George Everest

George Everest
Photograph of Everest
Born	4 July 1790 (1790-07-04)
Died	1 December 1866 (1867-01) (aged 76)
Nationality	Welsh
Known for	Great Trigonometric Survey of India
Scientific career
Fields	Geography

Colonel Sir George Everest (/ˈiːvrst/; 4 July 1790 – 1 December 1866) was a Welsh surveyor, geographer and Surveyor-General of India from 1830 to 1843.

Sir George was largely responsible for completing the section of the Great Trigonometric Survey of India along the meridian arc from the south of India extending north to Nepal, a distance of approximately 2,400 kilometres (1,491 mi). The survey was started by William Lambton in 1806 and lasted several decades.

In 1865, Mount Everest was named in his honour despite his objections. It was surveyed by his successor, Andrew Waugh.

Biography

Everest's grave, St Andrew's, Hove

He was born in the Manor of Gwernvale at Crickhowell in Powys, in 1790. He was baptised at Greenwich.

Commissioned into the Royal Artillery, in 1818, Lt Everest was appointed as assistant to Colonel William Lambton, who had started the Great Trigonometrical Survey of the sub-continent in 1806. On Lambton's death in 1823, he succeeded to the post of superintendent of the survey and in 1830 was appointed Surveyor-General of India.

Everest retired in 1843 and returned to live in the United Kingdom, where he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was knighted in 1861 and in 1862 he was elected Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society. He died in London in 1866 and is buried in St Andrew's Church, Hove, near Brighton. His niece, Mary Everest, married mathematician George Boole.

Mussoorie House

He owned a house in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India for some years. Although almost derelict, it still has a roof and there are plans to make it into a museum at some time.

Sir George Everest's House and Laboratory, also known as the Park Estate, is situated about 6 km from Gandhi Chowk / Library Bazaar, (West end of the Mall Road, in Mussoorie). Built in 1832 it was the home and laboratory of, Sir George Everest. The house is situated in a picturesque place from where one can catch the panoramic view of Doon Valley on one side and a panoramic view of the Aglar River valley and snow bound Himalayan ranges on the other.

The house is under the jurisdiction of the Archeological Survey of India and therefore it has been long neglected as it is not given to INTACH. The underground water cisterns can still be seen, outside the house. These underground water tanks are quite deep and lie uncovered, in the front yard, posing danger to humans and animals, especially during snowfall, when the ground is wet and slippery. The interior has been stripped but fireplaces and the door and window frames still remain. The wooden beams that support the ceiling also seem to be in good condition. The floor is littered with bricks, stones and cow dung. The house is also used as shelter from rain and snow, by the cows, goats and horses, from the nearby village. The walls are covered with graffiti, which mostly are declarations of love. The kitchen shows some signs of recent renovation, in the form of ceramic floor tiles, several of which have already broken or chipped. This could be an excellent tourist spot with a little care but personnel and funds seem to be in short supply. However, many Conservaton Architects at INTACH are vying for this project as it will be funded soon.

Pronunciation of "Everest"

Sir George Everest's surname is pronounced /ˈiːvrst/. The mountain named after him – Mount Everest – is generally pronounced /ˈɛvrst/.

Further reading

• John Keay. 2000. The Great Arc. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-257062-9.
• J. R. Smith. 1999. Everest – The Man and the Mountain. Caithness: Whittles Publishing. ISBN 1-870325-72-9.

External links

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Everest, Sir George" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

• Photographs of Sir George Everest's house and laboratory, in Mussoorie, India