Hugh Massingberd
Encyclopedia
Hugh John Massingberd also known as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English
journalist
and genealogist.
Sometimes called the father of the modern obituary, Massingberd was most revered for his work as obituaries editor
for The Daily Telegraph
of London
from 1986 to 1994, during which time he drastically altered the style of the modern British
obituary from a dry recital of biographical data to an often sly, witty, yet deadpan narrative on the decedent's life.
, Berkshire
, England
, in 1946. His father, John Montgomery, was a member of the Colonial Service
. His mother, Marsali Seal de Winlaw, was a schoolmistress who married John Montgomery after her first husband Roger de Winton Kelsall Winlaw
died in 1942 in the service of the Royal Air Force
. Hugh was the first child of her union with John Montgomery. Through his father, Massingberd was the great great grandson of Charlotte Langton (née Wedgwood), she being sister of Emma Darwin (Charles Darwin's wife) and granddaughter of the potter and philanthropist Josiah Wedgwood I.
His boyhood enthusiasms included cricket, literature, horse-racing and showbusiness.
John and Hugh Montgomery, in order to inherit the estate of John's aunt and uncle (he was the son of Diana's sister and Archibald's brother) Diana Langton née Massingberd and her husband Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd at Gunby, East Lindsey, Lincolnshire
, were obliged to hyphenate their surnames, becoming in 1963, John Montgomery-Massingberd and Hugh John Montgomery-Massingberd. Hugh later dropped his original surname in 1992, and was known simply as Hugh Massingberd.
After leaving school, he worked for three years as an articled law clerk, before gaining a place at Cambridge University to read history. He then "drifted into publishing a journalism".
He was extremely proud of his reputation as a gourmand
and a trencherman, posing at one time for a portrait with a garland of sausages. Often retold was the story of his having eaten the largest breakfast ever served at the Connaught Hotel in 1972; the head waiter reported to his table that the previous record holder had been King Farouk I of Egypt
.
Massingberd married Christine Martinoni in 1972, with whom he had a daughter, Harriet, and a son, Luke. They were divorced in 1979 and he married Caroline Ripley in 1983.
Massingberd was known for his wit in his private life as well as in his public life as a writer. A friend once asked him, during one of Massingberd's low moods, what would cheer him up; after some thought, Massingberd replied, "To sing patriotic songs in drag before an appreciative audience."
Massingberd was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and died on Christmas Day, 2007, five days before his 61st birthday.
, Massingberd discarded initial plans to attend the University of Cambridge
, instead choosing to work as a law clerk. He then moved to an assistantship at Burke's Peerage
, the historical and genealogical listing of the United Kingdom
's titled
families. He was chief editor of Burke's Peerage from 1971 to 1983. Massingberd then worked as a freelance columnist for The Spectator
and The Field
until assuming his position with The Daily Telegraph in 1986.
As obituaries editor at The Daily Telegraph, Massingberd entirely altered the reverential but otherwise factual style of the obituary. He replaced the traditional tone of respect with one of adroitly subtle humor, and quickly drew readership. The New York Times
reported that "cataclysmic understatement and carefully coded euphemism were the stylistic hallmarks of his page." He said his inspiration was Roy Dotrice
's performance in 1969 in Brief Lives in the West End in which Dotrice, after reading out a "dull, formulaic entry about a barrister, shut the book with a 'Pshaw' and turned to the audience to say" 'He got more by his prick than his practice'." Massingberd said that he resolved then "to dedicate myself to chronicling what people were really like through informal anecdote, description and character sketch". He felt it was possible to give a true assessment of the subject and to present "a sympathetic acceptance, even celebration, of someone's foibles and faults".
Massingberd famously referred to the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, a deceased man with a habit of indecent exposure
, as "an uncompromisingly direct ladies' man." He termed the late maverick Dead Sea Scrolls
academician John Allegro, who later argued for Judeo-Christian
cultism regarding mushrooms and sexual intercourse, the "Liberace
of biblical scholarship."
Massingberd's sphere of influence was large. Following his editorship tenure, obituaries in not only The Daily Telegraph but in many other British publications, such as The Times
of London, took on the dryly impish character for which his writings had become famous.
He wrote over 30 books, many of them on the British aristocracy and the great houses of England, Scotland and Ireland, reviewed books for The Spectator
, Country Life
and the Telegraph, and also wrote a play based on the diaries of James Lees-Milne
.
A severe heart attack in 1994 forced Massingberd to undergo quadruple bypass surgery. During his recovery period, he wrote as The Daily Telegraphs television critic, but resigned in 1996.
After his resignation, Massingberd continued to write, authoring book reviews for The Daily Telegraph as well as several theatrical works. When one of his theatre pieces, Love and Art, was produced at the Wallace Collection
in 2005, Massingberd played one of the roles on stage. Massingberd left behind a considerable body of written work, both as author and as editor.
With Christopher Simon Sykes:
As editor
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and genealogist.
Sometimes called the father of the modern obituary, Massingberd was most revered for his work as obituaries editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1986 to 1994, during which time he drastically altered the style of the modern British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
obituary from a dry recital of biographical data to an often sly, witty, yet deadpan narrative on the decedent's life.
Biography
Massingberd was born Hugh John Montgomery at Cookham DeanCookham Dean
Cookham Dean is a settlement to the west of the village of Cookham in Berkshire, England. It is the highest point of all the Cookhams -Commerce:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1946. His father, John Montgomery, was a member of the Colonial Service
Colonial Service
The Colonial Service was the British government service which administered Britain's colonies and protectorates, under the authority of the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Colonial Office in London....
. His mother, Marsali Seal de Winlaw, was a schoolmistress who married John Montgomery after her first husband Roger de Winton Kelsall Winlaw
Roger Winlaw
Roger de Winton Kelsall Winlaw was an English amateur cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Surrey. A pre-war member of the RAF Volunteer Reserve, he died as a result of a mid-air collision in a training accident in the Second World War.-Education:Winlaw was born in Morden, Surrey to...
died in 1942 in the service of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Hugh was the first child of her union with John Montgomery. Through his father, Massingberd was the great great grandson of Charlotte Langton (née Wedgwood), she being sister of Emma Darwin (Charles Darwin's wife) and granddaughter of the potter and philanthropist Josiah Wedgwood I.
His boyhood enthusiasms included cricket, literature, horse-racing and showbusiness.
John and Hugh Montgomery, in order to inherit the estate of John's aunt and uncle (he was the son of Diana's sister and Archibald's brother) Diana Langton née Massingberd and her husband Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd at Gunby, East Lindsey, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, were obliged to hyphenate their surnames, becoming in 1963, John Montgomery-Massingberd and Hugh John Montgomery-Massingberd. Hugh later dropped his original surname in 1992, and was known simply as Hugh Massingberd.
After leaving school, he worked for three years as an articled law clerk, before gaining a place at Cambridge University to read history. He then "drifted into publishing a journalism".
He was extremely proud of his reputation as a gourmand
Gourmand
A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in food. The word has different connotations from the similar word gourmet, which emphasises an individual with a highly refined discerning palate, but in practice the two terms are closely linked, as both imply the enjoyment of good food.An older...
and a trencherman, posing at one time for a portrait with a garland of sausages. Often retold was the story of his having eaten the largest breakfast ever served at the Connaught Hotel in 1972; the head waiter reported to his table that the previous record holder had been King Farouk I of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Massingberd married Christine Martinoni in 1972, with whom he had a daughter, Harriet, and a son, Luke. They were divorced in 1979 and he married Caroline Ripley in 1983.
Massingberd was known for his wit in his private life as well as in his public life as a writer. A friend once asked him, during one of Massingberd's low moods, what would cheer him up; after some thought, Massingberd replied, "To sing patriotic songs in drag before an appreciative audience."
Massingberd was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, and died on Christmas Day, 2007, five days before his 61st birthday.
Career
After leaving school at HarrowHarrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Massingberd discarded initial plans to attend the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, instead choosing to work as a law clerk. He then moved to an assistantship at Burke's Peerage
Burke's Peerage
Burke's Peerage publishes authoritative, in-depth historical guides to the royal and titled families of the United Kingdom, such as Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, and of many other countries. Founded in 1826 by British genealogist John Burke Esq., and continued by his son, Sir John...
, the historical and genealogical listing of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's titled
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
families. He was chief editor of Burke's Peerage from 1971 to 1983. Massingberd then worked as a freelance columnist for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
and The Field
The Field
The Field is a play written by John B. Keane, first performed in 1965. It tells the story of the hardened farmer "Bull" McCabe and his love for the land he rents. The play debuted at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in 1965, with Ray McAnally as "The Bull" and Eamon Keane as "The Bird" O'Donnell. The play...
until assuming his position with The Daily Telegraph in 1986.
As obituaries editor at The Daily Telegraph, Massingberd entirely altered the reverential but otherwise factual style of the obituary. He replaced the traditional tone of respect with one of adroitly subtle humor, and quickly drew readership. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that "cataclysmic understatement and carefully coded euphemism were the stylistic hallmarks of his page." He said his inspiration was Roy Dotrice
Roy Dotrice
Roy Dotrice, OBE is a British actor known for his Tony Award-winning Broadway performance in the revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten.-Life and career:...
's performance in 1969 in Brief Lives in the West End in which Dotrice, after reading out a "dull, formulaic entry about a barrister, shut the book with a 'Pshaw' and turned to the audience to say" 'He got more by his prick than his practice'." Massingberd said that he resolved then "to dedicate myself to chronicling what people were really like through informal anecdote, description and character sketch". He felt it was possible to give a true assessment of the subject and to present "a sympathetic acceptance, even celebration, of someone's foibles and faults".
Massingberd famously referred to the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, a deceased man with a habit of indecent exposure
Indecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
, as "an uncompromisingly direct ladies' man." He termed the late maverick Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
academician John Allegro, who later argued for Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
cultism regarding mushrooms and sexual intercourse, the "Liberace
Liberace
Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
of biblical scholarship."
Massingberd's sphere of influence was large. Following his editorship tenure, obituaries in not only The Daily Telegraph but in many other British publications, such as The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of London, took on the dryly impish character for which his writings had become famous.
He wrote over 30 books, many of them on the British aristocracy and the great houses of England, Scotland and Ireland, reviewed books for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
and the Telegraph, and also wrote a play based on the diaries of James Lees-Milne
James Lees-Milne
James Lees-Milne was an English writer and expert on country houses. He was an architectural historian, novelist, and a biographer. He is also remembered as a diarist.-Biography:...
.
A severe heart attack in 1994 forced Massingberd to undergo quadruple bypass surgery. During his recovery period, he wrote as The Daily Telegraphs television critic, but resigned in 1996.
After his resignation, Massingberd continued to write, authoring book reviews for The Daily Telegraph as well as several theatrical works. When one of his theatre pieces, Love and Art, was produced at the Wallace Collection
Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, with a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.It was established in...
in 2005, Massingberd played one of the roles on stage. Massingberd left behind a considerable body of written work, both as author and as editor.
Works
As author- The Monarchy (1979)
- The British Aristocracy (with Mark Bence-JonesMark Bence-JonesMark Adayre Bence-Jones was a British writer, noted mainly for his books on Irish architecture, the British aristocracy and the British Raj...
, 1979) - The London Ritz (with David Watkin, 1980)
- The Country Life Book of Royal Palaces, Castles and Homes (with Patrick Montague-Smith, 1981)
- Diana: The Princess of Wales (1982)
- Heritage of Royal Britain (1983)
- Royal Palaces of Europe (1984)
- Blenheim Revisited (1985)
- Her Majesty The Queen (1986)
- Debrett's Great British Families (1987)
- The Field Book of Country Houses and their Owners: Family Seats of the British Isles (1988)
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1999)
- Daydream Believer: Confessions of a Hero-Worshipper (2001; autobiographical)
- Ancestral Voices (2002)
- Love and Art (2005)
With Christopher Simon Sykes:
- Great Houses of England and Wales (1994)
- Great Houses of Scotland (1997)
- Great Houses of Ireland (1999)
- English Manor Houses (2001)
As editor
- Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage (1971-1983; assistant editor, 1968-1971)
- Burke's Guide to the Royal Family (1973)
- Burke's Royal Families of the World, Vols. 1 and 2 (1977 and 1980)
- Burke's Guide to Country Houses, Vols. 1-3 (1978, 1980 and 1981)
- The Daily Telegraph Record of the Second World War (1989)
- A Guide to the Country Houses of the North-West (1991)
- The Disintegration of a Heritage: Country Houses and their Collections 1979-1992 (1993)
- The Daily Telegraph Book of Obituaries, Vols. 1-6
- The Very Best of the Daily Telegraph Books of Obituaries (2001)
External links
- Obituary for Hugh Massingberd, The Daily Telegraph, 12 December 2007
- "Hugh Massingberd, obituaries master, dies", The Telegraph, 12 December 2007
- "Hugh Massingberd, 60, Laureate for the Departed, Dies", New York Times, December 30, 2007
- Article on Massingberd, The Guardian
- Obituary for Massingberd, The Times (UK)