Alexander Clement Foster Gough – Grandfather of Stan Laurel?

Alexander Clement Foster GOUGH was a wealthy Wolverhampton solicitor who died - apparently unmarried - in 1892.

He lies buried in Wolverhampton Cemetery, where a large and rather ostentatious monument was erected to his memory.

His will was drawn up in May 1889 and included bequests of £500 each to:

Arthur Jefferson of Ulverston, actor,

and his sister Clara, wife of J. Mitchell Riley of 51 Fairlawn Street, Greenheys, Manchester.

This Arthur Jefferson was undoubtedly the father of the comedian Stan Laurel (of Laurel & Hardy fame), whose real name was Arthur Stanley Jefferson and who was born in Ulverston in 1890. Arthur Jefferson senior was a prominent theatre manager in the north-east of England in the 1890s and early 1900s.

But why did Alexander Gough leave him £500? This was quite a substantial legacy, probably nearer £50,000 in today’s money.

Arthur Jefferson

Arthur Jefferson’s origins are shrouded in mystery. In her book Teach yourself - Tracing your Family History (1997), the genealogist Stella Colwell described her extensive but inconclusive attempts to discover his parentage.

At his first marriage in 1884 he named his father as Frank Jefferson, Solicitor, whereas at his second marriage in 1912 he claimed that Christopher Jefferson, Gentleman (deceased) was his father. No evidence could be found that either of these men ever existed.

However the following census extracts for 1901, 1891 and 1881 show that he was at least consistent about being born near Birmingham (Lichfield is about 10 miles north of that town):

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 8 Dockwray Square, Tynemouth, Northumberland					1901 - RG13 4802 f127
Arthur JEFFERSON	Head	M	38	Theatre Lessie & Manager - Employer	Warwickshire Lichfield Staffs
Madge JEFFERSON	Wife	M	40		Yorkshire Hawes
Gordon JEFFERSON	Son	S	16		Lancashire Ulverston
Stanley JEFFERSON	Son		10		Lancashire Ulverston
JEFFERSON	Son		X	Infant Born 3.45 AM April 1st 1901	Northumberland North Shields
Sarah METCALFE	M in law	M	69		Yorkshire Hawes
Mary ELLIS	Monthly nurse	Wid	66	Monthly nurse - Worker	Yorkshire Cropton
Mary C. TAYLOR	Serv.	Wid	31	Domestic General	Northumberland North Shields
Mary J DAYKIN	Serv.	S	29	Domestic General	Durham Shildon
@ 15 High Tenters St, Bishop Auckland, Durham					1891 - RG12 4067 f73
Sarah BARKER	Head	Wid	53	Lodging House Keeper	Bishop Auckland, Durham
Mabel PEARS	Visitor		8		Liverpool, Lancs
Madge JEFFERSON	Visitor	M	30		Hawes, Yorks
Arthur JEFFERSON	Visitor	M	28	Theatrical Manager	Birmingham, Warwick
John PRICE	Visitor	Wid	66	Comedian	Birmingham, Warwick
@ 6 Jassell St, Chorlton On Medlock, Lancashire					1881 – RG11 3917 f39
Julia H.S. KAIR	Wife (Head)	M	30	Merchants Wife	Manchester, Lancashire
Vincent A. KAIR	Son		4		Liverpool, Lancashire
Roland KAIR	Son		2		Manchester, Lancashire
Gertrude A. KAIR	Daur		3 m		Manchester, Lancashire
Margaret M.T. DUNN	Boarder	U	28	Dressmaker	Wales
Frederick A. MULLIGAN	Boarder	U	17	Clerk	Manchester, Lancashire
Arthur JEFFERSON	Boarder		17	Canvasser Coal	Birmingham

Clara Riley

That his family origins lie in the Birmingham area is also supported by the 1901 and 1891 censuses for the Greenheys address of his sister, Clara Riley:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 51 Fairlawn St, Moss Side, Manchester					1901 – RG13 3711 f113
Clara RILEY	Head	Wid	47		Warwick Birmingham
William RILEY	Son	S	26	Fancy Goods Buyer	Lancs Manchester
Jane DIXON	Serv	S	23		Lancs Manchester
@ 51 Fairlawn St, Moss Side, Manchester					1891 – RG12 3202 f73
Clara RILEY	Head	M	36	Partial private means	Warwick Birmingham
William RILEY	Son	S	17	Manufacturer’s Clerk	Lancashire Manchester
Nathan STRAYBERG	Lodger	S	28	Parisian Merchant	Denmark

Greenheys and Chorlton-on-Medlock are adjoining districts of Manchester, located a couple of miles south of the city centre.

Clara's marriage – using the name Clara Wilson Jefferson – took place at Chorlton Register Office in February 1884 (ie. ten years after the birth of her son!) and her father's name was recorded as Christopher Jefferson, deceased.¹

The 1881 census for Chorlton also includes the following household:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 13 Portsmouth St, Chorlton On Medlock, Lancashire					1881 – RG11 3916 f132
Clara JEFFERSON	Head	U	23	Housekeeper	Manchester, Lancashire
William JEFFERSON	Brother	U	16	Clerk	Manchester, Lancashire
William JEFFERSON	Nep		8	Scholar	Manchester, Lancashire
Caroline BEATTIE	Serv	U	30	Domestic Serv	Openshaw, Lancashire

It seems likely – despite the inconsistent age and birthplace – that this is the same Clara, and that the “nephew“ William was really her illegitimate son.

Alice Gough

Back in Birmingham, the following notice appeared in the Birmingham Daily Post on 15^th May 1862:

DIED: On the 13^th inst., at Walmer Terrace, Soho Hill, Handsworth, Alice, third daughter of Mr. Alexander Gough, solicitor, of Wolverhampton.

Similar notices appeared on the following two days in the Birmingham Daily Gazette and in Aris’s Birmingham Gazette.

The 1861 census for Soho Hill reveals that Alice had an elder sister called Clara and that her mother’s name was Harriet:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ Soho Hill, Handsworth, Staffordshire					1861 – RG9 2019 f129
Harriet GOUGH	Head	M	28	Proprietor of Houses	Birmingham, Warwick
Clara GOUGH	Daur		10	Scholar	Birmingham, Warwick
Emily GOUGH	Daur		5	Scholar	Birmingham, Warwick
Alice GOUGH	Daur		2	Scholar	Birmingham, Warwick
Mary HUNT	Mother	W	73	Supported by above	Bridgnorth, Staffs
Mary Ann PETERS	Visitor		17		Birmingham, Warwick
Jane WHITTALL	Servant	Un	21	House Servant	Birmingham, Warwick

Her mother's name is confirmed by the christening register of St Martin’s parish church, Birmingham:

Date	Name of Child	Names of Parents	Surname	Abode	Occupation of Father
1 June 1859	Alice Foster Gough	Alexander + Harriet	Gough	Soho Villa, Handsworth	Gentleman
21 Jan 1861	Mary Ann Foster Gough	Alexander Foster + Harriet	Gough	Handsworth	Gentleman
9 Jan 1866	William Alexander Gough	Alexander + Harriet	Gough	Islington Row	Gentleman

These register entries are highly unusual - Gough being entered both as Christian name and as surname. This is presumably because the parents were not married, nor even living together: the Wolverhampton census for 1861 shows Alex^r Clement Foster Gough, unmarried, aged 28, living in that town with his aunt and uncle (from whom he shortly afterwards inherited much of his wealth!)

“Harriet Gough”

So if Harriet wasn’t really Mrs Gough, then who was she? A probable answer is provided by the 1851 census (compare this with the 1861 extract above):

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 92 Moor St, Birmingham, Warwickshire					1851 – HO107 2054 f52
James HUNT	Head	Mar	47	Lathe Maker	Staffordsh Smethwick
Mary HUNT	Wife	Mar	45		Shropshire Bridgnorth
Christopher JEFFERSON	Son in Law	Mar	22	Grocer	Scotland
Harriet JEFFERSON	Daur	M	21		Warwicksh Birmm
George WILSON	Son	U	18	Chaser	Warwicksh Birmm
Mary GREY	Visitor	Wid	45		Shropshire Wenlock
Mary Ann SIMPSON	Lodger	U	25	Hawker	Somerset Bristol
Mary JEFFERSON	Grand Daur	-	3 D	3 days	Warwicksh Birmm

If this is the same Mary Hunt – which seems likely, since both gave their birthplace as Bridgnorth and both had a daughter called Harriet (a unique combination in the 1851 census for Warwickshire!) - then her age apparently changed by 28 years in a 10 year period! However ten years earlier, in 1841, her age was more consistent with the 1861 entry above:

Name	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ Primrose Hill, Duddeston & Netchells, Aston, Warwickshire			1841 - HO107 1149/6 f12
James HUNT	50	Tool M	Warwickshire
Mary HUNT	50		Warwickshire
Hannah HUNT	16		Warwickshire
Harriett WILSON	12		Warwickshire
Henry WILSON	26	Gun Finisher	Warwickshire
Edwin WILSON	20	Gun Finisher	Warwickshire

The marriage of James Hunt to Mary Wilson took place at Aston (now part of Birmingham) in 1838:

Date	Name	Age		Condition	Profession	Residence	Father's Name/Profession
21. Aug	James Hunt	full age		Widower	Jobbing Smith	Primrose Hill	Joseph Hunt	Saddler
1838	Mary Wilson	full age		Widow		Aston Rd, Duddeston	John Smith	Victualler
Married in the Parish Church of Aston, according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after Banns
This marriage was			James Hunt			In the presence of us	Joseph Bridgwater
solemnized between us			Mary Wilson				Elizabeth Bridgwater

It seems likely that Harriet was christened at St Phillip’s church in Birmingham:

Date	Name of Child	Names of Parents	Surname	Abode	Occupation of Father	Date of Birth
12 June 1829	Harriet	William + Mary	Wilson	Fisher Street	Baker	9 Apr 1829

The IGI has the marriage of a William Wilson to a Mary Smith at St Phillip’s in 1810, and several other children of William & Mary Wilson christened there between 1811 and 1825.

The marriage of Christopher Jefferson and Harriet Wilson took place at Lichfield in 1850:

Date	Name	Age		Condition	Profession	Residence	Father's Name/Profession
28 March	Christopher Jefferson	21		Bach	Grocer	St Mary, Lichfield	Thomas Jefferson	Gentleman
1850	Harriet Wilson	minor		Spr	---	Wolverhampton	William Wilson	Builder
Married in the Parish Church of St Mary, according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church
This marriage was			Christopher Jefferson			In the presence of us	Charles Wright
solemnized between us			Harriet Wilson				Mary Meacham

The birth of Clara Wilson Jefferson was registered in the 2^nd quarter of 1851: I presume that she was the 3 day old baby recorded as Mary Jefferson in the 1851 census extract above – probably they hadn't yet agreed on her name. It is surely not a coincidence that Clara and Arthur later gave their father’s name as Christopher Jefferson and that Arthur gave his birthplace as Lichfield?

Harriet’s household is shown in various Birmingham directories of the period:

Dix 1858 Mr Alexander Gough, 63 Spring St.

P.O. 1860 Mr Alexander Goff, Soho Hill, Handsworth

Harrod 1861 Alexander Goff, Soho Hill, Handsworth

Corporation 1861 Mr Alexander Goffe, Soho Hill, Handsworth

Corporation 1863 Alexander Gough, gent, Soho Hill, Hockley

P.O. 1864 A. Gough, 14 Islington Row

Morris 1866 Alex^r Gough, apartments, 14 Islington Row

After that Alexander’s name disappears from Birmingham directories. I suspect he had grown tired of Harriet, so he persuaded her to move elsewhere – perhaps because she still insisted on calling herself Harriet Gough. By 1871 she was in Liverpool, and apparently working for her living:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 40 Rainbowsun St, Liverpool, Lancashire					1871 – RG10 3787 f9
Martha BARNISH	Head	W	44	Manager of Oyster Store	Staffordshire Burslem
Harriet GOUGH	Serv	W	39	Barmaid	Warwickshire Birmingham
John COOK	Serv	unm	29	Waiters	Warwickshire Coventry
Thomas ATKINSON	Serv	unm	29	Waiters	Westmorland Milnthorpe
Daniel ROBERTS	Serv	unm	30	Waiters	Montgomeryshire Llanfair
John MURPHY	Serv	mar	19	Waiters	Lancashire L'pool
Catherine CONROY	Serv	unm	32	Domestic Servant	Ireland

This seems quite a menial occupation for the woman who had previously lived in a smart villa on the edge of Birmingham! Nearby was this more middle-class household:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 38 Berwick St, West Derby, Lancashire					1871 – RG10 3847 f21
James THOMPSON	Head	m	46	Commercial Traveller for printing & paper	Worcestersh. Worcester
Mary A THOMPSON	Wife	m	46		Herefordsh. Hereford
Ernest A THOMPSON	Son	u	20	Clerk (telegraph)	Worcestersh. Worcester
Mary B THOMPSON	Daur		16	Milliner (apprentice)	Warwicksh. Birmingham
Florence E THOMPSON	Daur		13	Scholar	Warwicksh. Birmingham
John GARDNER	Father-in-law	Widr	76	Printer & Bookseller (retired)	Salopsh. Burford
Mary F ANDREWS	Visitor		14	Scholar	Warwicksh. Birmingham
Arthur GOUGH	Visitor		8	Scholar	Warwicksh. Birmingham
Alexr W GOUGH	Visitor		5	Scholar	Warwicksh. Birmingham

Clara's whereabouts in the 1871 census have not yet been discovered. However a couple of years later, she was living in Hulme near Manchester, where on 16^th January 1873 she gave birth to her illegitimate son, William.¹ By 1881 the whole family were living at various addresses in the neighbouring district of Chorlton-on-Medlock, and somebody – presumably Alexander – had provided Harriet with an annuity:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 51 Churchill St, Chorlton On Medlock, Lancashire					1881 – RG11 3918 f101
Sarah BALL	Head	W	39	Milliner	Manchester, Lancashire
Arthur H. BALL	Son	U	16	Office (Errand)	Liverpool, Lancashire
George T. BALL	Son	U	13	Office (Errand)	Manchester, Lancashire
Nellie BALL	Daur	U	12		Manchester, Lancashire
Harriett GOUGH	Boarder	W	52	Annuitant	Birmingham
William GOUGH	Boarders Son	U	14	Office Boy	Birmingham

It is worth noting that William would appear to have been counted twice in this census, once here as William Gough and once with his sister Clara as William (as we saw earlier). Probably the landlady completed the census details and she may not have been aware that he was away.

Harriet Gough died aged 58 and was buried in Stretford cemetery near Manchester in October 1888 in a plot paid for by Clara Riley of Chorlton.²

Although she was calling herself Harriet Gough, legally she was almost certainly still Harriet Jefferson: a search of the divorce indexes at the National Archives from 1858 to 1885 drew a blank (and before 1858 divorce in England & Wales was only possible by obtaining a special Act of Parliament).

Harriet's death may have been an impetus for Alexander to make a new will, which he did about 7 months later, and he died in London from influenza in February 1892. His estate was worth more than £20,000, so there was a considerable liability for death duties. At that time, the rates of death duty depended on how closely the beneficiary was related to the deceased: children paid 1%, siblings 3%, etc, rising to 10% for unrelated beneficiaries. Therefore it was important for the tax authorities to establish the exact relationship of each beneficiary to the testator, and this information was recorded in the death duty registers.

The death duty register entry for Alexander's estate shows that Arthur Jefferson and his sister Clara Riley were recorded as Str (=stranger), meaning that the maximum 10% rate of duty was payable.

Alternative abbreviations Str ND and Str NS (=stranger, natural daughter or natural son) were available to indicate illegitimate children. It has been suggested¹ that the fact that these alternative abbreviations were not used in this case proves that Alexander could not have been the father of Arthur or Clara.

I am not convinced by this argument. The moral code of the time meant that illegitimate children paid the same rate of duty as unrelated beneficiaries. It is my impression that the alternative abbreviations were simply special cases of “Str” and were mainly used where the will specifically described a beneficiary as a “natural child” (or indeed where the will just stated “son” or “daughter”, but the tax authorities knew from other sources that they'd been born out of wedlock).

Apart from Clara, I have not found birth registrations for any of Harriet’s children – neither as Gough, nor as Jefferson. So, either she didn’t register them, or else she used another alias for this purpose. The death of Alice Foster Gough was registered at West Bromwich in the June quarter of 1862, but it is not known where she was buried.

According to a Family Register inherited by his descendants, Arthur Jefferson was born on 12^th September 1862. So, if my theory is right, he would have been born at Soho Hill about 4 months after Alice’s death. The notices in Birmingham newspapers may have been a desperate attempt by her grieving pregnant mother to persuade Alexander to acknowledge her and her family.

Fanny Morgan

However I suspect that he had already developed an attachment for a younger woman, namely the lady described in his will as Fanny Morgan, for many years past known as Fanny Rogers. She had four illegitimate sons, the eldest of whom was born in West Bromwich in 1860 and given the name William Alexander. In 1861 Fanny was living in Wolverhampton, just a couple of streets away from Alexander's solicitor's practice in King Street:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 29 Pipers Row, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire					1861 – RG9 1996 f134
Mary A WATSON	Head	W	29	Washerwoman	Ireland
John HUNT	Lodger	Un	37	House Carpenter	Staffordsh Trenton
Fanny MORGAN	Lodger	un	20	Millener	Radnorshire Pauthall House
Will A MORGAN	Visitor		8 mos		Staffordsh West Bromwich

A couple of years later Fanny had moved to Leamington Spa, where the birth of her second son Harry Montague Morgan was registered in 1863. Prior to this, she may also have had a daughter named Annie, who probably died in infancy.

By 1871 she was calling herself Rogers and was living in Birmingham, whilst her sons were being privately educated in Worcestershire:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 111 Moseley Road, Aston, Warwickshire					1871 - RG10 3137 f81
Fanny ROGERS	Head	u	30	Milliner & Dressmaker	Presleigh, Radnorshire
Elizabeth CHAPMAN	Assistant	u	32	Assistant in above occ.	Allesley, Warwickshire
Mary LANE	Servant	u	17	Gen. Servt Domestic	Smethwick, Staffordshire
@ Astwood, Feckenham, Worcestershire					1871 – RG10 3212 f59
George TIMSON	Head		41	Schoolmaster	Tenterden, Kent
William ROGERS	Pupil	u	11		South Wales, Knyhton
Montague ROGERS	Pupil	u	8		Leamington, Warwickshire

By 1881 she'd had 2 more sons and had moved to London, where she remained until her death – which occurred shortly before Alexander's:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ Chapel Road Private Schools, Feckenham, Worcestershire					1881 - RG11 3107 f79
George TIMSON	Head	M	51	Schoolmaster	Kent Tenderden
	[& family]
Albert E. ROGERS	Boarder	Unm	7	Pupil	Middx London
Arthur ROGERS	Boarder	Unm	6	Pupil	Middx London
@ 3 Harewood Street, London, Middlesex					1881 - RG11 156 f23
Fanny ROGERS	Head	U	40	Lodging House Keeper	Knighton, Radnorshire
William A. ROGERS	Son	U	20	Gem Setter (Jeweller)	West Bromwich, Warwick
Harry M. ROGERS	Son	U	17	Accouchers Clerk	Leamington, Warwick
Eliza SMITH	Servant	U	23	General Servant	Pidly, Huntingdon
James ROSS	Boarder	U	39	Architect	Midlothian, Scotland
George RYEGON	Lodger	U	24	Artistic Engraver	Marylebone, Middlesex
Jenine BRUCE	Boarder	U	27		Peterhead, Scotland
Sarah CHAPMAN	Lodger	W	42	Gentlewoman	Marylebone, Middlesex
@ 52 Gloucester Place, St Marylebone, London					1891 – RG12 95 f84
Fanny MORGAN	Head	M	50	Lodging House Keeper	Radnorshire
Harry M. MORGAN	Son	S	27	Clerk CC	Warwickshire, Leamington
Albert E. MORGAN	Son	S	19	Engine Fitter Apprentice	Birmingham
Arthur MORGAN	Son	S	15	Jeweller Apprentice (Gold)	Birmingham
Thomas ALLEN	Boarder	S	29	Stockbroker's Clerk	Devon
Harry GLENDAY	Boarder	S	22	Secretary Steamship Company	Newcastle under Lyme

Alexander's death occurred at Fanny's home in Gloucester Place, which is described in his obituary as his London residence. In his will he instructed his executors to invest £4000 and pay the income to Fanny for life, but as she was already dead her four sons inherited £1000 each on Alexander's death. The will contains a curious request that Fanny should in future call herself Morgan rather than Rogers. The 1891 census extract above suggests that she had already complied with this request before he died.

Bessie King

Alexander also had other theatrical connections: his will included an interesting legacy to a former actress named Bessie King:

to Elizabeth Catherine King, spinster (eldest daughter of my old friend Thomas Charles King, Tragedian, of Fernhill Heath near Worcester), now of Ashfield Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, £150, together with the 9th edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica and 100 other books of her choice ...

He also instructed his executors to invest £3000 and pay the income to Elizabeth for life.

In the 1871 census, Alexander (recorded incorrectly as Abraham) and Bessie were both guests at the Victoria Hotel in Preston:

And in the 1891 census, he was a visitor at the King family home in Kings Heath:

So they were together in two of the three censuses after Bessie reached adulthood and before Alexander's death. This is either a remarkable coincidence, or an indication that she was a very favoured companion. Nonetheless, Bessie doesn’t seem to have had any children, so there is no reason to suppose that this relationship was anything other than platonic!

Christopher Jefferson

Christopher Jefferson's whereabouts in the crucial period between 1851 and 1871 are not known. However some information has come to light about his life before and after that time.

He was born in Edinburgh in 1828, the son of Thomas Jefferson and Sarah Reid. Presumably he came from a fairly wealthy background, as in 1841 he was being privately educated at a boarding school in London:

Name	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ School, Frances Place, St Mary Islington East, Middlesex			1841 – HO107 664/14 f10
Christopher JEFFERSON	12		Scotland

In March 1892 the following report appeared in the Liverpool Mercury:

No trace of a Christopher Jefferson could be found in Liverpool in the 1891 census. However a Charles Jefferson matching his description was found in that and the two previous censuses:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ 32 Oriel Rd, Kirkdale, Lancashire					1891 – RG12 2967 f31
Charles JEFFERSON	Lodger	widr	65	Dock Labourer	Scotland
@ 37 Elias St, Everton, Lancashire					1881 – RG11 3660 f87
Frederick MONKCASTER	Head	Mar	40	Dock Porter	Liverpool
Sarah MONKCASTER	Wife	Mar	32		Ireland
Anne MONKCASTER	Daughter	Unm	12	Scholar	Liverpool
Ferdinand MONKCASTER	Son	Unm	5	Scholar	Liverpool
Sarah Jane MUNCASTER	Daur	Unm	12 m		Liverpool
Charles JEFFERSON	Lodger	Unm	52	Dock Porter	Liverpool
William HENON	Lodger	Mar	56	Dock Porter	Liverpool
Ellen HENON	Lodger	Mar	56		Liverpool
Albert HENON	Lodger	Unm	15	Printer	Liverpool
@ 16 Drinkwater's Gardens, Liverpool, Lancashire					1871 – RG10 3791 f153
Charles JEFFERSON	Head	Mar	43	Dock Labourer	Scotland
Ellen JEFFERSON	Wife	Mar	30	Laundress	Lancashire, Liverpool

No marriage has been found for a Charles Jefferson to an Ellen, which is easily explained if Charles were really Christopher, who was of course already married. Christopher's landlord in 1892 may well have been a relative of the Muncaster family with whom Charles was lodging in 1881.

If Charles and Christopher were the same person (as seems highly likely), then it means that both Christopher and Harriet were in Liverpool in 1871. This raises some intriguing possibilities: had there been an attempted reconciliation? If so, then it must have failed fairly quickly! More likely perhaps is some financial motive: maybe one of them wanted financial support from the other? Or it may be pure coincidence, and they may not even have been aware of each other's presence in the same city.

William Alexander Jefferson

For a long time and despite extensive searching under both Gough and Jefferson (including various possible mis-transcriptions), I was unable to find any trace after 1881 of Arthur Jefferson's brother William Alexander. Since he was not mentioned in Alexander Gough's will, I began to suspect that he had either emigrated or died (or both).

Then in August 2008, I was contacted by one of his descendants and discovered why he was proving so elusive: apparently he had adopted the name Loveday in 1890.³

He had married the previous Christmas at Bishop Auckland, where Arthur had recently become the manager of the local theatre:

In 1890 he gave evidence on his brother's behalf in a legal dispute about a cancelled play, and in the spring of 1891 he was still in Bishop Auckland:

Later that year his wife gave birth to a son, who was given the extraordinary name of Alexander Foster Gough LOVEDAY. Prior to the birth, William Alexander had branched out on his own and taken up a position at the Prince of Wales Theatre in Grimsby. He remained there for most of the 1890s, but shortly before the 1901 census left the entertainment business and returned to Manchester (perhaps theatre work didn't pay well enough to support a wife and two children?):

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
33 Langshaw St, Stretford, Lancashire					1901 - RG13 3666 f23
William Jefferson-Loveday	Head	M	34	Typewriter – Manager	Warwickshire Birmingham
Emmiline Loveday	Wife	M	34		Lancs Manchester
Alexander F Loveday	Son	S	9		Lincolnshire Grimsby
Dorothy Loveday	Dau	S	2		Lincolnshire Grimsby

By 1915, when his son married, William Alexander had become a sales manager. He died at Romford, Essex on November 7th 1935, the death being registered by his son in law (R.W. Ayliffe), under the name William Alexander Jefferson, otherwise William Alexander Jefferson Loveday.³

Harriet's other children and grandchildren

In the 1861 census, Harriet's fourth daughter, Mary Ann Foster Gough, was found in Erdington (now part of Birmingham), being nursed by a working woman:

Name	Relationship	Mar	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
@ Sheep St, Erdington, Aston, Warwickshire					1861 – RG9 2186 f11
Harriet Hughes	Head	W	44	Sempstress (formerly domestic Servt)	Erdington, Warwickshire
Arthur Barnfield	Son	u	26	Bricklayer's Labourer	Erdington, Warwickshire
Edward Hughes	Son		8	Scholar	Erdington, Warwickshire
Daniel Hughes	Son		6	Scholar	Erdington, Warwickshire
Rose Hannah Hughes	Daur		4	Scholar	Erdington, Warwickshire
Mary Ann Gough	Nurse Child		5 Mo		Handsworth, Staffordshire
James Wells	Lodger	Widr	60	Agricultural Labourer	Erdington, Warwickshire
Joseph Ganer	Lodger	u	38	Agricultural Labourer	Bedworth, Warwickshire

In those days, when hygiene standards were not yet sufficient to make it safe to feed babies on cows' milk, it was quite common for wealthier women, who were unable or unwilling to breastfeed their children, to place them with a wet-nurse: a poor woman who had lost her own baby and so was able to sell her breast-milk. Nothing further is known of Mary Ann after 1861 (it is quite possible that she died in infancy), nor of Harriet's 2^nd daughter Emily.

Clara's son, William Jefferson Riley, of 51 Fairlawn St, Moss Side, died aged 30 and was buried on 21^st January 1904 in Southern Cemetery, Manchester.² His occupation was recorded as Hawker. It is not currently known when or where Clara herself died.

Arthur Jefferson and his first wife Madge Metcalfe (who died in 1908) had five children:

1. George Gordon - born 1885 in Ulverston, married 1907 in Stockport to Lilius Colvin White, and died November 1938 in a Salvation Army hostel in Manchester, his occupation being canvasser (i.e. beggar?).² He was buried in the same grave as his cousin William Jefferson Riley, the grave plot being paid for by his father Arthur.² He left a daughter,

   1. Eileen Jean Huntley, born 1907, who died unmarried in 1951.²

2. Arthur Stanley - born 16^th June 1890 in Ulverston, became famous as Stan Laurel, died 1965 leaving a daughter,

   1. Lois Laurel-Hawes of Los Angeles.

3. Beatrice Olga - born December 1894 at South View, Bishop Auckland¹, married firstly 1921 in Tynemouth district to Frank (or William) Woods. She later remarried, her second husband being a musician named William Henry Healey. She died 20^th March 1976 at 57 Hartington street, Sunderland,⁴ leaving two children,

   1. Huntley Jefferson Woods, born 1922, living in Blyth, Northumberland

   2. a daughter (now deceased)²

4. Sydney Everitt - died in infancy in 1899 in North Shields.

5. Edward Everitt - born 1^st April 1901 in North Shields, emigrated to the USA in 1920 where he married Betty. He died 1933 in Los Angeles when he didn’t come round from a dentist's anaesthetic, and left two step-sons.²

Arthur's second marriage was in November 1912 to a widow, Venetia Matilda Robinson (née Parry)¹, who died in 1941, and Arthur himself died in Lincolnshire in 1949.

¹ Stella Colwell: Teach yourself - Tracing your Family History (2003 edition)

² Information from Ged Parker of Washington, Tyne & Wear.

³ Information from Margaret Hanks of Morwenstow, Cornwall.

⁴ National Probate Calendar

© Andrew Gough 2008 – Back to GOUGH PEDIGREES