William Gordon

c 1743

GOR00016

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William had by his wife thirteen children, nine of whom died in infancy, as his tombstone attests. The four who reached maturity were John, William, Margaret and Alexander. The last, the youngest and consequently a spoiled child the marks of which stuck to him while he breathed. John and William went to sea and for some time commanded West India vessels.

The former, like his father, had a numerous family but like his too they all died in infancy except two daughters whom I have seen.

William had only a son and he died in infancy. William left a considerable sum of money, the funded portion of which his brimstone wife had managed to get transferred into her own name; and she further managed to get the remainder divided among her own relations and family. Her husband an easy-going sailor died after several shocks of palsy, which naturally weakens the mind. But his wife who had really kept together the money always had a great influence over him and took care to have him at loggerheads with his brothers. She nearly made a quarrel between him and me but I became rather a favourite with the old man who vastly applauded my entering the Navy, and wearing the blue jacket. I had been absent a couple of years when he died and my name was not so much as mentioned in his will which, I own, did not greatly surprise me, as I was aware of the greedy selfish brought to bear upon his mind. One legacy did nettle me – it was to a man who had married a second or third cousin of his wife’s and so little did he know of him that his Christian name was left blank in the will. Absurd and irrational as this distribution of his property was, it could not be set aside from the known feuds between the brothers.

(“The Gordon Victorian Narrative, c 1850”)

1743

The Geneanet interpretation suggests that William Gordon was baptised in Newcastle upon Tyne on 10 April 1743. This might be him and in any event we could assume he was born in about 1743.

We know he went to sea and commanded vessels in the Caribbean.

William had only a son and he died in infancy. William left a considerable sum of money, the funded portion of which his brimstone wife had managed to get transferred into her own name; and she further managed to get the remainder divided among her own relations and family.

It is possible he married Mary Lisle in 1770 in Newcastle upon Tyne. If so, she was the ‘brimstone wife’.