Nat Gould

Pilsbury Grange Letter 14

Letter 14 of the Letters from Pilsbury Grange is dated 1 September 1847, and was written by William Gould to his brother Richard Goodwin Gould.

[[The letter is dated 1 September 1847, and bears an imperforate penny red adhesive postage stamp. It was posted in Birmingham on that day, and backstamped on arrival in London on 2 September 1847. The letter is addressed to:-]

Mr Gould
Morgan & Co.
20 St Pauls Church Yard
London

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Birmingham Sep 1/47

Dear Dick

I am sorry to say I am in rather low funds myself just now at least that I can get at I have enclosed you an order for 40/- which is as much as I can conveniantly spare just now it will do for you to be going on with at any rate. I wish I could accommodate you with a little more. I was only at home a few days I did not go out any where except to Hartington on[e] afternoon there was no horse to ride the mare being lame Gil bought another the day before I left a very nice thing it is too he drove me with it to Ashborne on my way back we diner’d with Frank I like his wife very much I did not hear of a farm but I and Gil caled on Mr Wise he being a very

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likely man to hear of something he as promised to do the best he can for me if I succeed in getting one I shall want the use of Mrs Greens money for a time Gil as promised me There share and if you and Nat don’t particularly want for it I should like to have the use of that as well I believe it is to be paid over in November. I am glad to hear you are going on to mill? at some New Situation. Bob Watts is gone to live at 40 Newgate St I don’t know what sort of a concern it is just drop me a line when you receive the order that I know it as beene kept? to ?
I remain Your affc brother
William
tell Nat I will write to him some day

This letter tells us that Richard Goodwin Gould had left his situation at Messrs Cooper and Batchelor in New Bond Street, and was working in the City of London at 20 St Paul’s Churchyard. His brother Nathaniel Gould was working close by in the tea trade at No 1 in the same street. Both brothers moved to Manchester in the following year to start up in business on their own account as Nathaniel Gould and His Brother, Tea Men from London.

So something more is now known about the career of Richard Goodwin Gould. We know that he served in the Life Guards. From Letter 3 we know that he went to work for Messrs Cooper and Batchelor at 113 New Bond Street in London in 1842. He remained there until moving to St Paul’s Churchyard in 1847. So there was no window of time for his military service in the 1840s because he went to Manchester with Nathaniel Gould in 1848 and remained there until 1858 when Nathaniel bought him out of their joint business. By then Richard Goodwin Gould was 36, too old for the Life Guards. So he must have joined the Life Guards before he took up his job in New Bond Street in 1842. And, assuming that he stayed in the army for a couple of years, he must have joined in around 1840 when he was 18 years old.

Evidently it was customary for Richard Goodwin Gould (as it was for William Gould and Nathaniel Gould) to take their summer holidays back home at Pilsbury Grange. All three longed for the countryside, and must have felt exiled in Birmingham, London and Manchester. Clearly the three brothers were close friends. How great the heartbreak must have been when William gave up hope of a farm in England and emigrated to Australia in 1850.
He would never see his brothers and sisters again.