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'''Henry Trigg''' ({{circa|1667}}–6 October 1724) was a grocer from [[Stevenage]], [[Hertfordshire]], England, who became famous following his death for his eccentric will which had his body placed in a coffin in the rafters of his barn, which became a tourist attraction. Trigg later became the subject of a ghost story.
'''Henry Trigg''' ({{circa|1667}}–6 October 1724) was a grocer from [[Stevenage]], [[Hertfordshire]], England, who became famous following his death for his eccentric will which had his body placed in a coffin in the rafters of his barn, which became a tourist attraction. Trigg later became the subject of a ghost story.


Trigg was a prosperous grocer with a twin-gabled shop in Middle Row, Stevenage, as well as a number of other properties. He was a church warden, an overseer of the parish, and an important man locally. It is said that one night, he and two friends witnessed grave robbers at a local graveyard, and they vowed to make sure this would not happen to them. Trigg stated in his will that his body should be committed to "the West end of my Hovel to be decently laid there upon a floor erected by my Executor, upon the purlin for the same purpose, nothing doubting but that at the general Resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God"<ref name="Ghosts"/> for a minimum of 30 years.<ref name="Haunted" /> Shortly before he died, Trigg had negotiated with the parish authorities to rent his barn as the town's workhouse.<ref name="Haunted" /> Trigg died in [[Letchworth]], Hertfordshire, on 6 October 1724,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbprs%2fd%2f72097692%2f1|title=Hertfordshire Burials; Henry Trigg, Letchworth, 06 Oct 1724|accessdate=23 March 2016|via=[[Find My Past]]|subscription=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/a0d340fa-e58a-4393-a285-ed8d66515d93|title=Letchworth Parish Records; Register of baptisms, marriages and burials|publisher=[[The National Archives]]|accessdate=23 March 2016}}</ref> before renovations to his barn could be carried out.<ref name="Haunted" /> Having never married, Trigg's heir and executor was his brother, the Reverend Thomas Trigg. The will stated that if Thomas was reluctant to carry out the request, then everything bequeathed to Thomas would go to their brother, George Trigg, or if he refused, then to Trigg's nephew William Trigg.<ref name="Haunted" /> Therefore, Trigg's remains were placed in a lead-lined coffin<ref name="Ghosts"/> of oak and pine<ref name="Listed" /> and hoisted into the rafters of the barn behind the shop,<ref name="Ghosts"/> about {{convert|10|feet}} above the ground.<ref name="Listed" /> It became a tourist attraction and copies of the eccentric will were sold.<ref name="Ghosts"/> It has been described as, "A very unusual and possibly unique example of a coffin being placed above ground in the roof of a building", and Trigg was said to be "challenging priestly authority with this untraditional burial; it is a very early instance of a fear of grave robbing, which was a late-C18/C19 anxiety; and Trigg's eccentricity became the focus of a small cult of tourism."<ref name="Listed" /> The will was also published under the title "Eccentric Will" in ''The Christian's Penny Magazine'' of 21 February 1835.<ref name="Haunted">{{Harvnb|Adams|2015|p=42–45}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Christian's Penny Magazine|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EiAFAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA63|accessdate=2 April 2016|date=21 February 1835|publisher=Charles Wood and Son|pages=63|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
Trigg was a prosperous grocer with a twin-gabled shop in Middle Row, Stevenage, as well as a number of other properties. He was a church warden, an overseer of the parish, and an important man locally. It is said that one night, he and two friends witnessed grave robbers at a local graveyard, and they vowed to make sure this would not happen to them. Trigg stated in his will that his body should be committed to "the West end of my Hovel to be decently laid there upon a floor erected by my Executor, upon the purlin for the same purpose, nothing doubting but that at the general Resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God"<ref name="Ghosts"/> for a minimum of 30 years.<ref name="Haunted" /> A report in ''Gentleman's Magazine'' of 5 Feb 1751 said that Trigg's will stated that he supposed he would return to life after 30 years and then his estate would revert to him, and that he ordered that the barn be locked with the key inside his coffin so he could let himself out.<ref name="Haunted Hertfordsshire" /> Shortly before he died, Trigg had negotiated with the parish authorities to rent his barn as the town's workhouse.<ref name="Haunted" /> Trigg died in [[Letchworth]], Hertfordshire, on 6 October 1724,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=gbprs%2fd%2f72097692%2f1|title=Hertfordshire Burials; Henry Trigg, Letchworth, 06 Oct 1724|accessdate=23 March 2016|via=[[Find My Past]]|subscription=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/a0d340fa-e58a-4393-a285-ed8d66515d93|title=Letchworth Parish Records; Register of baptisms, marriages and burials|publisher=[[The National Archives]]|accessdate=23 March 2016}}</ref> before renovations to his barn could be carried out.<ref name="Haunted" /> Having never married, Trigg's heir and executor was his brother, the Reverend Thomas Trigg. The will stated that if Thomas was reluctant to carry out the request, then everything bequeathed to Thomas would go to their brother, George Trigg, or if he refused, then to Trigg's nephew William Trigg.<ref name="Haunted" /> Therefore, Trigg's remains were placed in a lead-lined coffin<ref name="Ghosts"/> of oak and pine<ref name="Listed" /> and hoisted into the rafters of the barn behind the shop,<ref name="Ghosts"/> about {{convert|10|feet}} above the ground.<ref name="Listed" /> It became a tourist attraction and copies of the eccentric will were sold.<ref name="Ghosts"/> It has been described as, "A very unusual and possibly unique example of a coffin being placed above ground in the roof of a building", and Trigg was said to be "challenging priestly authority with this untraditional burial; it is a very early instance of a fear of grave robbing, which was a late-C18/C19 anxiety; and Trigg's eccentricity became the focus of a small cult of tourism."<ref name="Listed" /> The will was also published under the title "Eccentric Will" in ''The Christian's Penny Magazine'' of 21 February 1835.<ref name="Haunted">{{Harvnb|Adams|2015|p=42–45}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Christian's Penny Magazine|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EiAFAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA63|accessdate=2 April 2016|date=21 February 1835|publisher=Charles Wood and Son|pages=63|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>


In 1769, Trigg's niece Ann died, leaving provisions in her will for Trigg's bones to be interred in a churchyard but this never happened. In 1774 the house became the Old Castle Inn, and in the 19th century several fires took hold<!-- one was 10 July 1807<ref name="Haunted" /> --> but Trigg's barn and coffin survived.<ref name="Ghosts"/> A carpenter is said to have stolen a tooth and some hair during repairs to the coffin in the early 1800s.<ref name="Haunted" /> In 1831, Mr Bellamy, then landlord of the inn, opened the coffin and reported that the hair on the skull was "in a perfect state of preservation". In the 19th century, the coffin was deteriorating so a new one, bound with iron bands, was made, and Trigg's remains were returned to the rafters. In 1906, the East Herts Archaeological Society visited the coffin, they reported "about two thirds of a male skeleton".<ref name="Ghosts">{{Harvnb|Puttick|1994|p=73–77}}</ref><ref name="thegranthams">{{cite web|url=http://www.thegranthams.co.uk/paul/graves/trigg.html|title=Henry Trigg's grave - unconsecrated burials in Britain|accessdate=23 March 2016}}</ref>
In 1769, Trigg's niece Ann died, leaving provisions in her will for Trigg's bones to be interred in a churchyard but this never happened. In 1774 the house became the Old Castle Inn,<ref name="Haunted" /> which used the coffin as a tourist attraction.<ref name="Haunted Hertfordsshire">{{Harvnb|Stratton|Connell|2015|p=308–310}}</ref> In the 19th century, several fires took hold<!-- one was 10 July 1807<ref name="Haunted" /> --> but Trigg's barn and coffin survived.<ref name="Ghosts"/> A carpenter is said to have stolen a tooth and some hair during repairs to the coffin in the early 1800s.<ref name="Haunted" /> In 1831, Mr Bellamy, then landlord of the inn, opened the coffin and reported that the hair on the skull was "in a perfect state of preservation". In the 19th century, the coffin was deteriorating so a new one, bound with iron bands, was made, and Trigg's remains were returned to the rafters. In 1906, the East Herts Archaeological Society visited the coffin, they reported "about two thirds of a male skeleton".<ref name="Ghosts">{{Harvnb|Puttick|1994|p=73–77}}</ref><ref name="thegranthams">{{cite web|url=http://www.thegranthams.co.uk/paul/graves/trigg.html|title=Henry Trigg's grave - unconsecrated burials in Britain|accessdate=23 March 2016}}</ref>


During World War I, Commonwealth soldiers billeted in Stevenage are reported to have stolen the bones. It was rumoured that the soldiers could be persuaded to part with the bones for a fee but supplemented the supply with the help of a local butcher. A letter to a local newspaper revealed that in 1917, a resident went into the barn to look in the coffin and found horse bones. A nearby horse-riding school explained that copies of the will were still being sold and if word got around that the coffin was empty, it could cause a drop in revenue.<ref name="Ghosts"/> The coffin was temporarily removed in 1999 when the barn was refurbished. Some reports say the coffin was found to be empty,<ref name="Listed" /> though others state that the Letchworth undertakers who restored the coffin buried any remains. Trigg's plan had ultimately failed.<ref name="Haunted" />
During World War I, Commonwealth soldiers billeted in Stevenage are reported to have stolen the bones. It was rumoured that the soldiers could be persuaded to part with the bones for a fee but supplemented the supply with the help of a local butcher. A letter to a local newspaper revealed that in 1917, a resident went into the barn to look in the coffin and found horse bones. A nearby horse-riding school explained that copies of the will were still being sold and if word got around that the coffin was empty, it could cause a drop in revenue.<ref name="Ghosts"/> The coffin was temporarily removed in 1999 when the barn was refurbished. Some reports say the coffin was found to be empty,<ref name="Listed" /> though others state that the Letchworth undertakers who restored the coffin buried any remains. Trigg's plan had ultimately failed.<ref name="Haunted" />

Revision as of 10:40, 24 October 2016

Henry Trigg
Trigg's coffin in 2016
Born
Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Baptised11 January 1667[1]
Died(1724-10-06)6 October 1724
Letchworth, Hertfordshire
Resting placeBarn at rear of 37 High Street, Stevenage
OccupationGrocer
Known forHis eccentric will
Parent(s)John and Sara Trigg[1]
RelativesRevd Thomas Trigg (brother)
George Trigg (brother)
William Trigg (nephew)
Trigg's barn
The barn in 2016
General information
TypeBarn
LocationStevenage, Hertfordhire, England
Named forHenry Trigg
DesignationsGrade II listed building
Known forResting place of Henry Trigg

Henry Trigg (c. 1667–6 October 1724) was a grocer from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, who became famous following his death for his eccentric will which had his body placed in a coffin in the rafters of his barn, which became a tourist attraction. Trigg later became the subject of a ghost story.

Trigg was a prosperous grocer with a twin-gabled shop in Middle Row, Stevenage, as well as a number of other properties. He was a church warden, an overseer of the parish, and an important man locally. It is said that one night, he and two friends witnessed grave robbers at a local graveyard, and they vowed to make sure this would not happen to them. Trigg stated in his will that his body should be committed to "the West end of my Hovel to be decently laid there upon a floor erected by my Executor, upon the purlin for the same purpose, nothing doubting but that at the general Resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God"[2] for a minimum of 30 years.[3] A report in Gentleman's Magazine of 5 Feb 1751 said that Trigg's will stated that he supposed he would return to life after 30 years and then his estate would revert to him, and that he ordered that the barn be locked with the key inside his coffin so he could let himself out.[4] Shortly before he died, Trigg had negotiated with the parish authorities to rent his barn as the town's workhouse.[3] Trigg died in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, on 6 October 1724,[5][6] before renovations to his barn could be carried out.[3] Having never married, Trigg's heir and executor was his brother, the Reverend Thomas Trigg. The will stated that if Thomas was reluctant to carry out the request, then everything bequeathed to Thomas would go to their brother, George Trigg, or if he refused, then to Trigg's nephew William Trigg.[3] Therefore, Trigg's remains were placed in a lead-lined coffin[2] of oak and pine[7] and hoisted into the rafters of the barn behind the shop,[2] about 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground.[7] It became a tourist attraction and copies of the eccentric will were sold.[2] It has been described as, "A very unusual and possibly unique example of a coffin being placed above ground in the roof of a building", and Trigg was said to be "challenging priestly authority with this untraditional burial; it is a very early instance of a fear of grave robbing, which was a late-C18/C19 anxiety; and Trigg's eccentricity became the focus of a small cult of tourism."[7] The will was also published under the title "Eccentric Will" in The Christian's Penny Magazine of 21 February 1835.[3][8]

In 1769, Trigg's niece Ann died, leaving provisions in her will for Trigg's bones to be interred in a churchyard but this never happened. In 1774 the house became the Old Castle Inn,[3] which used the coffin as a tourist attraction.[4] In the 19th century, several fires took hold but Trigg's barn and coffin survived.[2] A carpenter is said to have stolen a tooth and some hair during repairs to the coffin in the early 1800s.[3] In 1831, Mr Bellamy, then landlord of the inn, opened the coffin and reported that the hair on the skull was "in a perfect state of preservation". In the 19th century, the coffin was deteriorating so a new one, bound with iron bands, was made, and Trigg's remains were returned to the rafters. In 1906, the East Herts Archaeological Society visited the coffin, they reported "about two thirds of a male skeleton".[2][9]

During World War I, Commonwealth soldiers billeted in Stevenage are reported to have stolen the bones. It was rumoured that the soldiers could be persuaded to part with the bones for a fee but supplemented the supply with the help of a local butcher. A letter to a local newspaper revealed that in 1917, a resident went into the barn to look in the coffin and found horse bones. A nearby horse-riding school explained that copies of the will were still being sold and if word got around that the coffin was empty, it could cause a drop in revenue.[2] The coffin was temporarily removed in 1999 when the barn was refurbished. Some reports say the coffin was found to be empty,[7] though others state that the Letchworth undertakers who restored the coffin buried any remains. Trigg's plan had ultimately failed.[3]

In 1964, renovations were being carried out on a property in Middle Row, and a Mr Fred Usher claimed to have seen a man about 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall, shabbily dressed in overcoat and gaiters, disappear through the solid brick wall in front of Trigg's barn. A reporter from the Nationwide TV show visited in 1975 but failed to get Trigg's ghost to appear.[2] It is said that Trigg's ghost wanders the old house searching for his remains.[10]

Trigg's barn and his former home, now 37 High Street, Stevenage, are both Grade II listed buildings. The barn is noted for its 17th century frame and the fact it survived as an outbuilding in the centre of Stevenage old town.[7][11] In 1922, the licence for the Old Castle Inn was not renewed, and it became a branch of the National Westminster Bank.[2] The bank closed on 26 October 2015, leaving the property empty.[12][13]

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Hertfordshire Baptisms; Henry Trigg, Stevenage, 11 Jan 1667". Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via Find My Past. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Puttick 1994, p. 73–77
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Adams 2015, p. 42–45
  4. ^ a b Stratton & Connell 2015, p. 308–310
  5. ^ "Hertfordshire Burials; Henry Trigg, Letchworth, 06 Oct 1724". Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via Find My Past. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Letchworth Parish Records; Register of baptisms, marriages and burials". The National Archives. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Triggs Barn - Stevenage - Hertfordshire - England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  8. ^ The Christian's Penny Magazine. Charles Wood and Son. 21 February 1835. p. 63. Retrieved 2 April 2016 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Henry Trigg's grave - unconsecrated burials in Britain". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  10. ^ Foskett, Ewan (29 October 2010). "The ghosts of Comet country". The Comet. Archant Community Media. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  11. ^ "37, High Street - Stevenage - Hertfordshire - England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Stevenage NatWest branch to shut". Hertfordshire Mercury. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  13. ^ "NatWest Stevenage Old Town Branch Closure" (PDF). National Westminster Bank. Retrieved 24 March 2016.

Bibliography


Category:1724 deaths Category:People from Stevenage Category:British grocers Category:English ghosts

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