Did William Moorcroft spend 12 years in Tibet from 1826 to 1838?  And if so, what happened to the maps and diaries he would have made while he was there?

Moorcroft’s biographer, Prof. Garry Alder (Beyond Bokhara–the life of William Moorcroft–Asian Explorer and Pioneer Veterinary Surgeon 1767-1825), and most historians, report that Moorcroft died of a fever at Andkhoi, Afghanistan in August 1825.  But two French priests, Regis-Evariste Huc and Joseph Gabet (Travels in Tartary Thibet and China 1844-1846), who arrived in Lhasa in 1846 after travelling across China, reported that Moorcroft spent 12 years in Lhasa.  They made this claim on the basis of reports in the Tibetan capital and their discussions with Moorcroft’s personal servant Nisan.  Both stories cannot be true, and thus the Moorcroft Mystery!

Dan Jantzen, in his essay “The Moorcroft Mystery–did William Moorcroft really spend twelve years in Lhasa from 1826 to 1838” argues it is possible Moorcroft faked his own death at Andkhoi in order that he might ‘disappear’ and proceed in disguise, first to Yarkand and eventually to Lhasa.  The visit to Lhasa is plausible, but there is no evidence in modern times to establish Huc and Gabet’s claim.  Preliminary searches for evidence in Lhasa, Beijing and even Taipei have so far not yielded useful information.  Anyone with interest to pursue this question in Tibetan and Chinese historical sources is asked to contact the MCADDeditor@gmail.com.

• 1928 Travels in Tartary Thibet and China 1844-46 Vol 1 by Huc and Gabet s.pdf (16.6 MiB)
• 1928 Travels in Tartary Thibet and China 1844-46 Vol 2 by Huc and Gabet s.pdf (16.2 MiB)
• 1939 Le cas Moorcroft un probleme de l'exploration tibetaine by Fazy from Toung Pao v35 s.pdf (1.1 MiB)
• 1942 New Light on Huc and Gabet--Their Expulsion from Lhasa in 1846 by Cammann s.pdf (1.3 MiB)
• 1980 Standing Alone--William Moorcroft Plays the Great Game 1808-1825 by Alder s.pdf (3.3 MiB)
• 1987 The Asian Years of William Moorcroft 1808-1825 by Alder from Asian Affairs v18 s.pdf (533.5 KiB)
• 1995 William Moorcroft--an Assessment by Denwood in Recent Research on Ladakh 4&5 s.pdf (761.0 KiB)
• 2011 Beyond Bokhara the Life of William Moorcroft by Alder reprint s.pdf (23.5 MiB)
• 2012 The Moorcroft Mystery by Jantzen s.pdf (3.3 MiB)
• 2015 Huc and Moorcroft theory by Matthew Kapstein.pdf (97.2 KiB)
• 2015 Kashmiri Merchants and Qing Intelligence Networks in the Himalayas--the Ahmed Ali Case of 1830 by Mosca s.pdf (1.7 MiB)