Fr. George Rigg and Bishop George Rigg

[DiggingDeep]

Is there any relationship between Fr. George Rigg, who was a priest in South Uist and Bishop George Rigg who was Bishop of Dunkeld, Scotland

[MonicaL]

Hi Digging Deep

What do you have so far on both Georges. These look to be Bishop George Rigg's main details:

Bishop George Rigg
Born: 1814.07.19
Ordained Priest: 1838.07.25
Consecrated Bishop: 1878.05.26
Died:   1887.01.18 († 72)
   
Bishop of Dunkeld 1878.03.22 – 1887.01.18

www.gcatholic.com/dioceses/diocese/dunk0.htm

Bishop Rigg's birth place on the 1881 census shows as Crockmore Irongray, Kirkcudbrightshire.

Monica 

[MonicaL]

Entry No. 90 also provides a brief biography on Bishop Riggs, including parents' details.

www.electricscotland.com/history/spain/collegeappndx3bs.pdf

Monica

[MonicaL]

Newspaper report here http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZT18971022.2.2&l=mi&e=-------10--1----2-all  which report on the heroic death of Father George Rigg, South Uist. In this, he is showing as nephew of the late Bishop George Rigg.

Reference there to also further newspaper reporting.

You can't do find and search on this link! Long section, the story regarding Father Rigg's death is about two thirds down.

Monica

[MonicaL]

The tale of self-sacrifice of Father George Rigg is very
beautiful ; he was in the thirty-sixth year of his age and
the seventh of his priesthood. Day after day for several
weeks he had been attending cases of fever and nursing
the patients from morning till night, since no other
person not even the nearest relative would venture
within gunshot of the infected houses. One case was
particularly noticeable that of a poor old woman and her
only son. They both sickened of the fever and had no
one to attend them. Father Rigg was their only helper ;
he cooked their food, tidied the house, and mended the
fire. The son died first, and he laid him in his coffin and
attended him to the grave. After this he too caught
the fever, and at the end of a week, despite the constant
care of three doctors, he succumbed, having thus sacri
ficed his own life to save that of others, and to care for
them in death. His own coffin was borne part of the
way to the grave by the six neighbouring priests, and as
the story of his heroic death became known great was
the admiration which it excited, and loud the praise that
was lavished on the young priest in the far-distant isle
of Uist.

www.archive.org/stream/catholichighland02blunuoft/catholichighland02blunuoft_djvu.txt

[MonicaL]

The best place to confirm the relationship between the two Georges would be through parents' names on their death cert (1887 and 1897).

I am having a problem establishing the nephew relationship 

Bishop George's parents are showing as George Rigg and Isabel Caven on the link above and we know his birth year was 1814.

Father George's parents I think were a James Rigg and Eliza Stephenson. His age at death in the Summer of 1897 shows as 36. I am wondering whether this may be his birth entry:

GEORGE STEPHENSON RIGG Birth: 06 AUG 1860 Stornoway, Ross And Cromarty
Parents: JAMES RIGG and ELIZA STEPHENSON

The parents and children in 1861:

James Rigg 36, farmer b. Kelton Kircudbright
Eliza Rigg 34 b. England
Mary Rigg 13 b. Annan, Dumfrieshire
Elenor Rigg 4 (likely 11, aged 1 in 1851) b. Coll, Rossshire
Eliza Rigg 9 b. Coll, Rossshire
Jessie Ann Rigg 7 b. Coll, Rossshire
James Rigg 2 b. Coll, Rossshire
George Rigg 8 months b. Coll, Rossshire

Address: Coll House, Stornoway

The closest I can see for James Snr. above in 1841, with the usual problem of the 1841 census in that no relationships are included within households:

Thomas Rigg 55, farmer
Mary Rigg 40
Nicholas Rigg 20
Elisabeth Rigg 20
John Rigg 15
James Rigg 15
Catterina Rigg 12
Lucy Rigg 10
Barbara Rigg 8
Rev. Thos John Strain 30, Catholic Clergyman

Address: Midkelton Farm House, Kelton Kirkcudbright

Monica

[DiggingDeep]

Thanks Monica, boy have you been busy.

Some of the information you put up I already have, which means I was on the right track, so its great to get it verified, thank you very much.

 I will see can I get the death certs.

I was brought up believing that I had relatives from South Uist and a relative who was the Bishop George Rigg. I think it is most likely that as Fr Rigg was a curate on Uist, was confused with being from there?? and both he and Bishop Rigg feature in the family folklore but not from Uist. I'll continue to look for the link..... The other link in the broken chain is Violet Riggs, my ggg grandmother born into a presbyterian edinburgh family(St Cuthbert's) in 1834. Her father was a George Riggs and if he has a connection to the 2 George Rigg.

[MonicaL]

Maybe confirming George Rigg's parents (Violet's father) from his death cert would help you if you haven't checked already. From the little I have seen, the Riggs from Kirkcudbrightshire related to Bishop and Father Rigg were from long standing Roman Catholic families from that area.

Monica 

[sancti]

Catholic baptism

26/08/1860 RIGG GEORGE STEVENSON - JAMES RIGG/ELIZABETH STEVENSON (ELIZA STEVENSON) COLT Male at  DRIMNIN, ST COLUMBA'S