Nat Gould

Margaret Peake 1783-1844

Margaret Peake was born at Lammascote, Stafford in 1783, the daughter of William Peake 1752-1788 and his wife Mary Mackerness 1750-1822. She was baptised on 11 June 1783 in St. Mary's church, Stafford.

On 27 October 1814 she was married there to Edmund Gould 1782-1833 of Pilsbury Grange in Hartington parish in Derbyshire. He became the tenant of Pilsbury Grange in 1820 upon the death of his father Richard Gould 1741-1820. He died at Pilsbury Grange in on 27 December 1833 aged 51 years, and was buried at Hartington on 3 January 1834.

They had the following children, all baptised (other than the first born son) at Hartington:

Edmund Gould 1815-1815. He was born in 1815 and baptised at nearby Alsager in Cheshire on 8 August 1815. He died later in the same year and was buried there on 31 August 1815.

Catherine Gould 1816-1819. She was born in 1816, and was baptised on 25 August 1816. She died on 16 January 1819 aged only two years and four months, and was buried at Hartington, where there is a gravestone inscribed to her memory and that of her parents and brother Edmund Gould.

Edmund Gould 1817-1859. He was born on 5 November 1817, and baptised on 10 November 1817. He was unmarried. Edmund Gould died on 23 August 1859 aged 40 years, and was buried at Hartington on 27 August 1859, where there is a gravestone inscribed to his memory and that of his parents and sister Catherine Gould.

William Gould 1819-1876. He was born on 29 June 1819, and baptised on 5 July 1819. On 3 October 1850 he married Harriett Grace, the daughter of Charles Grace and his wife nee Rebecca Thomas. They emigrated to Australia in 1850.

Gilbert Gould 1821-1891. He was born on 5 March 1821, and baptised on 11 May 1821. He succeeded to the tenancy of Pilsbury Grange upon the death of his brother Edmund Gould 1817-1859. On 20 August 1862 he married Ellen Wright 1834-1904, the daughter of William Wright 1796-1882 and his wife nee Elizabeth Gould 1802-1843. Nat Gould was farming with him at Pilsbury Grange a few years later.

Richard Goodwin Gould 1822-1892. He was born on 2 May 1822, and baptised on 20 May 1822. He married Martha Wooddisse 1847-1922, the daughter of John Wooddisse and his wife nee Susannah Hall.

Nathaniel Gould 1824-1874. He was born on 13 April 1824, and baptised on 5 May 1824. On 11 May 1852 he married Mary Wright 1827-1897, daughter of William Wright 1796-1882 of Bradbourne and his wife nee Elizabeth Gould 1802-1843. Their son was Nat Gould.

Mary Gould 1826-1873. She was born on 1 February 1826, and baptised on 6 February 1826. She was unmarried, and died on 9 June 1873 at Forebridge in Stafford.

Elizabeth Ann Gould 1827-1868. She was born on 15 October 1827, and baptised on 12 December 1827. She was married on 5 March 1855 by licence at Earl Sterndale to Ralph Dain 1822-1863. She died in 1868 aged only 40 years, and was buried at Biggin on 8 May 1868.

After the death of her husband, Margaret Gould took over at Pilsbury Grange, and continued farming there, with her son Gilbert Gould, for the rest of her life.

Signature 1834 (2)

Margaret Gould was a well educated lady, and familiar with London and other places far from Pilsbury Grange. Five letters that she wrote in 1843-1844 to her son Richard Goodwin Gould in London have survived (1).

Margaret Gould died at Pilsbury Grange on 8 November 1844 aged 61 years, and was buried at Hartington on 15 November 1844.

Her Will is dated 5 November 1840.

(1) The letters belong to Peter and Eileen Bentley, and were discovered by them in 2009, untouched for a century, in an old bureau formerly belonging to Richard Goodwin Gould of Longnor in Staffordshire, the great-grandfather of Eileen Bentley (nee Gould). They were carefully scanned by Peter Bentley, and the scans have been transcribed by Tom Askey.
(2) The signature is from her Oath dated 1 July 1834 as to the intestacy of her late husband and the value of his estate.