H Gough signature illustrated

[John Havard]

Well, I just spent some quality time poring through my TPS and found the answer to at least one question: H. Gough did indeed sign at least some of his work in places other than under the trigger guard. While the appendix to the TPS lists all of the locations in the text where the name "Gough" appears it does not capture the places the name "Gough" appears in photo descriptions. In Chapter XV (as I recall - the one about show/special guns) there are several photos of fine guns engraved by H. Gough with at least one of them identified with a signature near one of the engraved animals (on the floor plate).

Also, according to the TPS, H. Gough started at Parker in 1887, so my understanding is that anything prior to that date is when he still lived in England and would not have been done by him. TPS suggests that the time period of approximately 1887 through around 1905 yielded a bunch of "show" guns and it would be reasonable to assume that the master-engraver's hand was used to make them.

[Twice Shooter]

Hi John, Thanks for your post. You aroused my curosity so I looked in the Parker Story and on page 478 it says Harry Gough was listed as a Parker engraver in the Meriden Directory 1883-1887. It also says Henry gough was a contract engraver for Parker Brothers from 1888 through 1898. My thought is, if they printed a directory every year, how long was he there before the 1883 printing? I could not find any reference as to when Charles A. King made the trip to England. Perhaps one of our readers has information on that trip. I think we have more questions than answers. Cheers, Tom

[John Havard]

Hi Tom,

I saw that too but on page 480 it indicates that H. Gough was the key man from 1897 on. Also, doesn't TPS also mention the fact that Gough was recruited out of England to replace Avery in 1897? There definitely seems to be some lack of clarity behind whose hands held the engraving tools.

[Bruce Day]

It would be rational to assume that the head engraver did the key scenes on all the high grade guns and left the lower grades and routine scroll to journeymen engravers. However, I've never seen anything that confirms that with Parkers.

[edgarspencer]

Gough began working inside at Winchester is 1875. In 1908, Gough was given Ulrich designs, as directed by Winchester Bennett, VP, to incorporate in guns being made for Teddy Roosevelt. There's a lot of info on Gough in Maddis' Winchester books. He traveled back and forth between New Haven and Meriden, but was only a contract engraver for both companies. It seems he spent most of his time in New Haven.

[Twice Shooter]

Mr. Edgar Sir, Which Winchester book discusses Gough? Thanks, Tom

[edgarspencer]

The Winchester Book. Yes, That's the name of the book. By George Madis. It's The Parker Story of Winchesters, and perhaps one of the best. Look at about page 575.

[Dean Romig]

Excellent information here.







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[Jim Thynne]

I have seen that signature on several AA grade guns. The most interesting was under the trigger guard ans was engraved..................................
.........Designed and Engraved by H Gough............... This gun was a ealy AA grade with Whitworth barrels. t is difficult to see the engraving without removal of he trigger guard, however this is the only place I have seen a signature.
Hope I see some of you at the Las Vegas Antique Show January 25-27

[Dean Romig]

I received this valuable information in an email last night.

"This is from…..http://www.meridenfirearms.com/people.html

william h. gough
William Gough was an engraver for the Aubrey and Meriden shotguns. Gough also engraved for Parker, Remington, Colt and AH Fox.

His father, Harold, was a Birmingham Gun trade engraver that came to the US and worked for Parker Bros in Meriden.

William Gough apprenticed under his father at Parker Bros. About 1912, he went to the A.H. Fox Gun Co. and was head of their engraving department. He designed the bolder engraving styles Fox went to in the 1913-14 time frame. Even though he was head of the Fox engraving department, most ot the work he did was commission work from others (Winchester, Colt, Marlin, etc.) and a few high-grade Fox guns. Once the gun company part of their business was sold to Savage, and the production of the Ansley H. Fox gun was moved to Utica, NY, this outside commission work didn't sit well with the Savage executives and Gough opened his own engraving shop in Utica, and continued engraving into the 1950s. From the Utica newspaper dated August 24th 1954, William Gough "...took commissions in special engraving jobs from many parts of the country...he worked on engravings for Aubrey Guns, then manufactured by Sears Roebuck Co.; for guns turned out by Norwich Arms Corp., and Hollenbeck guns manufactured in Virgina."

Alfred Gough, the son of William, also engraved guns for Parker Bros. in the 20's and 30's."

Though this provides scant new information on H. Gough it does give a bit of Gough family history.

We are still looking for more information on H. Gough, "Harry" Gough, or Henry Gough as pertains to the "H. Gough" signature.





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