Question Details
- Question:
- I have heard that Mount Everest is named for a Welsh man. Can you please confirm this and direct me to any information on the person involved?
Thank you
David Bowen
- Answer:
- Dear David Bowen
Thank you for your enquiry regarding the origins of the name of Mount Everest.
Mount Everest is named after Sir George Everest(1790-1866)a Welsh military engineer who became Surveyor General of India in 1830 and completed the trigonometrical survey of the Indian sub-continent in 1841. He was born in Gwernvale, Brecknockshire (now Powys), joined the East India Company in 1806 and worked in Bengal, Java and India. Everest was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1827 and was knighted in 1861. Mount Everest was named after him in 1865.
You can find general biographical information on Everest and his achievements at the following websites:
http://www.surveyhistory.org/sir_george_everest1.htm http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/197158/Sir-George-Everest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/halloffame/innovators/george_everest.shtml
We have also identified a book on Sir George Everest that you might like to consult:
The Great Arc : the dramatic tale of how India was mapped and Everest was named
by Keay, John
HarperCollins 2000
Subjects Everest Sir, George, 1790-1866
ISBN: 0002570629
Description: xxi, 182p, [16]p of plates,ill,maps, ports ; 23 cm hbk
Your local library may have a copy in stock, or the staff may be able to obtain a copy on your behalf if you ask on your next visit or consult your library service's online catalogue.
Regards
Library Line
- Answered By:
- Swansea, Central Reference Library
