Major Sir Nicholas Gosselin (12 February 1839 – 4 February 1917) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

military officer and intelligence agent.

Life

Gosselin was born in Plymouth, Devon, the second son of Major Nicholas Gosselin of County Cavan, Ireland. He entered the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

at the age of 16, serving in the

39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot The 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot to form the Dorsetshire Regiment in 1881. History Earl ...

and the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

before becoming the adjutant of the Cavan Militia.Obituary: p. 159, ''The Annual Register: a review of public events at home and abroad, for the year 1917''. London: Longmans, Green and Co. 1918. He was appointed a resident magistrate in the West of Ireland 1882. In May 1883, he was seconded to the Home Office and given control of the newly formed

Special Irish Branch Special Branch was a unit in the Metropolitan Police in London, formed as a counter-terrorism unit in 1883 and merged with another unit to form Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) in 2006. It maintained contact with the Security Service and had re ...

, with the initial remit of gathering intelligence on

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...

organisations operating in Glasgow and northern England. He remained nominally a magistrate during his time at the Home Office – described officially as "employment on special duty" – but did not carry out any of the associated duties nor was he paid for the post. He retired in 1904 and died in West Mailing, Kent, aged 77.

Family

He married Catherine Paull (1833-1924) daughter of Rev James Paull minister of

Tullynessle Tullynessle is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, three miles NNW of Alford. The settlement contains the Category A listed Terpersie Castle, a privately owned 16th-century tower house. It formerly contained Tullynessle Tower, now gone, which ...

and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1846.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gosselin, Nicholas 1839 births 1917 deaths British intelligence operatives People from County Cavan British Militia officers 39th Regiment of Foot officers Royal Welch Fusiliers officers