John Gough

John Gough (17 January 1757 – 28 July 1825) was a blind English natural and experimental philosopher who is known for his own investigations as well as the influence he had on both John Dalton and William Whewell. John Gough was born in Kendal, Westmorland, on 17 January, 1757, the eldest child of Nathan Gough (d. 1800) and his wife, Susannah (1731 – 1798). Gough's father was a wool dyer and shearman dyer, while his mother was the eldest daughter... more

John Gough (17 January 1757 – 28 July 1825) was a blind English natural and experimental philosopher who is known for his own investigations as well as the influence he had on both John Dalton and William Whewell. John Gough was born in Kendal, Westmorland, on 17 January, 1757, the eldest child of Nathan Gough (d. 1800) and his wife, Susannah (1731 – 1798). Gough's father was a wool dyer and shearman dyer, while his mother was the eldest daughter of John Wilson, a prosperous farmer with an estate on the west bank of Lake Windermere. Nathan and Susannah Gough had three sons and four daughters, one of whom died in infancy. The family belonged to the Society of Friends, whose communities flourished in Cumberland and Westmorland during this period. Before he was three years old, Gough was attacked by smallpox and lost his sight. In his childhood he expended much effort in developing his sense of touch and hearing, and appears to have been especially eager to learn to recognize animals by... less