Diana Rigg maintained that Yorkshire shaped her character to a large degree. However records show that Rigg's ancestors had ancient Lancashire roots, notably in the Littleborough and Rochdale areas of the county. The earlier Riggs worked in the woolen weaving industry. They would have carried their produce over the Pennines to sell in places such as Halifax. Most of Diana Rigg's paternal forbears lie buried in Littleborough's peaceful Holy Trinity Churchyard.
The earliest Rigg ancestor traced here was weaver William Rigg who married Esther Butterworth in 1781. It was the railway and its important employment opportunities which brought the Riggs from Lancashire to nearby Yorkshire and beyond.
Dame Diana Rigg (20 July1938- 10 September 2020)
