Tryphena Sparks was born in 1851 in Puddletown, Dorset and died aged 38 in Topsham, Exeter, Devon in March 1890, of complications sustained during the birth of her 4th child.
She became close to Thomas Hardy when she was 16 and he was 26 and there has been speculation that she was his lover and bore him a child, though this has been disputed. However, the relationship ended and after training as a teacher and working as a headmistress in Plymouth, Tryphena married Charles Frederick Gale, a publican in Topsham.
Tryphena was well known in Topsham for working to improve the lot of local fishermen - at her funeral her coffin was carried by some of these local fishermen to the graveside in Topsham Cemetery, where she is buried in the family grave, under the shadow of the huge Topsham water tower.
After her death Hardy wrote a poem entitled 'Thoughts of Phena at News of Her Death' describing her as his 'lost prize' and it is believed she was the inspiration for several of his poems as well as his novels 'Far from the Madding Crowd' and 'Jude the Obscure'.
The cache is not on Tryphena's grave but in a camo bag in the tree to the right of it, easily visible so no need to stand on the grave or disturb the branches of the tree.
Please respect the fact that this is a cemetery so families might be visiting graves nearby.
Topsham Cemetery gates are locked at night and opening times are:
April 1st - September 30th 9am - 8pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 5pm Sundays and Bank Holidays
October 1st - March 31st 9am - 4pm Monday to Saturday and 10am - 4pm Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Parking is available in the road outside.
Cache placed with the kind permission of the Exeter City Council Bereavement Services Officer.