The leading antiquary of his day, Richard Gough (1735-1809) served as director of the Society of Antiquities for over twenty-five years. The only son of a wealthy family, Gough benefited from being free to pursue his interests without hindrance. His independent fortune allowed him both to conduct his own research and to aid others with theirs. While the topography and Roman antiquities of the whole of Great Britain and Ireland formed his primary focus, he was also an eager proponent of Saxonist scholarship, as the panoply of his collected books on both subjects attests. These, together with a variety of maps, plans, drawings and charts, he bequeathed to Oxford's Bodleian Library. Originally published in 1814, this catalogue constitutes proof of a lifelong interest in, as well as generous support for the continuation of, antiquarian and topographical enterprises.
