Turtle Bunbury

The first Goughs are believed to have been lived in Radnorshire near the border between England and Wales. Most authorities ascribe the origin of the name 'Gough' to the Welsh word Coch meaning 'red', although the word Gof meaning 'blacksmith' is also a possibility. (1) Amongst the earliest references to the family is that of Sir John Will Goch or Coch who served as a Captain of the Welsh archers against the Norman army of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings on October 14th 1066. (2)

In 1390, Iolo Goch (c.1320-c.1398), court poet to Owen Glendower, wrote a famous poem describing the castle at Sycharth - a focus of power in the Welsh Marches in the 14th century. Llewelyn Goch ap Neurin Hen (1360-1390) was a another notable Welsh poet of the period. The main branch of the family traced its roots to Owen Glendower's father, Griffydd Fychan, King of Wales. Gough or Goch, in this case meaning "the red" , might have originated with Eleanor, the red-haired daughter and heiress of Catherine, one of the daughters of Llewellyn, the last Prince of Wales. Owain Lawgoch was a potential Welsh leader, murdered by an assassin, John Lamb.

At any rate, the family prospered in Wales during the Middle Ages, culminating with the knighting of Sir Matthew Gough (1386 - 1450), a prominent soldier in the latter stages of the Hundred Years Wars with France. An English contemporary described him as "surpassing all the other esquires in war at that time in bravery, hardihood, loyalty and liberality". Another spoke of him as "a man of great wit and much experience in feats of chivalry". During Jack Cade's ill-fated revolt against Henry VI in July 1450, Sir Matthew served as Captain of the Tower of London. In this capacity, he was instrumental in suppressing a rebellion that brought some 40,000 rebels from Kent onto the streets of the capital. Part of his defence strategy involved setting the drawbridge alight to prevent rebels gaining access to the Tower; Sir Matthew was killed in the ensuing struggle. Holinshed later described Sir Matthew as "a man of excellent virtue, manhood and zeal for his country and of great renown in the Wars of France, where he served for twenty years and upwards and ended his life at London Bridge in 1450 being appointed by Lord Scales, Governor of the Tower, to assist the Mayor and Londoners in defending the City from Cade . They took post on the Bridge which the rebels attacked that night and got possession of the drawbridge slaying, amongst others, Sir Matthew Gough".

The Move to Limerick

Sir Matthew's sons prospered in the woollen trade around the town of Staple in Wiltshire. During the reign of King James I, three sons of the Rev Hugh Gough, Rector of All Cannings, near Devizes, Wiltshire, moved to Ireland where they became variously Chancellor of Limerick Cathedral, Archdeacon of Ardfert and Bishop of Limerick. It is not clear which of these brothers was the forefather of the Goughs of Woodstone. Bishop Gough's great-grandson, another Rev. Hugh Gough (1662 - 1730), gained his MA from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1688 and became Rector of Kilfenny, County Limerick. He was subsequently appointed Precentor of Limerick Cathedral, being the fifth member of the family to hold an office of that Cathedral. His grandson was Captain (or possibly Colonel?) George Gough (1720 - 19th November 1783) "of Woodsdown", Co. Limerick. In 1748 George married Elizabeth Waller, daughter of Richard Waller, of Castle Waller, County Tipperary, by his wife, Elizabeth Holland, daughter of Admiral Holland. They had five children, two sons and three daughters.

The Bunbury Connection

The eldest son, George Gough, was born in 1750. He joined the Black Horse (later named the 7th Dragoon Guards) as a Cornet in 1768. During the rebellion of 1798, he greatly distinguished himself as a Lieutenant Colonel of the City of Limerick Militia, during the Battle of Colooney, near Westport, against the French. Later, during the action at Johnstown, where, with a flying column of 500 horse, foot and guns, he routed a force of 4,000 rebels. His horse was shot from under him and a ball went through his hat. On 20th January 1775, Captain Gough married Letitia Bunbury of Lisnavagh House. Her grandfather, William Bunbury of Lisnavagh (d. 1710), was sometime MP for County Carlow. Her father, Thomas Bunbury, variously described as "of Lisnavagh, Moyle and Kill in County Carlow, served as High Sheriff for that county in 1735. That same year, on March 2nd, he was married at St. Michans of Dublin to Catherine Campbell, daughter of Josias Campbell of Drumsna, Co. Leitrim. Over the next 18 years, Catherine bore Thomas nine sons and two daughters. It appears that many of these died in childhood. When Thomas's elder brother, William Bunbury, MP, of Lisnavagh died without issue in October 1754, he left the property at Lisnavagh to be held by Thomas until his ten-year-old nephew, another William Bunbury, came of age. On 24th November 1754, Catherine Bunbury (neé Campbell) also passed away. Thomas remarried in 1758 Susanna Isaacs, by whom he had three further children. (3) In October1767, Thomas was asked to stand at the bye-election in Carlow following the death of Benjamin Burton, MP, but he declined to contest against John Hyde (Burton's son-in- law). He died on 13th July 1774 and was succeeded by his son William.

In 1765, Letitia's elder brother William Bunbury (1744 - 1778) succeeded to the Lisnavagh estates on his coming of age. Four years later, this promising young man served as High Sheriff for County Carlow. On Thursday 28th September 1773, he married 20-year-old Katherine Kane, the daughter and sole heiress of wealthy Dublin businessman Redmond Kane (d. 1779). The couple had four children - twos sons and two daughters - before William's tragic death in 1778. He succeeded to the Kill estates on the death of his father on 13th July 1774. In May 1776 he was elected MP for Carlow, an important time with Irish Volunteer forces mustering at home and the American Revolution gathering momentum across the Atlantic Ocean. On 18th April 1778, the 34-year-old was thrown from his horse and killed while hunting at Leighlinbridge, County Carlow. His widow Katherine took over the running of the Lisnavagh estate from then on with assistance from her brother-in-laws, George and Benjamin Bunbury. The Bunbury family estate was then divided between William's two sons - Thomas and Kane - but ultimately passed down through the female line of his posthumous daughter Jane to her family - the McClintock-Bunburys, Barons Rathdonnell, with whom the Lisnavagh estate still rests today.

Letitia's second brother George Bunbury (1747 - 1820), a barrister, inherited Rathmore outside Rathvilly and was MP for Gowran and Thomastown. He died unmarried. The third brother, Benjamin Bunbury (1751 - 1823) succeeded (for reasons unclear) to the Bunbury estate at Killerig, County Carlow. He married Margaret Gowan, daughter of the Rev. George Gowan by whom he had three children, all of whom died unmarried. There is no further record of the younger Bunbury sons - Josiah, Campbell (b. 1751) and Thomas - or of the youngest daughter Elizabeth. Letitia was the only surviving daughter.

The Sons and Daughters of Colonel George and Letitia Gough

Letitia Gough died in 1829 and Colonel Gough died aged 86 in 1836. They had six children - four sons and two daughters. These children were first cousins of Thomas Bunbury, MP, of Lisnavagh, Colonel Kane Bunbury and the ill-fated Jane Bunbury who married John McClintock. For the following paragraphs relating to these younger Goughs I am indebted to the excellent research of Christopher Normand.

"To tackle the daughters first, the eldest Jane Catherine Gough (1776 - August 1833) married Colonel Richard Lloyd, 84th Regiment, who was killed in the Peninsular War, at Bayonne in 1813. They had a daughter, Letitia Lloyd, who died unmarried. The second daughter Elizabeth Gough (1788 - 1864) was married, on 22nd March 1810 to Benjamin Frend (d. Jan 1858) of Boskill, County Limerick. They had a family of 5 sons and 6 daughters.

"George and Letitia's eldest son Major George Gough "of Woodsdown", County Limerick, was born on 26th December 1775. He joined the 28th Regiment of Foot ("The Slashers"), and greatly distinguished himself in Egypt in the Campaign of 1800, and, later, in the Peninsular War [1810-14], as a Captain. We have not discovered when he was promoted to Major. In 1814, he married Sarah Croker, daughter of Edward Croker, of Ballynagarde, County Limerick. He died 13 June 1841; she died on 14th February 1870. George and Sarah Gough had four sons. The eldest, George Gough (1814 - 7th Nov 1894) "of Birdhill", County Limerick, inherited Woodsdown in 1841 and married Mary Bagwell, daughter of Very Rev. Richard Hare Bagwell, Dean of Clogher, Co. Tyrone. In his will, he entailed part of Woodsdown to his nieces Georgina Cobden and Mary Higgins, daughters of his younger brother, Thomas Gough. The second son, Edward, was born about 1815, joined the 58th Regiment and died young, in India, in 1838. The third son, Thomas (1815 - 15 April 1885) of "Greenmill, Clonmel, married Elizabeth William (1824 - 21 February 1890). They had 2 daughters and 2 sons. The sons died young - Thomas in his childhood and George on 30th September 1881, aged 30. As such, Thomas was succeeded by his daughters, Mary (1847 - 22 Nov 1929) and Georgina (1849 - 8 July 1881). The youngest son, Hugh, was born about 1816, became a Lieutenant in the 1st Royal Dragoon Guards and died unmarried. Thus this line died out."

"The second son, Rev. Thomas Bunbury Gough, was born on 13th June 1777. He went to Trinity College, Dublin, where he gained his M.A., and became a Doctor of Divinity. He later became Dean of Derry. On 19th March 1800, he married 20-year-old Charlotte Bloomfield, daughter of John Bloomfield, of Redwood, County Tipperary, and granddaughter of Lord Jocelyn, the last Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Her brother, the 1st Lord Bloomfield of Oakhampton and Redwood, was Private Secretary of the Prince Regent (later George IV) and then Ambassador to Sweden. The Rev. TB Gough died on 8th May 1860; his widow passed away on 14th February 1862. I will return to his offspring presently."

"The third son, William Gough (1778 - 1822) joined the 68th Regiment and rose to the rank of Major. He was present at the Battle of Salamanca, in the Peninsular War, and was severely wounded, at Vittoria. He was drowned on board the Albion off the Old Head of Kinsale when returning from America with part of his Regiment, in 1822".

Field Marshall Sir Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough

On 3rd November 1779, Letitia gave birth at Woodstone to her fourth son, the future Field Marshal Viscount Sir Hugh Gough, KP, PC, GCB, GCSI. (4) He grew up to become one of Kane Bunbury's closest friends. He was also a military commander of outstanding capability, a Peninsula War veteran who became well known to the Victorians for his activities in Hong Kong during the Opium War (1841 - 42) and again during the Sikh War (1845 - 1848) when he commanded the British Army in India for seven weeks.

Capturing the Standard

"Fight for the Standard" by Richard Ansdell
In 1815 Sergeant Marston's inspired capture
of the Eagle of the 8th French Regiment
eagle at Barossa was echoed when Sergeant
Charles Ewart secured the standard of the 45th
French regiment at Waterloo after the charge
of the Scots Greys.

In 1794, at the age of 14, he joined his father's newly formed Limerick Militia as an Ensign aged 14 in 1794. He transferred to the 78th Highlanders (or "Ross-shire Buffs") in 1795, and served with that regiment at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope and the Dutch Fleet, in 1806. He then served in the West Indies for three years, taking part in the attack on Puerto Rica, and in the Brigand War in St Lucia. In 1805, he was promoted to the rank of Major in General Sir John Doyle`s battalion, the 87th Royal Irish Fusiliers (the Prince of Wales's Irish Regiment) or the "Faugh a Ballaghs" (Clear the Way) as they were known for their ancient Gaelic battle-cry. That was the year Nelson defeated the French at Trafalgar but Napoleons forces decimated the combined Austro-Russian army at Austerlitz.

He was posted to the Iberian Peninsular in 1809, where he commanded the 87th at the Battle of Talavera and was severely wounded when his horse was shot from under him. For his conduct at Talavera, the Duke of Wellington recommended that his Lieutenant-Colonelcy should be ante-dated to the day of his despatch, thus making him the first officer who ever received brevet-rank for services performed on the field at the head of a Regiment.

By 1811 all Europe had fallen to Napoleon. Only Trafalgar had prevented Britain succumbing to the same fate. When the Spanish rebelled against the French military regime, it afforded Wellington his first opportunity to gain a foothold in Europe. The Redcoats soon landed at Tarifa (1811) and began making their way inland. Commanding the Royal Irish Fusiliers, Gough, advanced his men to Barossa to do battle against Marshall Victor, Duke of Belluno. Against an army that outnumbered them two to one, the Irishmen - the Faugh-a-Ballaghs - proved victorious and they captured the first of the Napoleonic eagle standards - the Eagle of the 8th French Regiment. "Bejaybers boys!", roared its captor, Segerant Masterton, "I have the cuckoo!" After Barossa, the Prince Regent conferred unique distinctions on both the Regiment and its Commanders, amongst which was the right for Hugh Gough, his collaterals and descendants to use "Faugh-a-Ballagh" as an additional motto to their arms. Barossa proved to be major turning point in the wars, boosting morale throughout the Empire and paving the way for Waterloo and total victory. At the Battle of Vittoria in 1813, Gough's men captured the Baton of Marshal Jourdan.His younger brother William was severely wounded in the fight. At the ensuing battle of Nivelle, Hugh Gough himself was again wounded but won a gold cross for his efforts. He was also in command of the defence of Cadiz and Tarifa (where he was slightly wounded in the head).

In 1814, Hugh Gough returned home from the Peninsular to a hero's welcome. He was knighted in 1815. He was promoted to Colonel in 1819 and to Major General in 1830. He was Colonel of the 99th Regiment of Foot, 1839-41, and of the 87th Regiment, 1841-55. In 1837 he went out to India to command the Mysore Division of the Madras Army. He was promoted to Lt General in 1841. That year he sailed for China to command the Expedition there, capturing the forts defending Canton. For these services he was made a C.B.E. and created a Baronet. He was Commander in Chief of the Madras Army, 1841-43.

In 1843, Hugh Gough was appointed Commander-in-Chief of India and defeated the Mahrattas at Mahajpoor. He subsequently took on a Sikh Army at Moodkee, Ferozeshah and Sobraon (1845-6), for which he was raised to the peerage. After his crowning victory over the Sikhs at Gujerat in 1849, he was created a Viscount.

British India and the Sikh Wars 1845 - 1848

The death of the Sikh leader Ranjit Singh in 1845 sparked off a rebellion amongst the Sikh ranks that ultimately exploded into all out war. On 11th December 1845, a Sikh army crossed the Sutlej and effectively declared war upon the British. The British had foreseen the outbreak and amassed sufficient troops at Ferozepore, Ludhiana and Umballa to protect the North West Frontier. On 12th December, Sir Hugh Gough, Commander-in-Chief, marched the Umballa Force 16 miles to Rajpura. The following day, Governor-General Sir Henry Hardinge declared war. By the 18th, the whole army had marched 150 miles to Moodkee in order to protect Ferozepore from the Sikh attack. Wearied from their long march, the British troops were at rest when news came that the Sikhs were advancing to battle at four o'clock in the afternoon. The British had some 10,000 men; some authorities suggest Sikh forces were as low as 10,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry and 22 guns. The battle opened with an artillery duel, in which the British guns, though inferior in weight, swiftly silenced the enemy. The 3rd Light Dragoons delivered a brilliant charge, and the infantry drove the enemy back with great slaughter and the loss of seventeen guns. The victory was complete, but the fall of night prevented it from being followed up, and caused some of the native regiments to fire into each other in the confusion.

After the battle of Moodkee Sir Henry Hardinge volunteered to serve as second in command under Sir Hugh Gough, a step which caused some confusion in the ensuing battle. On 21st December, Gough's army advanced to attack Lal Singh's entrenched camp at Ferozeshah. Sir John Littler, commander at Ferozepore, was ordered to join the main British force. At 11am, the British were in front of the Sikh position, but Sir John Littler had not yet arrived. Sir Hugh wished to attack while there was plenty of daylight. But Sir Henry Hardinge, reasserting his civil authority as Governor General, forbade the attack until the junction with Littler was effected. The army then marched to meet Littler and the battle did not begin until between 3.30 and 4pm. The engagement opened with an artillery duel, in which the British failed to gain mastery over the Sikhs. The infantry then advanced to attack but the Sikh muskets were on superb form and, and fighting behind entrenchments, they proved a most formidable foe. Sir John Littlers attack was repulsed, the 62nd regiment suffering many casulaties, officers and men, while the sepoys failed to support the European regiments. But the victorious and undaunted Moodkee force duly stormed and captured the entrenchment, though the different brigades and regiments lost position and became mixed up together in the darkness. The army then passed the night on the Sikh position, while the Sikhs prowled round keeping up incessant fire. In the morning the British found they had captured seventy-three pieces of cannon and were masters of the whole field. At that moment a fresh Sikh army, under Tej Singh, came up to the assistance of the scattered forces of Lal Singh. The British were exhausted after a sleepless night and the native troops were much shaken. A determined attack by this fresh army might have won the day but Tej Singh marched away, after a half-hearted attack, which was repulsed. The reason for his flight is unclear but whether from cowardice, incapacity or treason, it left the British masters of the position.

After the battle of Ferozeshah the Sikhs retired behind the Sutlej. In early January they again raided across the river near Ludhiana, where Sir Harry Smith had been detached. On 21st January, Sir Harry was approaching Ludhiana when he found the Sikhs under Runjoor Singh entrenched along his line of march at Budhowal. Sir Harry passed on without fighting a general action, but suffered considerable loss in men and baggage. After receiving reinforcements he again advanced from Ludhiana and attacked the Sikhs at Aliwal on the 28th of January. An attack upon the Sikhs left near the village of Aliwal gave Sir Harry the key of the position, and a brilliant charge by the 16th Lancers broke a Sikh square, completed their demoralization. The Sikhs fled in confusion, losing sixty-seven guns, and by this battle were expelled from the south side of the Sutlej.

Ever since Ferozeshah Sir Hugh Gough had been waiting to receive reinforcements. The siege train arrived on 7th February; Sir Harry Smith's force returned to camp next day. On 10th February, Sir Hugh attacked the Sikhs entrenched at the Sutlej. After two hours cannonading, the infantry attack commenced at 9am. The advance of the first brigade was not immediately successful, but the second successfully carried the entrenchments. The cavalry then charged the Sikh lines from right to left and completed the victory. The Sikhs, with the river behind them, suffered terrible carnage, and are reckoned to have lost 10,000 men and 67 guns. The British losses throughout the campaign were considerably heavier than was usual in Indian warfare; but this was partly due to the fact that the Sikhs were the best natural fighters in India, and partly to the lack of energy of the Hindustani sepoys. After the battle of Sohraon the British advanced to Lahore, where the Treaty of Lahore was signed on 11th March.

For two years after the Treaty of Lahore, the Punjab remained a British protectorate, with Sir Henry Lawrence as resident. But the Sikhs were unconvinced of their military inferiority; the Rani Jindan and her ministers were constantly intriguing to recover their power. A further trial of strength was inevitable. The outbreak came at Multan, where on the 20th April 1848, Dewan Mulraj's troops murdered two British officers, Mr Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson. On hearing of the incident, Lieut. Herbert Edwards, Lawrence's assistant in the Derajat, advanced upon Multan with a force of levies drawn from the Pathan tribes of the frontier. He was not strong enough to do more than keep the enemy in check until Multan was invested by a Bombay column under General Whish. In the meantime Edwards wished for an immediate British advance upon Multan. However, Lord Gough, as he had now become, decided on a cold season campaign, on the grounds that, if the Sikh government at Lahore joined in the rising, the British would require all their available strength to suppress it. Multan was invested on 18th August by General Whish in conjunction with the Sikh general Shere Singh; but during the course of the siege Shere Singh deserted and joined the rebels, thus turning the rising into a national war. The siege of Multan was temporarily abandoned, but resumed in November when Lord Gough's main advance began. Mulraj surrendered on 22nd January. In the meantime Lord Gough had collected his army and stores, and on 9th of November crossed the Sutlej.

On 22nd November, General Cureton and Colonel Havelock were killed in a cavalry skirmish at Ramnagar. Lord Gough remained at Chillian for the next four weeks, waiting to be reinforced by General Whish from Multan; but at last he decided to advance without General Whish. The battle of Chillianwalla took place on 13th January 1849. Lord Gough had intended to encamp for the night; but the Sikh guns opening fire revealed the fact that their army had advanced out of its entrenchments. Gough decided to seize the opportunity and attack at once. An hour's artillery duel showed the Sikhs had the advantage both in position and guns, and the infantry advance commenced at three o'clock in the afternoon. The battle resulted in great loss to the European regiments, the 24th losing all its officers in a few minutes, while the total loss in killed and wounded amounted to 2338. But when darkness fell, the British were in possession of the whole of the Sikh line. Lord Gough subsequently retired to the village of Chillianwalla, and the Sikhs returned and carried off their guns. After the battle Lord Gough received an ovation from his troops, but his losses were thought excessive by the public in England and the directors of the East India Company. Sir Charles Napier was appointed to supersede him. However, before Napier had time to reach India, the crowning victory of Gujrat had been fought and won.

After the Battle of Chillianwala in a letter from Sergeant Keay, Bengal Artillery: "I can never forget the reception Lord Gough got from the troops as he rode along our line on the evening of the battle… I happened also to be at the General Hospital where the wounded and dying were lying in hundreds, and as soon as they caught sight of his venerable white head, there was such a cheer burst forth that it said, as plainly as could say, "You will never find us wanting when you require us".

In another letter, Keay wrote: "It was not as a commander alone that he was respected, but as a kind-feeling and good-hearted man, who took a lively interest in the welfare of all those who were under him, and who took a pleasure in seeing everyone as comfortable as circumstance would permit. As for cavalry, infantry and artillery, I don't think that men ever could have been more attached to any commander than to old Gough. I used to see him in hospital daily, kindly asking after those who were recovering, and cheering up and consoling those who were bad."

After the fall of Multan, General Whish marched to join Lord Gough, and the junction of the two armies was effected on 18th February. In the meantime the Sikhs, starved of provisions, had withdrawn from their strong entrenchments at Russool and marched to Gujrat, which Lord Gough considered a favorable position for attacking them. By a series of short marches he prepared the way for his last and best battle. Keay recalled him preparing then men before the Battle of Gujerat: "As the leader whom they trusted rode down the lines in his white 'fighting coat', helmet in hand, their enthusiasm was unrestrained. An officer wrote: "While we were waiting, our attention was drawn to a curious sound in the far distance on the right. The noise grew louder and nearer, and we saw the regiments, one after another, cheering like mad. It was Lord Gough, at the head of his Staff, riding along the front. He soon passed out of sight, but we heard the cheering till it died away in the distance"."

In this engagement, for the first time in either of the Sikh wars, the British had the superiority in artillery, in addition to a picked force of 24,000 men. The battle began on the morning of 21st February with 2 ½ hours artillery fire, which was overwhelmingly in favour of the British. At 11.30am, Gough ordered a general advance, covered by the artillery. One hour and a half later the British were in possession of the town of Gujrat, of the Sikh camp, and of the enemy's artillery and baggage. The cavalry were in full pursuit on both flanks. In this battle the British only lost 96 killed and 200 wounded, while the Sikh loss was enormous, in addition to 67 guns. This decisive victory ended the war. On 12th March, the Sikh leaders surrendered and the Punjab was annexed to British India. (5)

Twilight of a Field Marshal

According to Fortescue, the military historian, Viscount Hugh Gough commanded in more actions than any British General other than the Duke of Wellington. He was never defeated. Also he was one of the only two infantry officers to be appointed Colonel of Horse Guards ("The Blues"); the other was also an officer of the Royal Irish Fusiliers - Field Marshall Sir Gerald Templar, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., D.S.O., H.M.L. His other honours included Knight of the Royal Order of St Patrick, Privy Councillor, G.C.B., G.C.S.I.. and Knight of the Most Distinguished Order of Charles III. He was appointed a Field Marshall in 1862.

Despite the many plaudits he recieved, one of the reasons why he was relieved of his command, to return home, was that it was held that his victories were won with far too great a casualty list. Later military historians judged him more harshly than he deserved, given the rules of warfare of his own times.A recent history of the North West Frontier, for instance, has this to say."This most gallant and loved Irish campaigner had been commissioned at 14, had fought engagements as far afield as Surinam and Nanking, and had led his regiment from Tavalera to Vittoria in the Peninsula War. Still under 60, and so a young man as British generals went, he was a brave but utterly unimaginative commander whose only tactic consisted in closing on the enemy at all speed and then applying cold steel by frontal advance." (6)

After Viscount Hugh Gough returned to Ireland, the Lord Mayor of Dublin convened a public meeting at which it was agreed to erect a memorial to him, and an equestrian statue was commissioned. Unfortunately, he died before it was completed and placed in position, in 1880, in the main road of Phoenix Park. As Christoper Normand has noted, "the statue remained for many years, saved, perhaps, by the inscription of him as "a most illustrious Irishman", but even that could not stop the IRA, in the 1950s, from blowing it up". A "ballad" circulated in Dublin at the time recorded the event.

The following article appeared in The Times on 23 July 1957 captioned "Dublin Outrage"

"The equestrian statue of Lord Gough in Phoenix Park, Dublin, was blown to pieces early this morning. The explosion was heard all over the city, and in the police depôt about a quarter of a mile away men were blown out of their beds. The figure now lies on top of a heap of rubble and is damaged beyond all repair. This statue has always been the centre of trouble. Years ago the head was sawn off and the sword removed. Later, after an appeal by art lovers in Dublin, the head and sword were recovered from the River Liffey near by and were replaced. About a year ago an explosion damaged the base of the monument and one of the horse's legs, and the statue was kept in position by the aid of a wooden support."

But the destruction of Gough's statue did at least result in the following excellent and suitably bawdy ballad:

Gough's Statue

There are strange things done from twelve to one
In the Hollow at Phaynix Park,
There's maidens mobbed and gentlemen robbed
In the bushes after dark;
But the strangest of all within human recall
Concerns the statue of Gough,
'Twas a terrible fact, and a most wicked act,
For his bollix they tried to blow off!

'Neath the horse's big prick a dynamite stick
Some gallant 'hayro' did place,
For the cause of our land, with a match in his hand
Bravely the foe he did face;
Then without showing fear - and standing well clear -
He expected to blow up the pair
But he nearly went crackers, all he got was the knackers
And he made the poor stallion a mare!

For his tactics were wrong, and the prick was too long
(the horse being more than a foal)
It would answer him better, this dynamite setter,
The stick to shove up his own hole!
For this is the way our 'haroes' today
Are challenging England's might,
With a stab in the back and a midnight attack
On a statue that can't even shite!

Sir Hugh Gough was married, aged 28, on 3rd June 1807, at Plymouth, Devon, to Frances Maria Stephens, daughter of General Edward Stephens, R.A.. They had a family of 5 children, 2 sons and 3 daughters. Frances died in 15th March 1863 and the Field Marshal at his home, St Helen's, Booterstown, Dublin, on 2nd March 1869.

The 2nd Viscount Gough & the Arbuthnot Abduction

George Stephens Gough, 2nd Viscount Gough, was born on 18th Jan 1815. On 3rd January 1846, he married, as his second wife, Jane Arbuthnot (1816 -1892) . Nearly eight years later, Jane found herself in an intriguing position when she became witness to one of the most bizarre abductions of the Victorian Age. The following tale, entitled "The Arbuthnot Abduction" is an extract from "My Clonmell Scrapbook" by James White:

About three miles from Clonmell, the beautifully environed capital of Tipperary, stands Rathronan House, in 1854 the residence of Capt. The Hon. George Gough, only surviving son of Field Marshal Lord Gough. Capt. Gough had married an English lady, daughter of Mr. George Arbuthnot of Elderslie, Surrey and at this time the two sisters of Mrs. Gough, Laura and Eleanor resided with her. The fame of these fair Saxons filled the County. Eleanor fairly turned the heads of all the young gallants, yet her heart was obdurate. Among these suitors was the "Lord" of Barane, Mr. John Carden, who formally proposed for her hand. He was refused and set about a dastardly scheme. The following Sunday, 2nd June 1854, Mrs, Gough, Miss Arbuthnot, Miss Eleanor and a Miss Linden attended divine worship at Rathronan Church (Capt. Gough being all this time absent in Dublin). The party was driven to Church on an Irish "outside" car, but scarcely had they entered the Church when heavy showers came on, the coachman, James Dwyer, drove back to Rathronan, put up the jaunting car and returned with what is called a "covered car" in its stead. Meanwhile, there had drawn up outside the Rathronan demesne, a carriage, to which were harnessed a dashing pair of thoroughbreds while six strange men were observed loitering nearby.

Mr. Carden was mounted, and he met Capt. Gough's covered car returning with the ladies. Dwyer, the coachman, received a blow on the head from a skull cracker and was tumbled to the ground. One of the band pulled out a large knife and severed the reins and traces of the Rathronan horse. Mr. Carden, meanwhile rushed over and grasped at Eleanor Arbuthnot, but she happened to be sitting furthest in and before she could be reached the other three ladies had to be pulled out and disposed of. All four showed fight and while Laura held her sister back, Miss Linden struck the undefended face of the attacker a smashing blow - blood spurted everywhere and Miss Linden was torn from her hold and flung out on the side of the road. Mrs. Gough, whose condition of health at the time made a scene like this almost certain death for her, sprang, as best she could, out of the car and rushed towards the house screaming for help.

A young peasant named McGrath was the first to arrive on the scene and together with Dwyer and another, attacked the band. Meanwhile Mr. Carden managed to hurl Miss Linden aside and wildly tore at Miss Eleanor with savage force. Several times he almost succeeded but for the interference at the most critical moment of Miss Linden and the helpers outside. Mr. Carden was finally forced to withdraw by his helpers and forced into the carriage and "like an arrow from the bended bow" off it flew, two of the finest blood horses in all Munster straining in the traces.

Clonmell was the first to receive the alarm and a strong party of constabulary were soon in full chase. At Farney Bridge, some twenty miles from Rathronan, Mr. Carden was finally caught and over-powered, he was led, a prisoner, to Cashel jail.

Later it became known that the measures that Mr. Carden had concerted included carrying Eleanor to Galway Bay to a chartered vessel to sail direct to London, these precautions cost him the sum of £7,000. The judge at the subsequent trial sentenced Mr. Carden to "two years imprisonment with hard labour" in the county jail. To the end of his life Mr. Carden tried to force his attentions on Miss Eleanor and was required, with heavy penalties, to keep the peace for several years.

In fact Miss Eleanor never married.

The 2nd Viscount died on 31st May 1895 leaving two sons and a daughter. (8) The eldest son Hugh Gough, 3rd Viscount Gough, KCVO, DL, was born on 27th August 1849 and educated at Oxford. On 5th October 1889, he married Lady Georgina Pakenham (d. 30th July 1943), elder daughter of the 4th Earl of Longford, GCB. The 3rd Viscount died on 14th October 1919 and was succeeded by his eldest son Hugh William Gough, 4th Viscount Gough, MC. (9) He was born on 22nd February 1892, educated at New College, Oxford, (BA), served in World War I (wounded, despatches twice, MC) and World War II (Lt-Colonel commanding 1st Batt'n Irish Guards). On 12th November 1935, he married Margaretta Elizabeth Maryon-Wilson, only daughter of Sir Spencer Maryon-Wilson, 11th Bt. He died on 4th December 1951 and was succeeded by his ten year old son, Sir Shane Hugh Maryon Gough, 5th and present Viscount Gough. (10)

The Dean of Derry & Two Victoria Crosses

The 1st Viscount Gough's elder brother, Thomas Bunbury Gough, was sometime Dean of Derry. The Dean was father to George Gough of Rathronen House, Clonmel and Charlotte Margaret Becher Gough. George's sons included General Sir Charles (John Stanley) Gough VC (1832-1912) and Sir Hugh Henry Gough VC (1833-1909). Charles joined the army in 1848 and went to India where his great uncle, Field Marshal Viscount Gough, was Commander-in-Chief. Charles was awarded the Victoria Cross for "gallantry in an affair at Kurkowdah, near Rohtuck on August 15, 1857", saving his brother Hugh who lay wounded on the ground, bringing to mind the Rolf Harris song "Two Little Boys". Charles and Hugh quickly emerged as two of the most brilliant members of the upcoming generation of cavalry officers. Lieutenant Hugh Gough won a VC during the Indian Mutiny at Alanbagh in 1857 and became a general in 1894. He married Annie Margaret Hill (Dame Gough) in Sept. 1863 and had four sons. He later became Keeper of the Crown Jewels in London. His son William George Kepple Gough (d. 1912) had a son, George Hugh Bloomfield Gough (d. 1987) whose son David Gough was born in 1949, works with the Red Cross, specializes in model boats and now lives in Wollongong, New South Wales. He has been most helpful in compiling the family history.

Sir Hubert Gough & the Curragh Mutiny

In 1869, General Sir Charles Gough married Harriet Anastatia de la Poer (died 26 March 1916), daughter of Edmund de la Poer, MP, of Gurteen la Poer, County Waterford. Her father later changed the spelling of his name to Power while her brother was created 1st Count De La Poer. The eldest son, Sir Hubert de la Power Gough (1870-1963), was born at Gurteen Kilsheelan, Co. Waterford and served with the cavalry in the Boer War. In 1914 he and 57 other officers at the Curragh Camp in Co. Kildare threatened to resign rather than take arms to impose Home Rule against Sir Edward Carson's Ulster volunteers. The event became known as the "Curragh Mutiny". In 1914 and 1915, he led a division of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front, serving at both Ypres and Loos. By 1916 he had command of a corps at the battle of the Somme. Sir Douglas Haig regarded Gough as one of his finest officers but others regarded him as a sheer lunatic, an old school cavalry officer with no understanding of modern warfare. He was severely implicated in the collapse of the Fifth Army at Ypres during the German Offensive in March 1918. He was quickly replaced by Sir William Birdwood. His story is told in "Goughie", the biography by Major General Farrar-Hockley from 1974. Alternatively, his experiences are fully described in his book "The Fifth Army", published in 1931, and his autobiography "Soldiering On", published in 1954. He was also honoured with a number of foreign awards, namely, Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold of Belgium, Orders of the White Eagle of Russia, with swords, Charles III of Spain, and Crown and Sword of Sweden, Legion of Honour (French), and the Belgian Croix de Guerre. After the end of the 1st World War, he was sent to the Baltic as chief of a military mission, but was recalled because he was thought to have too left-wing views. He was highly critical of the Versailles Treaty and was an active member of the Union of Democratic Control. (11)) In 1928, he stood as a Liberal for Chertsey, but was unsuccessful (apparently much to his relief). Gradually his reputation was restored as the true facts about the war in 1918 became clearer, and Lloyd George made his amends in his "War Memoirs", published in 1936. He was awarded the G.C.B. in 1937. He took part in the Home Guard (commanding the Chelsea Branch) at the start of the World War Two, until retired due to old age. He died, 18 March 1963, aged 92, having survived his wife, who died 23 March 1951. He died in 1963.

Johnnie Gough, Victoria Cross

Sir Charles and Lady Harriet Gough's younger son was Brigadier General Sir John Edmund Gough V.C., K.C.B., C.M.G. [O.5] (Chart 39C). He was born on 25 October 1871, at Murree, Punjab, India. He joined the Rifle Brigade, in 1892, as a 2nd Lieutenant. He served in the Expedition against Chikusi and Chilwa in British Central Africa in 1896, the Nile Expedition of 1898, and the Boer War (1899-1902). He then served in the Somaliland Campaign, 1902-3, where, in addition to being awarded the Victoria Cross, he was promoted to Brevet-Lieutenant Colonel. The published account reads:

"During the fight at Darotleh, Major Gough was in command and owing to shortness of ammunition and large numbers of wounded, he decided to retire to Danop; after four hours fighting Capt. Bruce who was with the rear-guard was severely wounded, they were almost surrounded by the enemy and Capt. Rolland ran back for assistance. Major Gough personally directed the rear-guard action and joined Capt. Walker and four men in keeping back the enemy with rifle fire until Capt. Rolland returned with a camel. But for this gallant conduct Bruce would have fallen into enemy hands. Capt. Bruce was hit again and was unconscious and died soon after, but his body was saved from mutilation by the savages. In the account of this action for which Capt. Rolland was awarded the V.C. mention was made of Major Gough, but it was not until sometime afterwards that the great bravery displayed by this officer was brought to the notice of the authorities who promptly awarded him the V.C. Major Gough was at the time in command of the column and although he reported the heroic conduct of Capts. Rolland and Walker, no knowledge of his bravery on the same occasion was brought to light until eye-witnesses of his action reported it to Headquarters."

He served in Somaliland, again, in 1909. He was appointed ADC to King George V. He served in France during the 1st World War, as Chief of Staff to Field Marshall Earl Douglas Haig. He died on 21st February 1915 at Fauquissart, of wounds received while visiting his old Regiment in the front line and is buried in the Estaires War Cemetery, France. The London Gazette published a Posthumous Honour: "It is officially notified .... that the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the posthumous honour of a Knight Commandership of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, being conferred on the late Col. (temporary Brig. Gen.) John Edmund Gough, V.C., C.M.G., A.D.C., who died on 21st February 1915 from wounds received in action, in recognition of his most distinguished service in the field."

There is a memorial plaque to him at Winchester Cathedral, as well as one at St Patrick's Church, Marlsfield, Clonmel, Co. Limerick, Ireland. He married, 29 June 1907, Dorothea Agnes ("Dorothy") Keyes, eldest daughter of General Sir Charles Patton Keyes, GCB sister of Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, the hero of the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918; her nephew, Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Keyes, V.C., died leading the assault on Field Marshall Rommel's Headquarters in North Africa, 18 November 1941. They lived at Blandford House, South Farnborough, Hampshire. She died in 1914. Their daughter, Diana Gough (1908 - 1993) became a Communist in 1940 and, as her obituary in The Times noted, she subsequently dedicated her life "to mitigating the effects of warfare and injustice - in particular the rending effects of the Greek Civil War (1946-49), which resulted in the imprisonment and in many cases the torture of thousands of anti-fascist Greek Patriots. In 1945, through her contact with the Greek Cypriot community in London, she became secretary of the Greek Maritime Unions. The agency issued the first eyewitness accounts of the prison camps in Eritrea and Sudan, where members of the Greek National Liberation Army (ELAS), taken in Athens while fighting the British in December 1945, were incarcerated. In October 1946 she was appointed honorary secretary of the newly-formed pressure group, the League for Democracy in Greece".

Thanks to David Gough and Christopher Normand for their excellent research and kind assistance.

Further Reading

Beckett, I.F.W. (1989) Johnnie Gough, V.C.Tom Donovan Publishing, London.
Farar-Hockley (1975) Goughie.
Gough, R. The History of Myddle, Ed. D. Hey, Penguin, 1981.
Gough, Guy Francis (1990) Thirty Days to Dunkirk - The Royal Irish Fusiliers, May 1940, Bridge Books, Wrexham, Clwyd.
Gough, H. de la P. (1931) Fifth Army
Gough H. de la P. (1954) Soldiering On
Griffiths, R.A. (1981) The Reign of King Henry VI, Ernest Benn Ltd., London.
Rait, Robert, Life and Campaigns of Hugh, Viscount Gough, Volume II.
Winter, D. (1991) Haig's Command - A Reassessment, Viking.

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