The main purpose of this page is to publish information about the history of the various Gough families who have lived in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England. At the bottom of the page will be found links to more general (mainly English) information for Gough family historians.
I) GOUGH families of WOLVERHAMPTON, England
The GOUGH surname is thought to have originated near the Welsh/English border [see Gough (Goff) History & Genealogy by Norman GOUGH]. An analysis of the IGI suggests that between the 16th and 19th centuries, the name was most commonly found in the county of Shropshire, with high frequency also in neighbouring counties such as Herefordshire and Staffordshire. Wolverhampton, situated in Staffordshire and only just outside Shropshire, was at that time an expanding town, so it is not surprising that it became a magnet for families from these counties, including some GOUGH families. This account is an attempt to record or provide access to the family histories of the most significant Wolverhampton Gough families, ie. those who settled in Wolverhampton for several generations. Some of these families may turn out to be related to each other. Others who arrived from Shropshire and Herefordshire in the 19th century are almost certainly not related to the earlier Wolverhampton Gough families.
A) the GOUGHs of Wolverhampton, Oldfallings and Perry Hall in Staffordshire: the first to arrive, these were also the wealthiest and historically most significant GOUGHs to live in Wolverhampton. Their descendants acquired the title "Baron Calthorpe", although this is now extinct. Norman GOUGH and the Wolverhampton History and Heritage Society have provided accounts of this family and the Mormon Medieval families unit has compiled a computerised pedigree.
In the 19th Century a fraudulent genealogist named Gustave Anjou produced a pedigree which purported to show that a GOFF family in Massachusetts was descended from these Wolverhampton GOUGHs, through Richard Gough of London (d.1609). There is highly unlikely to be any truth in this claim. See Genealogical Frauds.
B) the GOUGHs of Himley, Wolverhampton, Claverley and Oldswinford lived only briefly in Wolverhampton, but earn a mention here because they provided Wolverhampton´s first known bookseller, Edward Gough. See outline pedigree
C) my own ancestors, the GOUGHs of Wolverhampton and Deptford, including the armigerous GOUGHs of Gorsebrook House and their heirs the HOARE family, arrived in about 1700. The family can be traced back to Richard Gough and Lydia Wood who married at Wolverhampton parish church in 1706. Richard's origin cannot at present be proved. It is possible that he is the Richard Gough who was baptized at Brewood (a few miles north of Wolverhampton) in 1675. Richard's grandson Edward Gough married the heiress of Ralph Chaddock of Wolverhampton and passed a prosperous grocery business to his son and grandson, both called Ralph. The history of this family may be viewed in two forms: narrative pedigree or family tree.
D) the GOUGHs of Brewood, Wolverhampton and Ohio arrived from Brewood in 1792. Some information is available.
E) the GOUGHs of Wednesbury, Wolverhampton, Coseley, Darlaston & Birmingham can be traced back to Joseph Gough and Catherine Sparrow who married at Darlaston in 1768. Their son Joseph married at Bushbury in 1798 and settled in Wolverhampton
F) An outline family tree and a more comprehensive WorldConnect database of the Gough family of Wellington in Shropshire, and of Bilston, Wolverhampton and Coseley in Staffordshire. Descendants include Gough Brothers (motorcycles)
G) Isaac GOUGH from Shropshire (probably Church Pulverbatch) married Catherine Davis at Sedgley in 1832. Their eldest son Henry Gough established the building firm H. Gough & Sons, which still exists in Wolverhampton. This firm was responsible for the Grand Theatre
[to be continued]
If you think you are related to these families or you have other relevant information, please contact me, Andrew Gough.
II) more general (mainly English) GOUGH family information:
In the course of my Wolverhampton research, I have searched various national (British) records and extracted details of Goughs from a much wider area. I am slowly adding this information here.
A) Gough Apprentice Lists (1710-97) extracted from the Apprenticeship Register Indexes at the Public Record Office (PRO) in London
B) Gough Bankruptcy Lists (1820-48) extracted from the Bankruptcy Registers at the PRO in London
C)
D) Gough Divorce Lists (1857-1935) extracted from the Divorce Indexes at the PRO in London
E) some Gough Testators & Intestates (1812-59) extracted from the Death Duty Register Indexes at the PRO in London
F) Lists of Gough Wills proved in the PCC (1652-1805) held among the Probate Records at the PRO in London
G) Gough (Goff) History & Genealogy by Norman GOUGH contains numerous links to Gough family information.
If anybody has similar material, I would be happy to make it available here in the same way. Any offers of suitable material (if possible, already in electronic format) should be sent to me Andrew Gough
This site is © Andrew Gough 2004 and may not be used for commercial gain. However family historians are free to make use of the data for their own private research.
