In the City of Truro, where I live
there is a small alley way connecting Duke Street to St Mary’s Street. It’s
called Squeeze Guts Alley for reasons that will become obvious.
As you may have seen, if we are
friends on Facebook, I have recently posted some pictures showing me in Squeeze
Guts Alley.
The whole thing started when a friend
said he thought I would have difficulty, because of my size, getting through
the Alley.
I was having a wander around town
with some other friends one Sunday morning, and thought it would be good to
have pictorial proof that I could easily get through. So my friend Andy took
this picture:
Then another friend challenged me to
see if I could get through sideways. To prove I could Andy took this picture on
the following Sunday:
As we were preparing to take the
picture another man came through the alley. He told us it was called Squeeze
Guts Alley because you have to squeeze in your guts when someone else wants to
get past. He also told us that he had heard that the Alley was haunted, but he
didn't know any details. That set me off on a mission to find out about the
haunting. I'll come to that in a moment.
Before I get to that here are a couple
of pictures, taken by my friend Julie, which show Andy and me squeezing our
guts to get through the Alley:
Now for the haunting:
I looked through various books and on
the Internet to see if there was any information about the alley being haunted, but drew a blank. So I went
off to local history sections of the Library and Museum. I was kindly given
permission to look through some very old documents. There were many boxes to
look through; I must have spent nearly a week going through all the stuff.
Eventually, I came across a very old and delicate booklet entitled ’The Ghosts
of Truro’. But it didn't say who had written it or who was its publisher.
To my amazement this little rhyme
appeared on the first page:
Fiery Steve
If, on a fine Midwinter’s Eve,
Through Squeezeguts Alley you should stray,
Please beware of fiery Steve
Who haunts the ope upon that day.
A passage followed describing the sad
story of Stephen H. Treffry who died on Friday 20th December 1787:
Squeezeguts Alley is believed to be haunted by the
ghost of Stephen H. Treffry. He was aged 27 at the time of his death on Friday
20th December 1787. At an inquest held at a local hostelry it was
found that he died from burns and the impact of a fall from the first floor
window of his home in Duke Street Passage (now called Squeezeguts Alley).
It appears that Stephen was in the habit of throwing
hot coals, from the fire in his sleeping quarters above his workshop in Duke
Street Passage, onto to noisy persons who passed through the Passage late at
night. The Parish Constable, Constable John Bolitho, reported that Mr. Treffry
had spent time in the Town Prison for previous occurrences. It seems that, on
this occasion, he had not realised that live coals had fallen from his coal
shovel on to the floor of his quarters, flames took hold whilst he was
remonstrating with persons in the alley on whom he had tried, unsuccessfully,
to pour live coals. It appears that when he realised his home was on fire he
attempted to dowse the flames, but the flames caught his nightshirt, in great
fear he ran to window and fell through and plunged to his death. The persons in
the alley, a Mr. George Richards and a Mr. Peter Richards, who were brothers,
did manage to put out the flames but were unable to save Mr. Treffry. Constable
Bolitho also stated the Duke Street Passage and other opes were used by men
rushing to find work at the Quay when a boat docked and the bell was sounded.
Those who found work would return at the end of the day, often having a local
inn on their way home, and could therefore create a lot of noise, To the
annoyance of many local residents.
Mr. Treffry was well known and liked, by many local
residents who had known him since his childhood when his parents had a business
selling vegetables in Middle Row. He himself had been in business as a
Carpenter and Gilder in the premises in Duke Street Passage for several years.
Many of his customers spoke well of him and the quality of his work. It was
stated that he would greatly missed.
Although other stories related in the
booklet were found in various documents.
There is no trace of this story or
the rhyme anywhere. Maybe it was considered fictitious and not worthy of
publication.
I hope you enjoyed reading it.
And don’t forget to look up when you’re
passing through Squeeze Guts Alley.
(Ope is used in Cornwall for small alleyway or passage).
