Frederick Gough (1838 - 1894)

Born 16 Apr 1838 in Somerset, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Lucretia Anne (Oak) Gough — married 13 Sep 1863 in Easton-in-Gordano, Somerset, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 14 May 1894 at age 56 in Newtown, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: J Coleman [send private message]

Biography

Frederick Gough migrated from England to Australia.

Frederick was born in Honey Hall, Congresbury, Somerset, England in 1838 ^[1] to Robert and Elizabeth. Frederick studied for the church at St Aidan's College in Liverpool, and was ordained by the Bishop of Worchester in 1864, at which point he was appointed to St Thomas Church, Coventry. ^[2] Frederick married Lucretia Anne Oak.

In the England and Wales census of 1871, Frederick is noted as living at Seend, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom. At this time he was a Curate and about 32 years old, and his family consists of:

1. Lucretia Anne Gough, Wife, Aged 32, born Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire
2. Norman Gough, Son, Aged 4, born Easton-In-Gordano, Somerset
3. Aubrey Gough, Son, Aged 2, born Sapcote, Leicestershire
4. Bertha Gough, Daughter, Aged 1, born Melksham, Wiltshire
5. Gertrude Gough, Daughter, Aged 0, born Seend, Wiltshire

In 1872 the family emigrated to Australia aboard the "Hawkesbury", arriving in Sydney on 23rd October. ^[3] The family travelled to Gunnedah where Frederick was to take up the position of Minister of the Church of England.

TROVE: Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919) Sat 22 Nov 1873 Page 17 ^[4]

A Tour of the North

... There is only one church (Church of England) in Gunnedah (see accompanying engraving). It is a somewhat singular looking edifice, but by no means of unpleasing design. It is constructed of pine, with ironbark pillars supporting the interior. The dimensions are about sixty feet by twenty-four. It has a centre, and two side roofs or wings running the whole length of the building. The Rev. Mr. Gough is the incumbent.

Three more sons were born after the family's move to Gunnedah - Edward, Merle, and Symonds. Frederick was subsequently forced to live outside of Gunnedah and undertake some pastoral pursuits in order to support the family - this wasn't well received by his parishioners:

TROVE: Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919) Sat 29 Jun 1878 Page 39 ^[5]

... Those people on Liverpool Plains who belong to the Church of England are very anxious to know of the locale of their pastor, the Rev. Frederick Gough, whom they have not seen for the past ten months. In the worst period of the late drought Mr. Gough succeeded in making his ministerial round, and was warmly commended for his zeal and assiduity under great difficulty. But since there has been abundance of crass, and travelling made easy and pleasant thereby, he has never once ministered to our spiritual necessities. He must know that there are several loving people who are anxious for his presence, so that they might plight their troth ; and that there are children of his faith standing in sore need of the baptismal rite. On the last occasion that the rev. gentleman visited his country parishioners he complained most bitterly of their supineness and neglect in the matter of contributing towards his support. He said that they well know that he had a wife and large family to support, and that his elder children were now requiring a higher class of education than they had been receiving. This would necessarily absorb a considerable portion of his income. Mr. Gough then proceeded to say that he had, in a practical way, recognized his obligations to his country parishioners, but that they had completely failed to recognize theirs to him. This indifference to his own and family's worldly happiness and well-being had compelled him to take up a considerable area of land in the vicinity of Somerton, a portion of which was undergoing the process of cultivation and the remainder set apart for grazing, having then a flock of sheep depasturing on it. He said it was only by combining agriculture and pasture with his clergyman's office that he could avoid total shipwreck on the great sandbank, debt; - that he could hope to procure a comfortable subsistence for himself and family.

TROVE: Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919) Sat 15 Mar 1879 Page 39 ^[6]

... The Church of England ls a primitive barn-like structure. It looms above all other buildings, being a long, broad, high structure, of no conceivable design of church architecture, and devoid of even one redeeming feature. The town larrikins have inflicted all the damage that is possible to the exterior of the building ; there is scarcely a whole pane of gloss now left, so diligent and true aimed have been the stone throwers. The church is (and has been for the last two years) left to mind itself, the incumbent, the Rev. Frederick Gough, living at or near Somerton, 16 or 20 miles distant. The spiritual life of this church in Gunnedah is, I regret to say, at a very low ebb. There Is an incurable antipathy on the part of the members to do anything to- wards lifting the church out of its present low, retrograded state, and placing it on a firm and proper basis. There ls a division amongst the members, some being favourable to patching up and painting the existing reproach; others (the sensible) violently protesting against throwing money away on a worn-out building, and advocating the erection of a neat and tasteful building of suitable dimensions. Mr. Gough is a faithful expounder of Protestant truth, and preaches good and sound doctrinal sermons with fluency and fair oratory. Still, under the rule and ministrations of such a minister the Church of England has lost ground, and is being speedily supplanted by the Wesleyan school of Protestants. This is an anomaly, and is only to be accounted for by the fact of Mr. Gough's non-residence in the township. In the temporal interests of his family he was obliged to take up land and devote a portion of his time to pasture and agriculture. There is nothing wrong in this procedure, which was necessitated by the parishioners failing to recognise their obligation to support their pastor.

In the late 1870s Frederick resigned from the Ministry after a disagreement with the Bishop of Grafton and Armidale, and in 1881 he bought a rural property called "Ruvigne" on the outskirts of Gunnedah from James Rigney. In 1890 he sold "Ruvigne" to Thomas Henry Hall Goodwin, and established a coach and buggy building business in Gunnedah, Gough & Sons - one of his sons, Aubrey, also ran a photographic business. ^[2]

Frederick passed away in 1894 at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Newtown, Sydney in 1894.

TROVE: New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900) Fri 14 Jun 1895 [Issue No.385] Page 3872 ^[7]

PROBATE JURISDICTION.

In the Supreme Court of New South. Wales. In the will of Frederick Gough, late of Gunnedah, in the Colony of New South Wales, coach-builder, deceased. NOTICE is hereby given that all creditors and other persons having any debt or claim upon or affecting the estate of Frederick Gough, the abovenamcd deceased, who died on or about the 14th day of May, 1894, and probate of whose will was granted by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, in its Probate Jurisdiction, on the 21st day of September, 1894, to William Henry Pritchard and John Cock, the executors named in the said will, are hereby required to send in particulars of their claims to the said William Henry Pritchard and John Cock, or to the undersigned, Horatio Hogarth, proctor, on or before the 31st day of July next, at the expiration of which time the said executors will proceed to distribute the assets of the said deceased among the persons entitled thereto, having regard to the debts and claims only of which they shall then have had notice ; and the said executors will not be liable for the assets so distributed to any person of whose debt or claim they shall not have had notice at the time of such distribution.— Dated this 12th day of June, A. D. 1895. HORATIO HOGARTH, Proctor for the Executors, By Abbott & Allen, his Agents, Gunnedah. Audit Chambers, Sydney.

Research Notes

One of Frederick's great-great granddaughters posted a brief history on the "Immigration Place" website ^[8].

Frederick's name has also appeared in a number of local history articles in the Gunnedah Times. FamilySearch has two profiles for Frederick.

The son Edward has no obvious NSW BDM birth entry, but there is a death entry.

FamilySearch also includes a son called William Frederick Gough (1880-1902) based on a UK death notice - see https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GQ5C-LLG

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GG65-PLJ
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Gunnedah Times 18th January 2024, Page 13
3. ↑ https://marinersandships.com.au/1872/10/062haw.htm
4. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70482329
5. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70614342
6. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/70936137
7. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/222225627
8. ↑ https://immigrationplace.com.au/story/reverend-frederick-gough/

• Birth: "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VFJM-L28 : 20 January 2022), Frederick Gough, 1871.
• Death = NSW BDM DC 9557/1894 NEWTOWN, ROBERT & ELIZABETH [GOUGH FREDERICK]
• Burial = Rookwood, NSW: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190000741/frederick-gough
• See also: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GG65-PLJ
• See also: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MHHJ-6QC