John Wildgos, architect and builder born in 1613, re-built Salters Hall in Fore Street, London which had been destroyed during the Great Fire in 1666.

Fred Wildgoose enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters on 18^th. January 1815. He was discharged from the British Army on 27^th. April 1915 as being “not likely to be an efficient soldier.”

In 1921 Isaiah Willgoose patented improvements relating to means for casting hollow concrete walls with the aid of movably suspended cradles.

Charles William Willgoss was a fisherman, drowned in the smack Ivanhoe, which was run down by the SS Tanfield

of London on 14^th January 1907. He is buried in Lowestoft Cemetery and lived in the one of the narrow “scores” in

that town.

Young George Wildgoose was sent to Canada in 1895 on the British Home Children Scheme. 

He was one of the fortunate ones as he appeared to have a good new home with John Bell of Oakburn who

described him as “a good lad, conducts himself well.” Not all of the children sent overseas fared so well.

On the wall of the church of St. Philip and St. Jacob in Bristol there is a memorial to Juliet Wildgoose which reads:

“Her chief delight was doing good.”

On 19^th July 1645 Thomas Wildgoose was admitted as a White Baker in the city of Oxford by the Vice-Chancellor

of the University (who then controlled the white bakers).

A Mr. Wildgoose was a churchwarden at St. Martin’s in Oxford in 1674.

William Petrie, the husband of Lily Ann Wildgoose, won the football pools and in 1963 he became the Mayor of Salford, Lancashire.

Able-bodied Seaman Richard Wildgoose fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

On 5^th. September 1862 it was reported in The Scotsman that Thomas Wildgoose died under a fall of soil whilst

engaged in digging the foundations of a new mansion for the Duke of St. Albans at Bestwood Park near

Nottingham. His companion, Charles Kirk, died instantly and Thomas lived for about an hour after the accident.

Our longest-living ancestor is Janet Wildgoose who was born in 1893 and died in 1995 aged 102…..unless you

know differently, of course!

Mary Wildgoose née Dytor was a nursery nurse and “housekeeper” at the infamous Borley Rectory, the

so-called “Most Haunted House in Britain”.  Accounts of the “hauntings” may be found on several websites.

Robert Wildgoose was one of the surgeons who in 1830 conducted the post mortum on one of the deceased

patients of John St. John Long, who was known as “The Harley Street Quack”.  A former army surgeon, Robert also performed an amputation on an attempted murder victim – who subsequently died.

Please click on the link to read the full gruesome story: The Murder of Mr. John Clarke

Thomas Wildgoose together with his colleague, David Ramsey, was an inventor. On 17^th. January 1618 he patented an invention “to make boats for the carriage of burthens and passengers run upon the water as swift in calms and more safe in storms than boats full sailed in great winds” and in 1619 he invented a ploughing machine – took out a patent for a horseless carriage - the first motorcar! What a pity he didn’t manage to build one....

Mike Spencer has provided us with the following extract from the school log at Sheldon, Derbyshire:

14 Apr 1893 Beatrice Wildgoose unable to attend School because of Neuralgia

5 May 1893 Beatrice Wildgoose unable to attend again

26 May 1893 Beatrice Wildgoose better, but still unable to attend

9 Jun 1893 a triumphant teacher wrote “Beatrice Wildgoose attended School all week”

It’s worth noting that Beatrice grew up to become a school teacher.

Thanks to Roger Coates for the following gem:

“My Great Grandad Alfred Wildgoose was born in 1860 and 22 years later he married Esther Ann Elliott, the daughter of John Elliott, a hatter, and Emily Hopwood. Alfred’s mother, Rhoda Kay, died in 1891 at the age of 56, while Esther Ann’s father, John Elliott, died the previous year, aged 50. In 1893 Alfred’s father, Richard Wildgoose, then married Esther’s Ann’s mother, Emily. In a complicated set-up, Alfred had a new step-mother who was also his mother-in-law and he was now married to his step-sister! Adding to the complication, Alfred’s sister, Elizabeth Wildgoose was married to Joseph Elliott, Esther Ann’s brother.”

Joseph Wildgoose arrived at Auckland, New Zealand from England on 19^th.May 1859. His voyage on board the Caduceus Cass took ninety five days from Falmouth, Cornwall to reach Auckland.

Thomas Wildegose and Joan Wildegose

The following is the inscription on a large stone tomb at All Saints’church, Biddenden, Kent:

“Monumentum hoc Marmoreau ex praescripto testamenti statuerunt Executores Gualterus Mayne senior,  frater, Gaulterus Mayne junior, Filius eiusden Joannis Mayne el Joaness  Wildegose, sororis filius cuius pater Thomas Wildegose, sororis filius cuius pater Thomas Wildegose hic pone pauluim a saena iacet Qui obiit 1 die Septembris A Dm 1542”

Thomas Wildgoose died at Peak Forest Railway Station. In 1851 he was a farmer’s servant  but by 1871 he was an engine driver,  living at Wormhill, Derbyshire.

Lizzie Wildgoose was the May Queen at Knutsford, Cheshire on Royal May Day in 1878. She was ten years old. Her brother William Wildgoose aged fourteen, was the Crown Holder for Emily Copeland, the May Queen in 1883. Lizzie later married a John Mackarel. Who says fish and fowl don’t mix?

Davis Mark Wildgoose served on Matlock Urban District Council, retiring in 1918 at the age of sixty. He lived at Greenfield Edge Road, Matlock.

Sir William Hervey, married to Cordelia Annesley, was Sir John Wilgoose‘s brother-in-law. He served under Sir Walter Ralegh at Cadiz and later on the Islands Voyage when he stormed Fayal with Ralegh, who only took with him a group of his officers who were, in his own words, 'men assured'. 

The book, Looking back at Knutsford,  tells us that brothers George and Frank Wildgoose had a shop next to the Rose and Crown in King St in 1899. They advertised themselves  as general Drapers, Ladies and Gents Outfitters, Household linens, Bedsteads,& bedding, Tailoring, Liveries supplied, Funerals Furnished, Agents for Pullars & sons Dyers of Perth.

Kay’s theory

As it is my belief that our ancestors originated from a Germanic tribe of Vandals, I was intrigued to read the following in a book Voices of the North:

“The Visigoths drove through France and occupied the Iberian peninsula. Their predatory relatives, the Vandals, carried their infamous work into North Africa from the Gibraltar  Strait to Carthage. So far as the survival of the Gothic dialects was concerned……all that is left are a few loanwords in Spanish and the name of the province of Andalusia (Vandalusia) …….The Goths, Vandals and Burgundians had passed through European history like wild geese, and the simile is not inapt; one of the words they left behind in Spanish was ganso “goose” (German Gans).”

Maybe it’s not such a daft theory after all…..

p.s. The Swedish and Norwegian word for wild goose is….Wilgas.

p.p.s. I am pleased to report that I’m not the only Goose who has come to this conclusion. In an address given in 1896 in America Horace Lafayette Wilgus agrees with me!

Private Frederick William B. Wildgoose received a Testimonial on Vellum from The Royal Humane Society for the

following action:

“On the 9^th March 1909, Private W.Green, Royal Sussex Regiment, in trying to cross the Sohan River

at Rawal Pindi, got into deep water and sank, the place being very dangerous. Catterson-Smith and

Private F.Wildgoose went in and dived several times, but failed to find him.”

Second Lieutenant T.M.O. Catterson-Smith received the Society’s bronze medal.

Wildgoose Places

There is a Wildgoose Drive in Newmachar, Aberdeenshire where many of our ancestors were born

and a Wildgoose Drive in Horsham, Sussex.

There is a Wildgoose Lane in Wallgate, Wigan, Lancashire, probably named after our ancestors.

There is a Wildgoose Lake in Canada.

There was a Wildgoose Lead Ore Colliery in County Durham.

There is a Wildgoose Quarry in the Peak District.

A dreadful murder took place at Wildgoose Lodge in Ireland in 1816.

There is a Willgoose Road in Merritt, British Columbia, Canada.

There is a Wild Goose Creek waterway in Pickens County, Alabama, U.S.A.

There is a Wildgoose House in Turners Hill in Sussex. Perhaps it is named after our Sir John.

There was a Wild Goose Brewery in Maryland – F. Scott Fitzgerald sampled their beer and wrote about it.

There is a Wildgoose Street in Garden Grove, California.

Ralph Wildgoose was deaf and dumb. He was an apprentice tailor who lodged with his master’s family

at Litchurch in Derbyshire.

From the Hapton, Norfolk Parish Register:

“Henery son of WILDGOOSE Wanderer & To & fro his wife being so laide under the window of Widdow Barber living on the gravel pit house the 19 day of Feb: in the midnight in bitter cold was put out to be Kept by the towan & was baptized the 12 Day of March following. (1697)”

I am very grateful to Jenifer Edmonds of The Family History Shop for permission to use this article.

Grace Annesley, the wife of Sir John Wildgoose and daughter of Sir Bryan Annesley, was Handmaiden

to Queen Elizabeth 1. To read the scandal concerning her, turn to The King Lear Connection page.

Sir Henry Lennard, 12^th. Baron Dacre, accompanied the Earl of Essex on his Spanish campaign and was knighted at Cadiz in 1596. He was the father-in-law of  Sir Annesley Wildegoose.

John Wildgoose, born in 1871 in Scotland, was a stone cutter who emigrated to America. He embarked at Liverpool on the City of Chester, booking a second-class ticket and with just one piece of luggage. He arrived at Ellis Island on 10^th. December 1892 to begin his new life.

John Wildgoose took part in the Massachusetts Application of Freemen on 22 July 1674 taking the Oath of Fidelity.

William Wildgoose, a stationer in Oxford, bound the first folio of William Shakespeare’s plays in 1623

We’ve all heard of Wee Willie Winkie, I’m sure, but did you know that Wee Willie Wildgoose is buried in Oyne Cemetery, Aberdeenshire, Scotland?

Thomas Wildgoose (labourer 4th. class) was one of the Volunteers enrolled at Hope in Derbyshire on the threatened invasion by Napoleon in 1803.

Just for interest’s sake:

In 1688, the deposed King James II fled from Britain to France with a group of loyal followers, many of whom were Irish Catholics. They eventually became known as  the "Wild Geese," a famous corps of Irish soldiers in the service of France.  

On 30th.October 1655 Thomas Paxford, the son of  Richard Paxford, grazier of Battesford, Gloucestershire, became apprenticed to Thomas Widegos at Carpenters’Hall, London.

21st. December 1901 Thomas Wildgoose took 3rd prize at the Colliers Arms Camellia show at Hurst, Ashton-under-Lyne. Thomas later emigrated to America where, no doubt, he cultivated even more exotic blooms.

In Southport in 1888 Miss Willgoose was a bridesmaid “wearing a pretty costume of cream colour.”