The story of Sir James Tillie is one of those great Cornish legends where truth is stranger than fiction. His remains have been discovered sitting up in a vault, just as he demanded in his will.
The mausoleum he built near the Tamar is being restored after three hundred years of decay.
Descendant Sammie Coryton is delighted that the old family legend about her ancestor has turned out to be true!
Archaeologists in Cornwall have found the human remains of Sir James Tillie after 300 years.
His remains were found on a chair at Pentillie Castle. It's understood he believed he would come back to life, so asked in his will that he be placed in a chair in the building rather than buried.