By Mike Buckingham and Richard Frame
First published 1988
The Star of Gwent newspaper for September 7, 1872 carried out a report on the death of Thomas Haggerty, a coal merchant from Castle Street in Newport whose concern for his horse was quite literally the death of him.
According to the newspaper: “Thomas Haggerty, a coal dealer of Castle Street met with his death in a singular manner on Friday night.”
“The unfortunate man, after he had gone to bed, came down again dressed only in his shirt and proceeded to his stable to attend to his horse apparently unconscious of what he was doing.”
“On returning to his bed and going upstairs he fell backwards and sustained such injuries that he died from the effect shortly after.” Very few people are recorded as having met their deaths while sleepwalking.
We can only guess that Mr Haggerty’s job left him exhausted by the weekend but even through this heavy veil of tiredness concern for his trusty horse remained paramount. Now untroubled by such considerations Mr Haggerty sleeps in that part of St Woolos in which Free Churchmen are buried.