Hugh Edward Millington Stutfield

Hugh Edward Millington Stutfield [1858–1929]

b. 1858 — Turriff, county of Banff, Scotland
d. 1929

Stutfield was a solicitor, an alpine climber, and an author. He accompanied John Norman Collie [1859–1942] on some of his trips to Canada. Stutfield’s talent as a first-rate marksman saved the party from starvation on many an occasion.

He is listed in Foster’s Men-at-the-Bar (p. 453):

Stutfield, Hugh Edward Millington, B.A., Trin. Coll., Camb., 1881, a student of the Inner Temple 12 April, 1880 (then aged 22), called to the bar 17 Nov., 1884 (3rd son of William Stutfield, of Turriff, N.B.); born 1858.

which volume also contains this fragment about Stutfield’s elder brother:

… 1881 (2nd son of William Stutfield, Esq., of Netherdale, Turriff, co. Banff); born y – 19, Old Buildings, Lincoln’s Inn, W.C.

The location Turriff, county Banff, “N.B.”, presumably refers to “North Britain”, or Scotland, as it was sometime called. Netherdale is the name of the particular dwelling, still extant.

The three adventurers associated with the discovery of the Columbia Icefield were Hugh Millington Stutfield, Hermann Woolley and John Norman Collie. Stutfield was a wealthy British stockbroker who through careful and considered investment was able to retire early from the London Stock Exchange and pursue his interest in travel. He was also a crack shot with a rifle and shotgun, a talent that later allowed him to save his fellow climbers from a difficult predicament in Canada with respect to supplies. It was this same talent, however, that caused him to be hunting instead of climbing when the full extent of the Columbia Icefield was discovered in 1898.

— Sandford
Events in the Mount Robson region in which Stutfield was involved:

    1898 Stutfield, Collie, Woolley explore upper Athabasca
Sources of biographical information about Stutfield:

  • Foster, Joseph. Men-at-the-Bar: A Biographical Hand-List of the Members of the Various Inns of Court. London: Hazell, Watson, and Viney, 1885 Google Books
  • Sandford, Robert W. Ecology & Wonder in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.
    Athabasca University Press, 2010 Google Books
Works pertinent to the Mount Robson region of which Stutfield was author or co-author:

  • —   “Mountain exploration in the Canadian Rockies.” S.L., S.N. (1899). Hathi Trust
  • —   “Mountain Travel and Climbs in British Columbia.” Alpine Journal, 20 (1900–1901):491
  • —  and Collie, John Norman [1859–1942]. Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian Rockies. London: Longmans, Green, 1903. University of British Columbia Library

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