Hugh Massingberd | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hugh John Montgomery 30 December 1946 Cookham Dean, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 25 December 2007 (aged 60) London, England |
| Occupation |
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| Notable works | Time as the obituaries editor of The Daily Telegraph |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 2 |
Hugh John Massingberd (30 December 1946 – 25 December 2007), originally Hugh John Montgomery and known from 1963 to 1992 as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist. He was chief editor of Burke's Peerage/Burke's Landed Gentry from 1971 to 1983.
Sometimes called the father of the modern obituary,[1] 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 deceased person's life.
- ^ McGinness, Mark (2008) "Father of the modern obit: Hugh Massingberd (1946–2007)", The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, 5–6 January 2008, p. 56