Royal Naval Biography/Gooch, George Thomas
GEORGE THOMAS GOOCH, Esq.
[Commander.]
Third son of the late Venerable Archdeacon Cooch (brother to the late Sir Thomas Gcoch, Hart.), by Barbara, daughter of Ralph Sneyd, Esq., of Keele Hall, co. Stafford, and grand-daughter of Sir Walter Bagot, Bart., father of the first Lord Bagot.
This officer was born at Saxlingham rectory, co. Norfolk, Jan. 27th, 1797; and entered the royal navy in June 1810, as midshipman on board the Amelia frigate. Captain the Hon. Frederick P. Irby, under whom he served until that ship was paid off in April 1813. During this period he saw much active service on the Channel and African stations, and was wounded in the sanguinary action between the Amelia and l’Arethuse French frigate, an account of which is given in Vol. II. Part I. p. 492, et seq. He afterwards successively joined the Rippon 74, Captain Sir Christopher Cole, employed off Rochefort[1]; the Maeander 38, Captain John Bastard; and Conqueror 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Plampin, at St. Helena, where he was promoted into the Racoon 26, Captain James Wallis, July 14th, 1818. His subsequent appointments were, Nov. 12th, 1819, to the Vigo 74, Captain Thomas Brown, fitting out for the flag of Rear-Admiral Lambert, in which ship he returned to the above island, and continued upwards of two years; and, in April 1823, to be flag-lieutenant to Sir Charles Hamilton, governor and commander-in-chief of Newfoundland. He obtained his present rank on the 8th July, 1824.
Two of Commander Gooch’s brothers, John Lewis and Frederick, are in holy orders – the former is rector of Benigar, co. Somerset; and the latter, fellow of All Souls, Oxford. He has another brother, Henry Edward, who was at the battle of Waterloo, and is now a captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Coldstream Guards.