James Gough was the son of Samuel Gough and Elizabeth Gough, as well as the elder brother of Hannah Elizabeth Gough. In 1801, Samuel and Elizabeth die of smallpox, and Lucy, who looked after the pair, is accused of starving them. The next year, Lucy dies herself after drinking a herbal tea made by Hannah Elizabeth. Hannah Elizabeth is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death, and is hanged behind which would later become The Woolpack, in 1802.