HistoricaLEIGH - They Were Goodlads

November 24, 2014 by Carole Mulroney

They Were Goodlads

One Friday in November 1923 the crown of a brick vault in Leigh churchyard gave way and a heavy tomb fell into the cavity.

The tomb was that of Admiral Goodlad who had died several hundred years earlier. Exactly 300 years earlier, in 1623 the Greenland whale fleet was captained by Captain William Goodlad of Leigh.

Writing on one of his voyages he recorded that he was asleep and all the boats were out fishing. His brother Peter spied a whale, followed him and struck him. The rope being new, it ran out of kinks, which overthrew the boat and Peter and a boy named Bredcake (another ancient Leigh name) were drowned.

William commanded the fleet for 20 years. At this time there was great rivalry between the Thames men and a rival company from Yarmouth. They met in Greenland and an argument led to blows.

Goodlad had a musket presented at him 5 times but it misfired on every occasion. He eventually died in 1638 after having served as a Master of Trinity House. As well as William, Leigh also boasts Captain Richard Goodlad who was also a Brother of Trinity House and died in 1693.