Biographie
He was the son of the Rev. David Markham, Canon of Windsor, a schoolfellow of Goodenough's at Westminster, and a naval entry at the same time.
He then travelled in Peru for a year, after which he entered the Civil Service and in 1854 was appointed to the Board of Control of the East India Company.
From 1866 to 1877 he was in charge of the Geographical Section of the India Office.
In 1866-67 he accompanied the Abyssinian expedition and was present at the capture of Magdala.
He was Secretary and the President of both the Hakluyt and the Royal Geographical Societies for many years.
He encouraged the 1875 Arctic Expedition under Sir George Nares and accompanied it as far as Greenland.
He presided over an International Geographic Congress in London in 1895 and was advanced to K.C.B. the following year.
He gave invaluable preliminary assistance to Scott's first Antarctic Expedition.
Service militaire
He took part in Captain H.T. Austin's search for Franklin in the Arctic in 1850-51.
He then resigned from the Royal Navy.
