John Gough (and reasonable doubt?) (General)

by jon_ystrad , Ystradgynlais, Powys, Monday, April 05, 2021, 22:45 (1330 days ago)

John Gough was the youngest surviving son of William Gough of Saint Briavels and his wife Catherine nee Portrey, but identifying him has been extremely difficult. Only Theophilus Jones' including him in the family tree in his History of Brecknockshire made me aware of him, and his brother James Gough Aubrey inscribed his name on a plaque remembering all Gough brothers in Ystradgynlais church in 1784.

But he does not seem to appear in the Ynyscedwyn estate papers (though some of these I have discovered are in the Aberpergwm papers and I haven't thoroughly gone through those yet). Mr Griffiths here was kind enough to find mention of him in the mid 1750s petition to the House of Lords by William Gough, Richard Gough and the brothers of the latter.

So, his existence is attested enough, but what is his birth?

Now, I have paid for a month on Ancestry and found a Johes (Johannes = John) Gough baptised in October 1733 at Newlands. His parents are given as Guil and Eliz in Latin, which would logically be William and Elizabeth - which would be the wrong mother's name. BUT Latin for Catherine would presumably be Ecat, so maybe they wrote it wrong?

The things that makes me really think this could be John are
1) The father's residence in the baptismal record is given as Highmeadow, Newland and 2 of the records of the Ynyscedwyn estate papers (D/D Yc 537 which is undated) (D/D Yc 538 dated
1730) say "William Gough of Highmeadow"
2) Catherine, wife of William Gough, died in 1733

Now, is this enough to make an identification? Did Catherine in childbirth? She certainly seems to have been having one baby a year as much as possible, for example Charles born in 1732 (born c June, died October 1732).

If John is born in 1733, he is 22 or so when he is mentioned on his father and brother's petition to the Lords. Did he live longer and marry? One very tiny possible clue for him doing so is that in the First World War there is a soldier, discharged 1916, with the surname Gough and with Fleming in his name, who MIGHT be a cousin of the main Gough line, because he is NOT anyone descended from William Gough junior

Best Regards
Jon