GOUGE!, RICHARD, an eminent English antiquary, son of Henry Cough, Esq., was born in Winchester-street, London, October 21, 1735. He became a fellow-commoner of Bene't College, Cambridge, in July 1752, but left the University in 1756, without taking a degree. He was elected F.SA, in 1767, and in 1771, upon the death of Dr. Gregory Sharpe, Master of the Temple, was chosen director of the society, an office which he held till 1797. He was elected F.R.S. in 1775. Mr. Cough's first publication of importance was his Anec dotes of British Topography,' 4to., Lond., 1768, reprinted and enlarged in 2 vole. 4to., 1780. In 1773 he formed the design of a new edition of Camden's 'Britannia,' which he had partly begun to translate before, and for the purpose of making additions to which he had for years made regular excursions through the different counties of England, Wales, and Scotland. His edition of the Britannia' was at length published in 1789, in three volumes folio ; reprinted in four volumes folio, 1806. In 1786 he published the first volume of the Sepulchral Monuments of Great Britain, applied to illustrate the History of Families, Manners, Habits, and Arts, at the different Periods from the Norman Conquest to the Sixteenth Century.' This splendid volume in folio, which contains the first four centuries, was followed in 1796 by a second, containing the fifteenth century ; and in 1799 by an Introduction to the second volume, with which he thought proper to conclude his labours, instead of continuing them to the sixteenth century, as he first intended.
Among his publications of a minor kind were 'An Account of the Bedford Missal," The History of Pleshy, in Essex,' 4to., 1803, and in
the same year, 6 An Account of the Coins of the Selencidte, Kings of Syria,' 4to.
Ho was also the improver and editor of Martin's 'History of Thetford,' 4to., 1780; published • new edition of Venue's Medals, Coins, and Great Seale,' by Simon; and in the same year contributed a preface and glossary to Mr. Nichols's collection of 'Royal and Noble Wills,' 4to. • Mr. Gough drew up, at the united request of the president. and fellows, the ' History of the Society of Antiquaries of London,' pre fixed to the first volume of their Archmologia,' in 1770; and to the eleven succeeding volumes of that work, as well as to the 'Vetusta Monuments,' he contributed numerous valuable memoirs. He was equally liberal to Mr. Nichols's Bibliotheca Topographies Britannica,' and to his 'History of Leicestershire.' Mr. Gough died February 20, 1809, and was buried in the church yard of Wormley, in Hertfordshire. By his last will he bequeathed to the University of Oxford all his printed books and manuscripts on Saxon and Northern literature; all his manuscripts, printed books, prints, maps, and drawings illustrative of or relating to British topography ; his interleaved copies of his three greater works already mentioned, and all his nnengraved drawings of sepulchral monuments; with fourteen volumes of drawings of sepulchral and other monuments in France ; the engraved copper-plates of his greater works, &c. The remainder of his library and collections were sold by auction in 1810 and 1812 ; the printed books producing 3,5521. 3s.
(Biog. Pref. to the Catalogue of Mr. Gough's Library; Nichols, Literary Anecdotes).