspelling.
• Selkirk was an unruly youth and snubbed the opportunity to join his father’s business to go to sea.
• In 1703 he became navigator for an expedition led by an English privateer (legalized pirate) named William Dampier. Dampier captained the St. George while Selkirk served on companion ship, the Cinque Ports under Thomas Stradling.
• After plundering Spanish ships and coastal villages Selkirk’s ship arrived at Mas a Tierra, part of the Juan Fernandez archipelago. This is 420 miles off the Chilean coast.
• Following a heated argument with the ship’s captain Selkirk was left ashore with a supply of food and other items.
• With the island uninhabited, Selkirk had to move inland to improve his diet of which goat meat formed a major constituent.
• He progressively became fit nimble and resourceful making goatskin clothes and building two huts.
• Selkirk was rescued by a British ship, the Duke on February 2^nd 1709, four years and four months after abandonment. This ship was piloted by Dampier who was known to Selkirk.
• Next, Selkirk took up as the Duke’s second mate and resumed privateering activities, stealing gold and loot.
• Selkirk returned to Britain in 1711 where his castaway experience attracted interest from Defoe, amongst others.
• Next he married a dairy maid from Lower Largo and subsequently a widowed innkeeper from Plymouth. Then off to sea again. He became first mate on the British warship, HMS Weymouth.
• Selkirk died of fever on December 13^th, 1721 age 45 yrs. His body was deposited overboard, off Africa’s Gold Coast.

Foregoing detail obtained from the Glasgow Herald, January 26th 2025.

Information on Alexander Selkirk-Detail of his life part 2

Daniel Defoe met Selkirk in a London coffee-house in 1715 and learned of his (Selkirk’s) exploits which he used as material for the fictional Robinson Crusoe.

The above image shows Selkirk’s statue in his boyhood home at Lower Largo.

More information on the Fife Coast.

The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes a section on the Fife Coast. ISBN is 978-1-9161`332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.