Sir Matthew Gough (died 5 July 1450) was a Welsh

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

that served in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

Biography

Gough was a son of Owen Gough and Hawys Hanmer. He is known to have taken part in the battles of Cravant (1423) and Verneuil (1424). He was subsequently in command of various towns and fortresses, including Laval, Saint Denis,

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

Bellême Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême, as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810-1877), owner of ''Le'' ''Bon Marché'', the world's first depa ...

, and

Bayeux Bayeux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts ...

. In 1432 he was taken prisoner at Saint Denis. Matthew as Captain of Bayeux, reinforced an English army in Normandy, under the command of Thomas Kyriell in 1450. A French army under the command of

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, together with a force of Breton cavalry, under

Arthur de Richemont Arthur III ( br, Arzhur), more commonly known as Arthur de Richemont (24 August 139326 December 1458), was briefly Duke of Brittany from 1457 until his death. He is noted primarily, however, for his role as a leading military commander during ...

, defeated the English army at the

Battle of Formigny The Battle of Formigny, fought on 15 April 1450, was a major battle of the Hundred Years' War between the kingdom of England and the kingdom of France. The destruction of England's last army in Normandy in the battle and the decisive French vi ...

, with the remnants of Gough's force able to flee the battlefield. Returning to England, Gough was placed in joint command of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

. Whilst defending the city against Jack Cade's rebels, he was killed upon

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on 5 July 1450. He was buried in the choir of St. Mary's of the Carmelite Friars in London.

Marriage and issue

He married Margaret, daughter of Rhys Moythe and Margaret Harley, they are known to have had the following known issue: * Geoffrey Gough * Mathew Gough * David Gough * Margaret Gough

Citations

References

*Evans, H. T., (1959). GOUGH (GOCH), MATHEW (MATHAU) (c. 1390 - died 1450), soldier. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gough, Matthew Year of birth unknown 1450 deaths 15th-century Welsh military personnel Welsh knights