Henry Trengrouse (18 March 1772 – 14 February 1854) was an
CornishThe Cornish are the people of Cornwall, the most south-westerly part of England, and the United Kingdom. As an ethnic group, the Cornish are interpreted as modern Celts, the lineal descendants of the ancient Britons who inhabited southern and central Great Britain...
inventor. He was born in
HelstonHelston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula. It is the most southerly town in the UK, being around 1½ miles south of Penzance. In 2001 the town celebrated the 800th anniversary of the granting of its Charter, making it the...
,
CornwallCornwall is a county of England in the United Kingdom, forming the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain. It is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Taken with the...
, was educated at the Grammar School, and lived there all of his life, working as a builder and cabinet-maker.
Dismayed by great loss of life he had witnessed when the
frigateA frigate is a warship. The term has been used for warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and manoeuvrability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS AnsonHMS Anson was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Plymouth on 4 September 1781 by Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire....
was wrecked on the nearby Loe Bar, he developed a
rocketA rocket or rocket vehicle is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust by the reaction of the rocket to the ejection of a jet of fast moving fluid exhaust from a rocket engine. Chemical rockets create their exhaust by the combustion of rocket propellant...
-powered rescue apparatus, now known as the
Breeches buoyA breeches buoy is a crude rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one location to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harness attached...
, an example of which is on display at
Helston Folk MuseumHelston Museum is a folk museum situated in the former market town of Helston, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.The museum was founded in 1949...
http://www.helstonmuseum.org.uk/home/.
He is buried in the churchyard of St Michael's Church,
HelstonHelston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula. It is the most southerly town in the UK, being around 1½ miles south of Penzance. In 2001 the town celebrated the 800th anniversary of the granting of its Charter, making it the...
, and is commemorated in the naming of Trengrouse Way, a main thoroughfare in the town.
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