The Mystery of Everest

George Everest (as in the mountain) is buried just around the corner from where I used to live in Hove. I had no idea at the time so on the way home today I took a little detour.

He died in 1866 and was buried with 2 of his 6 children who had died very young. To his left is the grave of his sister and to the right is his father in-law, Thomas Wing.

His stone reads:

IN MEMORY OF
MY DEARLY LOVED HUSBAND
GEORGE EVEREST
DIED DECEMBER 1ST 1866
AGED 76 YEARS
AND OF OUR DEAR CHILDREN
EMMA COLEBROOKE
DIED FEBRUARY 10TH 1852
AGED 2 YEARS 10 MONTHS
BENIONA EDITH
DIED JANUARY 24TH 1860
AGED 4 MONTHS
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

The Everest family had no connection with Brighton & Hove and it appears the mystery of why he is buried here, with his two children, next to his sister and father in-law will remain a mystery. However it hasn't stopped us naming a bus after him

There's a tale ((true or false?) of a mother of a young child who's school outing had been to visit the grave.
Mother: "What did you do at school today?"
Child: "Today we stood on top of Everest" :)

"Interesting fact" Alert:His neice, Mary Everest, married mathematician George Boole, as in Boolean Logic, the basis of the modern computer and the reason we can all Blip!