Sir Hugh Thomas Munro
Sir Hugh Thomas Munro - A Famous Scottish Mountaineer
Sir Hugh Thomas Munro (1856-1919), was born in London and was the eldest son of Sir Campbell Munro. Munro's childhood was spent at the family owned Lindertis Estate, near Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland.
At the age of 17 Munro moved to Stuttgart, Germany to continue his studies. While there he developed an avid interest in the Alps and mountaineering. Following an attack of pleurisy at the age of 24 he moved to South Africa to recover where he met Sir George Pomeroy Colley and became his private secretary.
In 1881, following the death of Sir George, Munro returned to Scotland to manage the family estate. He continued to enjoy travelling and was often accompanied by his wife and daughters. He also travelled as a King's Messenger making deliveries to the British Embassies.
Ever since his days in Stuttgart, studying the German language, Munro had remained an avid hillwalker, and was one of the original founder members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (founded 1889) and from 1894 to 1897 he served as its President.
In 1891 he published his "Tables giving all the Scottish mountains exceeding 3,000 feet in height" in which he methodically listed all the separate mountains above 3000 feet in Scotland. Prior to Sir Hugh's publication of his "tables" it was believed that only 30 mountains exceeded that elevation.
Although Munro had served with an irregular cavalry force, during the Basuto war, at the outbreak of the First World War (1914) he was considered too old for active service. However he decided to join the Red Cross in which he remained until his death in Provence, France, from pheumonia, in 1919.
Sir Hugh Munros Legacy
Munro is most well remembered for his list of mountains which are now reffered to as "Munros". He originally had 281 Munros listed of which he had climbed them all excluding one, "Carn Cloich-Mhuillin" in the Cairngorms, which he had been saving until last. His list was not exhaustive and " Carn an Fhidhleir", also unclimbed, was added during a revision started just prior to his death.
Munro's work was continued by the Scottish Mountaineering Club who have maintained the list ever since. Munros List continues to be revised as heights change and new surveyancing techniques allow better measurement. The Club also keep a list of all those people who have managed to climb all of the Munros which has developed into a sport referred to as "Munro Bagging". (To bag a Munro you must climb it!). The first person to successfully bag all of the Munros is recorded as being Reverend A E Robertson of Rannoch parish who did it in 1901.
Munros Tables currently list 284 separate Munros.
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