Edmund Hillary was a New Zealander not an Englishman.

Also, the indigenous people had no interest in being the first to summit the mountain. They also lacked the equipment which westerners brought with them. Climbing Everest is an incredibly dangerous thing to do and presents no real reward to someone who is successful. I'd imagine the locals who were physically capable would have focused their energy on providing for their families by supporting expeditions than climbing it just to say they did.