113 
It was a coincidence that at about five o’clock of the afternoon of 
the 18th day of April, 1805, the young man should have perished 
by the Red Tarn. 
The father died young, leaving the widow with the two sons, 
Charles and Harry, and one daughter, Elizabeth, who afterwards 
married Dr. Flint of Leek, a gentleman in comfortable circum- 
stances. This disposes of the pitiable tale of forlornness and 
bankruptcy and family heartlessness, as told by Christopher in his 
“Aviary.” The Professor’s tale is pure romance—though living 
at Elleray as he did, he doubtless could have got to know any 
facts he might wish of the Gough family. 
That the young man was a passionate lover of nature and archi- 
tecture is seen in eight old mezzotint drawings of landscape and 
architecture, made on a Scotch tour, 18031805, and signed by 
Charles Gough in a clear, fine, copperplate hand. 
These old drawings, while they show care and anxiety to give 
faithful renderings of form and scene, show also that the young 
man had been self-taught, and that he had yet much to learn as 
an artist. 
Charles Gough’s love of the mountains and of lonely wanderings 
among the fells, is a matter of tradition in the family. That 
Gough was fond of sport was remembered by an old gardener of 
Miss Gough’s grandmother at Kirkby Stephen, who told a person 
now living, that he often went with Mr. Charles fishing, and when 
his body was brought down from the fells, this old man got hold 
of a bit of the plaid it was wrapped in, and the family kept it in 
their possession till quite lately. 
There seems to be uncertainty whether this branch of the family 
migrated from Kendal prior to young Gough’s death, but they 
claim a joint descent, with the family of the famous blind John 
Gough, from Goff the Parliamentarian general. They pronounce 
their name as “Goff,” and it is probable that they were sprung 
from the common Wyresdale stock. Distant cousins of the name 
of Wilson, and of the Friend Society connexion, have long dwelt 
in Kendal. Portraits in oil of Charles Gough’s father and mother 
exist at Abingdon, but no portrait or drawing of Charles is in 
ye 8 
