Introduction
If readers
would like to contribute an article for the Guest Contributor page heading
please contact me, my email address appears on the About Me page heading. The 0nly two things I ask is that the
article should be hill related and importantly I should not end up in court
through its publication! Otherwise the choice of subject matter is down to the
Guest Contributor.
About
the Author; Ronnie Bowron
Ronnie Bowron developed a
passion for the mountains through Scouting where as a Cub Scout over the Easter
weekend in 1976 he visited the Lake District for the first time. Since then he has walked extensively around
the UK, with various trips to the Alps and Himalaya.
Ten years ago he decided to
have greater objectives to walking the fells and subsequently completed the
Wainwrights and then the Outlying Fells, Birketts, Nuttalls and Simms. Having completed a round of English and Welsh
mountains he then refocused on the Lake District completing the Synges.
His current projects revolve
around documenting all recognised hills/ mountains from any bagging list in
each of the UK’s 15 National Parks. He
calls these “The Definitive Lists©” of the National Parks of the United
Kingdom. In the last 12 months he has completed
rounds of all 1,020 summits in the Lake District National Park and all 187
summits within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. His attention then turned to documenting all
English/ Welsh Mountains over 2,000 feet / 600 metres on the same basis as his
Definitive Lists, hence the research on the Corbett Twenty Fives.
The
Corbett Twenty Fives
Most people will be familiar
with the Munro List of 283 Scottish Mountains over 3,000 feet first published
in 1891 by Sir Hugh Munro and a round was first completed by the Rev. Archibald Eneas Robertson on 28th
September 1901.
The fourth Munroist was J. Rooke Corbett who was a district
valuer based in Bristol. He completed
the Munros and Munro Tops in 1930 and in doing so became only the second person
to complete this feat.
In addition to his time in the mountains,
Corbett compiled a list of 219 Scottish mountains between 2,500 feet and 3,000
feet in height which are now known as the Corbetts. What is less well known is that he also published
an English and Welsh list of mountains over 2,500 feet in height known as the Twenty Fives. This is the first known list of English &
Welsh summits.
Corbett was a member of the
Rucksack Club which was formed in 1902 and it is still going strong to this
day. The Rucksack Club publishes an
Annual Journal and the 1911 edition included a five page article entitled “Twenty-Fives”. This article listed 130 mountains in England
and Wales over 2,500 feet in height.
To the modern day peak bagger
this first list of English and Welsh mountains has been lost in the depths of
history but like its more famous Scottish cousin – The Munros – it deserves its
recognised place in history.
The ethos of an early twentieth
century peak bagger was very similar to the modern day peak bagger and it is worth
repeating Corbett’s introductory remarks to the 1911 article: -
“During the last few years
there has arisen among some of the members of the Rucksack Club a new craze or
hobby, which may be looked upon as a special form of the old passion for
‘peak-bagging’ which has long been known to mountaineers. This hobby consists in visiting as many as
possible of the English and Welsh summits which are more than 2,500 feet above
sea level. The twenty-fiver is
distinguished from the ordinary peak-bagger by the thoroughness of his work”
Part of its lack of recognition
is that the Corbett Twenty Fives has never been digitised and published on any hill
bagging sites. As part of a wider project
to list all English and Welsh Mountains over 2,000 feet or 600 metres which have
appeared on any bagging list I have taken the opportunity to digitise the
Corbett Twenty Fives.
The Corbett Twenty Fives had
four editions and it’s worth putting them into context:
1911 edition was largely based
on the Bartholomew Half Inch Maps published 1897-1907 and identified the
initial 131 summits.
1912 update added 7 new summits,
with 5 in England including Pillar Rock and 2 in Wales.
1929 edition was a fully
revised list based on the new ‘Popular’ edition of the One-Inch Ordnance map.
1933 update added 4 new summits
in England and 6 in Wales. This update
was by E. (Ted) Moss who was to become famous in this own right with the first
2,000 foot lists for England and Wales which were published in 1939 and 1940
respectively.
The Bartholohew Half Inch map which
was largely used for the 1911 compilation was very basic. It relied on contours at 250 foot intervals and
had no grid lines; therefore the Corbett Twenty Fives are listed by geographic
area. The use of such a basic map puts
the list in to context, and it would not be until the ‘Popular’ One Inch
Ordnance Map was published that fifty foot contours and grid lines were first
used. By way of comparison, below is the
equivalent map of Snowdon-Yr Wyddfa.
An important point to note is
that these maps pre dated Ordnance Survey trig points which only came into
being in April 1936. A number of the spot
heights on these maps were not true summits but cairned points with excellent
views to allow the Ordnance Surveyors to complete their work. These random spot heights are largely still
recorded on the 2018 editions of the OS 1:50,000 Landranger mapping.
As a result of the improved
mapping and visiting many of the locations in the preceding years, the 1929 edition
removed 15 non summits. In the same way
as we have deleted Nuttalls I treat these as Del Corbett 25s – in my view these
are worthy of record as for 18 years they were regarded as summits to the early
twentieth century peak bagger.
No further revisions were made to
this list after the 1933 update; therefore the Corbett Twenty Fives became a
static list with 158 summits (94 in England and 64 in Wales). By 1939 hill listing had moved onto what is
now generally regarded as the height of a mountain, which is 2,000 foot (609.6
metres) or 600 metres for an appropriate metric equivalent.
For the record the articles
supporting the various editions of the lists suggests that a gentleman called
Minor was the first to bag a full round of the Twenty Fives and other members
of the Rucksack Club followed in his footsteps.
I have yet to trace a record of where or on what date this was
completed.
There are often discussions
within the hill bagging community as to what constitutes a summit or trig point
bag. Whilst I agree that at the end of
the day it comes down to personal conscious, there is an interesting
observation in the 1922 update on this subject which is worthy of mention. This relates to Gallt-y-Gogof near to Capel
Curig and I quote: -
“The Ordnance Surveyors put the
height of the mountain at only 2,499 feet, but members who passed over this
summit on the way to the Glyders were naturally reluctant to let it be excluded
from the list for the sake of twelve miserable inches. The argument that the mountain was in fact
more than 2,500 feet above sea level at low tide was held to be unsatisfactory,
because it’s always low tide at some point on the British coast and always high
tide at some other point. More weight,
however, attached to the argument that any person more than two feet in height
who ascended this peak was entitled to count it as a twenty-five on the ground
that the greater part of his anatomy had attained the required altitude; but,
in order to place matters beyond dispute, it was finally agreed that this peak
might be counted as a twenty-five by any climber who, when standing on the top
most summit, should leap at least one foot into the air”
All those marginal summits
where hours of GPS data have been collected could now be potentially elevated
into a list simply by jumping into the air!
Needless to say Gallt-y-Gogof did not make the final Corbett Twenty Five
list.
Ronnie Bowron (July
2018)
My thanks go to Gordon Adshead
of the Rucksack Club for allowing me to source original copies of the Journals,
to Phil Newby for agreeing to add the Corbett Twenty Fives to the Haroldstreet
website and to Myrddyn Phillips of
Mapping Mountains in publishing this article.
The
final Twenty Five list of 158 summits appears below presented in alphabetical
order with the list of deleted summits following:
Corbett Twenty Fives
Original Name
|
Grid Ref
|
Current Name
|
|
1
|
Allen Crags
|
NY 23670
08528
|
Allen Crags
|
2
|
Aran Bennllyn N Top
|
SH 86720
24269
|
Aran Benllyn
|
3
|
Aran Mawddwy
|
SH 86269
22383
|
Aran Fawddwy
|
4
|
Arenig Fawr S Top
|
SH 82704
36949
|
Arenig Fawr
|
5
|
Arenig Fawr Far South Top
|
SH 82684
36655
|
Arenig Fawr South Top
|
6
|
Bera Bach
|
SH 67206
67767
|
Bera Bach
|
7
|
Bera Mawr
|
SH 67482
68267
|
Bera Mawr
|
8
|
Black Crag
|
NY 16600
11662
|
Black Crag
|
9
|
Red Pike S Top
|
NY 16564
10146
|
Black Crag
|
10
|
Saddleback
|
NY 32345
27709
|
Blencathra-Hallsfell Top
|
11
|
Bowfell
|
NY 24455
06452
|
Bowfell
|
12
|
Bowfell Centre Top
|
NY 24450
06700
|
Bowfell Centre Top
|
13
|
Bowfell N Top
|
NY 24455
07002
|
Bowfell North Top
|
14
|
Brim Fell
|
SD 27075
98558
|
Brim Fell
|
15
|
Broad Crag
|
NY 21857
07556
|
Broad Crag
|
16
|
Buckbarrow Crag
|
SD 27110
98080
|
Buckbarrow Crag
|
17
|
Cader Berwyn S Top
|
SJ 07163
32351
|
Cadair Berwyn
|
18
|
Cader Berwyn N Top
|
SJ 07221
32715
|
Cadair Berwyn North Top
|
19
|
Cader Bronwen
|
SJ 07752
34661
|
Cadair Bronwen
|
20
|
Cader Idris
|
SH 71113
13035
|
Cadair Idris-Penygadair
|
21
|
Cairn Hill
|
NT 90370
19524
|
Cairn Hill
|
22
|
Carnedd Dafydd
|
SH 66283
63046
|
Carnedd Dafydd
|
23
|
Carnedd Llewellyn
|
SH 68361
64372
|
Carnedd Llewelyn
|
24
|
Carnedd y Filiast
|
SH 62038
62736
|
Carnedd y Filiast
|
25
|
Catstye Cam
|
NY 34811
15823
|
Catstye Cam
|
26
|
Black Ladders
|
SH 67500
63200
|
Cefn Ysgolion East Top
|
27
|
Black Ladders W Top
|
SH 67100
63000
|
Cefn Ysgolion West Top (Black
Ladders)
|
28
|
Corn Du
|
SO 00718
21330
|
Corn Du
|
29
|
Crag Hill
|
NY 19273
20335
|
Crag Hill (Eel Crag)
|
30
|
Craig Berwyn N Top
|
SJ 07700
33500
|
Craig Berwyn (boundary)
|
31
|
Craig Berwyn S Top
|
SJ 07450
33300
|
Craig Berwyn South Top
|
32
|
Mynydd Pencoed
|
SH 71061
12127
|
Craig Cwm Amarch
|
33
|
Duwynt
|
SO 00551
20720
|
Craig Gwaun Taf (Duwynt)
|
34
|
Waun Rydd S Top
|
SO 06610
20160
|
Craig Pwllfa (Waun Rydd South Top)
|
35
|
Crib Goch
|
SH 62421
55155
|
Crib Goch
|
36
|
Crib y Ddisgl
|
SH 61079
55155
|
Crib y Ddysgl
|
37
|
Bryn Teg
|
SO 02389
21312
|
Cribyn
|
38
|
Crinkle Crags, South Top
|
NY 25004
04557
|
Crinkle Crags South Top (First Crinkle)
|
39
|
Crinkle Crags, Long Top
|
NY 24865
04873
|
Crinkle Crags-Long Top (Second
Crinkle)
|
40
|
Cross Fell
|
NY 68718
34336
|
Cross Fell
|
41
|
Cyfrwy
|
SH 70389
13329
|
Cyfrwy
|
42
|
Dollywaggon Pike
|
NY 34626
13068
|
Dollywaggon Pike
|
43
|
Dove Crag
|
NY 37455
10436
|
Dove Crag
|
44
|
Dow Crag
|
SD 26253
97797
|
Dow Crag
|
45
|
Drum
|
SH 70843
69587
|
Drum
|
46
|
Drws Bach
|
SH 86299
21294
|
Drws Bach
|
47
|
Elidyr Fach
|
SH 60374
61335
|
Elidir Fach
|
48
|
Elidyr Fawr
|
SH 61171
61287
|
Elidir Fawr
|
49
|
Aran Bennllyn S Top
|
SH 86475
23384
|
Erw y Ddafad-ddu
|
50
|
Esk Pike
|
NY 23650
07505
|
Esk Pike
|
51
|
Fairfield
|
NY 35873
11757
|
Fairfield
|
52
|
Carmarthen Van
|
SN 82533
21793
|
Fan Brycheiniog-Trig Point
|
53
|
Foel Grach
|
SH 68878
65906
|
Foel Grach
|
54
|
Foel Fras
|
SH 69613
68121
|
Foel-fras
|
55
|
Foel Goch
|
SH 62858
61211
|
Foel-goch
|
56
|
Foel Goch S Top
|
SH 62793
60726
|
Foel-goch South Top
|
57
|
Garnedd Uchaf
|
SH 68698
66902
|
Garnedd Uchaf (Carnedd Gwenllian)
|
58
|
Gavel Pike
|
NY 37285
13419
|
Gavel Pike
|
59
|
Glaramara N Top
|
NY 24599
10457
|
Glaramara
|
60
|
Craig y Ffynon
|
SH 83674
19455
|
Glasgwm
|
61
|
Glyder Fach
|
SH 65643
58286
|
Glyder Fach
|
62
|
Glyder Fawr
|
SH 64243
57953
|
Glyder Fawr
|
63
|
Grassmoor
|
NY 17484
20352
|
Grasmoor
|
64
|
Great Carrs
|
NY 27078
00950
|
Great Carrs
|
65
|
Great Dodd
|
NY 34203
20530
|
Great Dodd
|
66
|
Unnamed top
|
NY 34060
20000
|
Great Dodd S Top
|
67
|
Great Dun Fell
|
NY 71016
32133
|
Great Dunn Fell
|
68
|
Great End
|
NY 22671
08386
|
Great End
|
69
|
Great Gable
|
NY 21100
10321
|
Great Gable
|
70
|
Great Rigg
|
NY 35592
10407
|
Great Rigg
|
71
|
Great Scoat Fell
|
NY 15459
11210
|
Great Scoat Fell
|
72
|
Green Gable
|
NY 21465
10717
|
Green Gable
|
73
|
Green Side
|
NY 35272
18751
|
Green Side (White Stones-Green Side)
|
74
|
Grey Friar
|
NY 26008
00361
|
Grey Friar
|
75
|
Grisedale Pike
|
NY 19840
22548
|
Grisedale Pike
|
76
|
Hart Crag
|
NY 36903
11207
|
Hart Crag
|
77
|
Harter Fell
|
NY 45969
09327
|
Harter Fell (Mardale)
|
78
|
Haycock
|
NY 14478
10717
|
Haycock
|
79
|
Helvellyn
|
NY 34245
15111
|
Helvellyn
|
80
|
Lower Man
|
NY 33744
15544
|
Helvellyn Lower Man
|
81
|
Nethermost Pike S Top
|
NY 34333
13666
|
High Crag (Grisedale)
|
82
|
High White Stones
|
NY 28088
09524
|
High Raise (High Raise (High White
Stones)
|
83
|
High Raise
|
NY 44823
13453
|
High Raise (High Street)
|
84
|
High Stile
|
NY 17008
14818
|
High Stile (Grey Crag-High Stile)
|
85
|
High Street
|
NY 44076
11050
|
High Street
|
86
|
Sand Hill
|
NY 18567
22163
|
Hopegill Head
|
87
|
Ill Crags
|
NY 22319
07350
|
Ill Crag
|
88
|
Kidsty Pike
|
NY 44736
12580
|
Kidsty Pike
|
89
|
Kirk Fell W Top
|
NY 19494
10487
|
Kirk Fell
|
90
|
Kirk Fell E Top
|
NY 19915
10700
|
Kirk Fell East Top (Kirk Fell North
Top)
|
91
|
Knock Fell
|
NY 72139
30238
|
Knock Fell
|
92
|
Knowe Crags
|
NY 31197
27029
|
Knowe Crags (Blease Fell)
|
93
|
Lingmell
|
NY 20933
08178
|
Lingmell
|
94
|
Little Dun Fell
|
NY 70447
33016
|
Little Dunn Fell
|
95
|
Llwydnor
|
SH 68945
69225
|
Llwytmor
|
96
|
Long Green
|
NY 20950
05700
|
Long Green Scafell
|
97
|
Glaramara S Top
|
NY 24586
10172
|
Looking Steads (Glaramara)
|
98
|
Dufton Fell
|
NY 77166
29080
|
Meldon Hill
|
99
|
Mickle Fell
|
NY80604
24548
|
Mickle Fell
|
100
|
Moel Hebog
|
SH 56482
46940
|
Moel Hebog
|
101
|
Arenig Fawr N Top
|
SH 82931
37281
|
Moel Llechwedd
|
102
|
Moel Siabod
|
SH 70526
54632
|
Moel Siabod
|
103
|
Moel Sych
|
SJ 06629
31858
|
Moel Sych
|
104
|
Moelwyn Mawr
|
SH 65822
44861
|
Moelwyn Mawr
|
105
|
Mynydd Moel
|
SH 72747
13678
|
Mynydd Moel
|
106
|
Mynedd Pencoed SW Top
|
SH 70512
11789
|
Mynydd Pencoed
|
107
|
Mynydd Perfedd
|
SH 62313
61888
|
Mynydd Perfedd
|
108
|
Nethermost Pike N Top
|
NY 34366
14218
|
Nethermost Pike
|
109
|
Pen Llithing yr Wrach
|
SH 71622
62290
|
Pen Llithrig y Wrach
|
110
|
Brecon Beacon
|
SO 01208
21583
|
Pen y Fan
|
111
|
Pen y Gader Fawr
|
SO 22944
28758
|
Pen y Gadair Fawr
|
112
|
Pen yr Helig-du
|
SH 69778
63045
|
Pen yr Helgi Du
|
113
|
Pen yr Olen Wen
|
SH 65595
61944
|
Pen yr Ole Wen
|
114
|
Aran Benllyn Far North Top
|
SH 86930
24702
|
Pen-aran
|
115
|
Pillar
|
NY 17125
12105
|
Pillar
|
116
|
Pillar E Top
|
NY 17844
11978
|
Pillar East Top
|
117
|
Pillar Rock
|
NY 17152
12375
|
Pillar Rock
|
118
|
Raise
|
NY 34281
17416
|
Raise
|
119
|
Ramsgill Head
|
NY 44332
12872
|
Rampsgill Head
|
120
|
Red Pike N Top
|
NY 16531
10607
|
Red Pike (Wasdale)
|
121
|
Red Screes
|
NY 39660
08757
|
Red Screes
|
122
|
Rough Crags E Top
|
NY 22063
06846
|
Rough Crags East Top
|
123
|
Rough Crags W Top
|
NY 22022
06903
|
Rough Crags West Top
|
124
|
Sail
|
NY 19817
20276
|
Sail
|
125
|
Scafell
|
NY 20680
06479
|
Scafell
|
126
|
Scafell Pikes
|
NY 21540
07217
|
Scafell Pike
|
127
|
Little Scoat Fell
|
NY 15999
11395
|
Scoat Fell
|
128
|
Shelter Crags
|
NY 24972
05348
|
Shelter Crags
|
129
|
Shelter Crags, N Top
|
NY 24923
05730
|
Shelter Crags North Top
|
130
|
Skiddaw
|
NY 26042
29082
|
Skiddaw
|
131
|
Little Man
|
NY 26675
27793
|
Skiddaw Little Man
|
132
|
Slight Side
|
NY 20990
05016
|
Slight Side
|
133
|
Y Wyddfa (Snowdon)
|
SH 60986
54376
|
Snowdon-Yr Wyddfa
|
134
|
St. Sunday Crag
|
NY 36917
13398
|
St Sunday Crag
|
135
|
Steeple
|
NY 15754
11675
|
Steeple
|
136
|
Stony Cove Pike
|
NY 41781
10007
|
Stony Cove Pike (Caudale Moor)
|
137
|
Striding Edge
|
NY 35061
14923
|
Striding Edge (High Spying How)
|
138
|
Stybarrow Dodd N Top
|
NY 34308
18912
|
Stybarrow Dodd
|
139
|
Stybarrow Dodd S Top
|
NY 34107 18678
|
Stybarrow Dodd South Top
|
140
|
Swirl How
|
NY 27280
00552
|
Swirl How
|
141
|
The Cheviot
|
NT 90906
20527
|
The Cheviot
|
142
|
Bellyside Crag
|
NT 91384
20770
|
The Cheviot North East Top
|
143
|
The Knowe
|
NY 45865
08885
|
The Knowe (Harter Fell South Top)
|
144
|
Coniston Old Man
|
SD 27242
97818
|
The Old Man of Coniston (Coniston Old
Man)
|
145
|
Thornthwaite Crag
|
NY 43149
10051
|
Thornthwaite Crag
|
146
|
Tryfan
|
SH 66405
59387
|
Tryfan
|
147
|
Wandope
|
NY 18819
19731
|
Wandope
|
148
|
Watson's Dodd
|
NY 33567
19563
|
Watson's Dodd
|
149
|
Waun Fach
|
SO 21551
29984
|
Waun Fach
|
150
|
Waun Rydd N Top
|
SO 06212
20645
|
Waun Rydd
|
151
|
Wetherlam
|
NY 28818
01113
|
Wetherlam
|
152
|
White Dodd
|
NY 33780
16666
|
White Side
|
153
|
East of Llyn Caseg-Ffaith
|
SH 67781
58216
|
Y Foel Goch
|
154
|
East of Llyn Caseg-Ffaith
|
SH 67212
58470
|
Y Foel Goch North-West Top
|
155
|
Y Garn
|
SH 63089
59569
|
Y Garn
|
156
|
Lliwedd
|
SH 62242
53336
|
Y Lliwedd
|
157
|
Yr Aryg
|
SH 68062
67364
|
Yr Aryg
|
158
|
Yr Elen
|
SH 67386
65115
|
Yr Elen
|
Deleted Corbett Twenty Fives
Original Name
|
Grid Ref
|
Current Name
|
||||
1
|
Bellyside Crag
|
NT 90561 21103
|
Bellyside Crag
|
|||
2
|
Black Dub
|
NY 70180 34947
|
Black Dub
|
|||
3
|
Browncove Crags
|
NY 33217 15683
|
Browncove Crags
|
|||
4
|
Braich Du
|
SH 65806 62629
|
Carnedd Fach
|
|||
5
|
Cross Fell pt. 2799
|
NY 69500 34700
|
Cross Fell pt. 2799
|
|||
6
|
Cross Fell pt. 2893
|
NY 68976 34585
|
Cross Fell pt. 2893
|
|||
7
|
Eel Crag
|
NY 19028 20685
|
Eel Crag (Birkett)
|
|||
8
|
Esgair Felen
|
SH 63379 57853
|
Esgair Felen
|
|||
9
|
Fallow Hill
|
NY 70157 35438
|
Fallow Hill
|
|||
10
|
Knock Fell pt. 2582
|
NY 73231 30132
|
Knock Fell pt 2532
|
|||
11
|
Mickle Fell (second summit)
|
NY 80136 24182
|
Mickle Fell pt 2547
|
|||
12
|
Steeple pt. 2746
|
NY 15790 11446
|
Middle Scoat Fell
|
|||
13
|
Pen-y-Nantllyn
|
SO 22778 29073
|
Pen-y-Nantllyn
|
|||
14
|
Skirwith Fell
|
NY 67937 35408
|
Skirwith Fell
|
|||
15
|
The Cheviot pt. 2547
|
NT89890 20730
|
The Cheviot pt. 2547
|
|||
Excellent article - I enjoyed it immensely!
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