Dying on board ship abroad (18th century)
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 12:10 pm
William Gough was Captain of the Penzance (44) from 31st August 1758. He died on board her at Quebec on 2nd July 1760. This information comes from the Ynyscedwyn estate papers at the West Glamorgan Archive Service.
I have not been able to determine whether William Gough was buried at sea, or at a cemetery on land, since the British were by July 1760 firmly in the possession of Quebec City. The British casualties from the Battle of Sainte Foy, in April 1760, and those from the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the previous year, must surely have been buried somewhere. It is possible that a naval captain dying in July 1760 might have also been buried with them?
I note that there is no "Discharged dead" for him, and there seems to have been a period where the Penzance is not listed with a captain or commanding officer after his death.
I have not been able to determine whether William Gough was buried at sea, or at a cemetery on land, since the British were by July 1760 firmly in the possession of Quebec City. The British casualties from the Battle of Sainte Foy, in April 1760, and those from the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the previous year, must surely have been buried somewhere. It is possible that a naval captain dying in July 1760 might have also been buried with them?
I note that there is no "Discharged dead" for him, and there seems to have been a period where the Penzance is not listed with a captain or commanding officer after his death.