William Gooch (astronomer)
William Gooch | |
---|---|
Born | William Gooch 3 April 1770 Waimea, Oahu, Hawaii |
Cause of death | Murder |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
Occupation | Astronomer |
William Gooch (3 April 1770 – 12 May 1792) was an English astronomer.
Biography
Early life
Gooch was born on 3 April 1770 to William and Sarah Gooch and baptised on 8 May 1770[1] at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Brockdish near Diss in Norfolk. William was schooled in nearby Harleston, Norfolk and later Stradbroke School in Suffolk.[2] His sister, Sarah, succumbed to smallpox at the age of 10 in 1777 and so, in "tender solicitude", his parents were protective over their son and would not let him "mix with other children, except in their presence".[3]
Gooch's father was barber and
Cambridge education
William Gooch was admitted as a
At Cambridge, Gooch formed a friendship with a Miss Sally Smithson, the daughter of a cook at St John's College, Cambridge, with whom he continued to correspond after setting sail to join the Vancouver Expedition. He affectionately referred to her as "little goody two-shoes".[6]
From student to astronomer
It had been presumed that Gooch would follow his academic career into the priesthood, but perhaps being aware of the need for an astronomer to join the Vancouver Expedition, before he had sat his final exams, his Cambridge associates Samuel Vince and John Brinkley, who had both attended the same school as Gooch at Harleston, suggested him to Nevil Maskelyne, the Astronomer Royal, who sat on the Board of Longitude.[7]
After some lobbying from his Cambridge supporters and friends,[8] Gooch travelled to London in April 1791, and Maskelyne began preparing him for the expedition. He also received advice on his forthcoming adventure from William Wales, who had served as astronomer to Cook.[9] In July 1791, Gooch was making his final preparations and boarding the Daedalus at Deptford.[10]
Gooch was appointed at a salary of £400 a year and issued with a suit of navigational and astronomical instruments.[11] He sailed on the storeship Daedelus in August 1791, aiming to meet George Vancouver at Nootka Sound.
Death and legacy
In Gooch's final letter to his parents, written on 2 May 1792, he speaks of his concerns over having used a false meridian and his hopes of being re-united with them in the autumn of 1794.
Gooch's story is recorded in his letters, many of which were to his parents, and journal which are housed as part of the Board of Longitude archive at Cambridge University Library.[13]
His biography, The Death of William Gooch: A History's Anthropology, was written in 1995 by Greg Dening and illustrates the dangers of cross-cultural encounters in the exploration era.[14]
Bibliography
- "Letters, memoranda and journal containing the history of Mr William Gooch". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- "Observations in the voyage of the Daedalus: Volume 1". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- "Observations in the voyage of the Daedalus: Volume 2". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- Bown, Stephen. (2008). Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 978-1553653394.
- Dening, Greg. (1995). The Death of William Gooch: A History's Anthropology. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. ISBN 0-8248-1754-0.
- Howse, Derek. (1989). Nevil Maskelyne: The Seaman's Astronomer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36261-X.
- Robin Fisher; Hugh Johnston, eds. (1993). From Maps to Metaphors: The Pacific World of George Vancouver. Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0470-X.
See also
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
- Vancouver Expedition
References
- ISBN 0-8248-1754-0.
- ^ Venn, John. "A Cambridge Alumni Database". Cambridge University Library. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ Nichols, C. "Letter from C. Nichols to Dawson Turner". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ISBN 0-8248-1754-0.
- ^ Venn, John. "A Cambridge Alumni Database". Cambridge University Library. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ Gooch, William. "Letter from William Gooch to his parents". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ISBN 0-8248-1754-0.
- ^ Gooch, William. "Letter from William Gooch to his parents". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Gooch, William. "Letter from William Gooch to his parents". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Gooch, William. "Letter from William Gooch to his father". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Maskelyne, Nevil. "List of instruments to be sent with the astronomer going to the North West coast of America, March 5, 1791". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ Gooch, William. "Final letter from William Gooch to his parents". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ "Board of Longitude Collection". Cambridge Digital Library. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ISBN 0810853957.