25.

THOMAS MEDLYCOTT RIGGS
OF THE MIDDLE TEMPLE, LONDON [S49]

Please note that, unless otherwise specified, all the information following comes from the same main source.[S20]

BIRTH:

A record of Thomas Medlycott's birth or baptism has not yet been found. When he was admitted to the Middle Temple (see below), he was described as "Thomas Medlicot(sic) Riggs, son and heir of Edward Riggs of Binfield, Berks, Esq". He was therefore probably born between 1716SEP (because Edward#3 married in DEC1715) and DEC1718 (because Edward's daughter Ann was baptised 4OCT1719) or possibly between JLY1720 and SEP1720 (because Edward's second eldest son Edward#4 was baptised 4JNE1721).

EDUCATION:

Johnston-Liik states that he attended Eton College 1728-9.[S49] "Thomas Medlicot(sic) Riggs, son and heir of Edward Riggs of Binfield, Berks, Esq" was admitted to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, London, on 4APR1735.[S49]

He studied at an Academy in Caen in Normandy where he contracted a very early friendship with James Grenville, who was later to be the Administrator of his estate and the Executor of the Will of Thomas's wife, whom Thomas married shortly after he finished his studies and returned to England.

MARRIAGE:

Thomas married CATHERINE WEBB, lady of the manor and advowson of Butleigh and Whitley Hundred, Somerset, 23MAY1737 at St. Anne Soho, London [S25] and there was a post nuptial marriage settlement dated 1737. Catherine's mother Elizabeth was the only daughter of THOMAS MEDLYCOTT the elder of Abingdon, Berks. (see the Note on THE MEDLYCOTTS OF BERKSHIRE).

Prior to her marriage to Thomas, Catherine had drafted a Will in 1735 intending to leave her estate at that time to "my loving cousin Edward Riggs second son of the Honourable Edward Riggs Esq one of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Revenue in Ireland". In the draft Will, she intended to appoint Edward's mother Ann and Ann's father Thomas Medlycott (who was also Catherine's uncle) as executors and "guardians of my said cousin Edward Riggs during his minority".[S20]

DEATH:

Thomas died of the smallpox at Butler Street, Piccadilly on Saturday 18MCH1738N, in the parish of St George Hanover Square, London. [S10].The notice of his death described him as 'of Buckinghamshire, a Commissioner of the Irish Revenues',[S22].

James Grenville subsequently took out Letters of Administration in MAY1738 to Thomas Medlycott Riggs's estate "Edward Riggs the father and next of kin renouncing".[S10] This was the first indication I had found from which one could infer that Thomas Medlicott was the son of Edward and Anne, nee Medlicott, having been given his mother's maiden name as his middle name.

WIDOW:

His widow Catherine died within days of him, on Wednesday 22MCH1738N of "a dead palsy", also at Butler Street, Piccadilly.

Catherine's Will, dated 20MCH1738N and proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 23MCH1738N, left her entire "personal estate together with my Mannor (sic) of Butleigh in the county of Somerset" to JAMES GRENVILLE of the Temple, London, the sole executor. [S11]. The reference to the Manor of Butleigh in Catherine's Will enabled the main source for the above information to be examined, and this relationship to be confirmed.

CHILDREN:

There were no children of the marriage.

4.

EDWARD RIGGS [EDWARD#4]
OF THE MIDDLE TEMPLE, LONDON, ESQ [S4][S49]

BIRTH:

Edward was baptised 4JNE1721 at Binfield, Berkshire.[S26]

EDUCATION:

"Edward Riggs, only son of Edward Riggs of Binfield, Berks, Esq" was admitted to the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, London, on 3DEC1739.[S49]

MARRIAGE:

He married MARGARET PIGOTT, a Prerogative Marriage License being issued on 22DEC1741 for "RIGGS, Edward, St Anne, Dublin, Esq." and "Margt. PIGOTT, spinster, Rosanallis (sic), Queens Co." [S48]. Margaret was the daughter of SOUTHWELL PIGOTTT and the elder sister of COLCLOUGH PIGOTT who had earlier married Edward's sister ANN RIGGS but he had subsequently separated from her. From Margaret's stated age in the newspaper at the time of her death (see below), she was born between SEP1714 and SEP1715 and was therefore 6 or 7 years older than Edward. Edward's grandson Sir John Edward RIGGS MILLER bequeathed in his Will [S44] his "service of Dresden China which formerly belonged to my great grandfather CAPTAIN PIGOTT".

DEATH:

Edward's Will dated 19JAN1742 was proved 20JNE1743,[S3] so he died within 18 months of his marriage, at the age of only 22.

WIDOW:

Walpole's Letter on the Riggs-Millers includes a comment on Margaret made in 1775: "Ten years ago there lived a Madame Riggs, an old rough humourist, who passed for a wit; her daughter, who passed for nothing, married to a Captain Miller". [S6] ("her daughter": referred to Anne).

Margaret Riggs of Batheaston, widow, conveyed Bathford Bridge Paddock, or the Ham,(1/2 acre) at Bathford in Somerset in 1757 to an Elizabeth Skrine of Warleigh.[S59]. The conveyance is part of a bundle of documents relating to various named lands in the parish of Bathford, including a quitclaim of all rights and title to the manor by Southwell Pigott of Bathford, Esq., to the same Elizabeth Skrine, widow, and her son in 1752. As mentioned above, Holworthy states that Southwell Pigott was Margaret's father.

The Bath Chronicle newspaper [S40] dated 25SEP1788 reported "Deaths: Mrs Riggs (mother to late Lady Miller) in her 74th year, after a long indisposition, at Batheaston Villa on Friday". Batheaston Villa was the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Sir John RIGGS MILLER. The date of the 'previous Friday' prior to 25SEP1788 would have been 19SEP1788 and if she was said to be 'in her 74th year' she would have been aged 73.

Margaret was buried in Bath Abbey. Her grandson Sir John Edward RIGGS MILLER's Will states "I desire that my body may be interred within the Abbey Church at Bath and that there may be a plain monument" (see photo) "with my Name & Age and my Fathers Name & Age, & expressing that he was also buried there, as well as my maternal Grandmother Mrs Margaret Riggs".[S13]. The monument confirms she died 19SEP1788 but states she was aged 74 (probably misinterpreting the newspaper announcement at the time of her death which stated she was in her 74th year).

CHILDREN:

The only known child of Edward and Margaret is as follows:

27. 

WILLIAM HENRY PIGOT RIGGS

Johnston-Liik identifies William Henry Pigot as a son of Edward#3 and she lists him between Anne and Louisa in the order of their birth. He is not mentioned by any of the other three sources, and no record of his baptism was found in the parish registers for Binfield.[S26].

Neither has any other reference currently been found for him, for his marriage, or for his death.

32. 

ST JOHN WEBB RIGGS
OF RIGGSDALE, ESQ [S3] [S4]

BIRTH:

Low shows St John Webb Riggs as the younger child of Stephen and Margaret, and Holworthy shows St John Riggs (sic) as their elder child.

A clause in Allen's brother EDWARD#3's Will stated that a bequest of £20 a year to "my Nephew Saint John Webb Riggs" would cease if the Estate settled "by my Father on the marriage of my brother Allen Riggs shall descend to the said Saint John Webb Riggs" [S9]. This implies that Saint John Webb Riggs would become Allen's heir, and might therefore be Allen's son.

However, Low shows Allen and Mary as having only two daughters, and Johnston-Liik's note on Major Edward Riggs' children states that Allen "(d.s.p.m.: 2 dau.)" - 'd.s.p.m.' is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase 'descessit sine parole mascula' which translates as 'died without male issue'. Without knowing the wording of the settlement made by EDWARD#2 on Allen's marriage, it may have made provision for subsequent inheritance of the estate referred to if Allen died without a make heir. Allen's elder brothers CALEB and SAMUEL had both died before EDWARD#3's Will was signed, and the provision for subsequent inheritance may well have included any male heirs of THOMAS and Stephen.

MARRIAGE:

Nothing is currently known about any marriage of St John Webb.

DEATH:

Low and Holworthy both state that St John Webb Riggs's Will was dated 19APR1756 and proved 10JLY following. The 'Index to Prerogative Wills of Ireland' [S41] indexed his will in 1756, originally under "RIGGS Sir John Webb, Riggsdale, Co.Cork, Esq.", but this was corrected in an Addenda to "RIGGS St John Webb".

CHILDREN:

There is a reference in the will of an Andrew Drinan in 1802 to "lands of Coolsekin, Tureen, Armagh beg and Riggsdale held under Sir John Riggs, Bt" [S42] but I believe this is an error and should refer to Sir John Edward RIGGS MILLER, Bt.