John Gully

John Gully (21 August 1783 – 9 March 1863) was an English prize-fighter, horse racer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1837.

Early life

Gully was born at Wick, near Bath, the son of an innkeeper who became a butcher in Bath shortly after John's birth. Gully worked for his father and inherited the business on his father's death. In 1805 the business failed and as a result, Gully was imprisoned for debt.

Boxing

Gully was visited in prison by a friend, Henry Pearce, a well-known prize fighter who was nicknamed "the Game Chicken". An informal match was arranged between them, which took place in the prison; as a result, Gully's debts were settled.

On 8 October 1805, Gully was again matched against Henry Pearce, before the Duke of Clarence (later William IV of the United Kingdom) and numerous other spectators. After fighting twenty eight rounds, which occupied an hour and seventeen minutes, he was beaten. In 1807, he twice fought Bob Gregson, the Lancashire giant, for two hundred guineas a side, winning on both occasions. The foremost prizefighting reporter of the period, Pierce Egan, recorded their battle of 14 October 1807:

John Gully (artist)

John Gully (1819 – 1 November 1888) was a prominent New Zealand landscape painter.

He was born in Bath, and was the son of Philip Gully, a porter, and Mary Vincent. Gully's formal education finished when he was apprenticed to Stothert's foundry aged around 13. He worked in the designing and drafting department. He received some training in painting from a Bristol watercolourist, W. J. Muller. Having finished his apprenticeship, he got a job as a clerk in the Bath Savings Bank, then later joined his father's business in that city. He was probably already painting as a pastime, and—apart from a few private lessons—received no formal art training.

Gully was a man of medium height with a broad brow and receding forehead, brown eyes, dark hair and whiskers. He was modest and genial.

On 22 July 1846 John Gully married Jane Moore, a young widow with a baby son and the daughter of John Eyles. They went on to have six children, two of whom died in childhood.

In 1852 Jane and John decided to emigrate with their family of three children to New Zealand. John Gully was influenced by his reading of Hursthouse's glowing account of New Zealand titled Account of the Settlement of New Plymouth. The family sailed out from London on 23 December 1851 on the John Phillips, a small barque. They arrived in Auckland on 5 April 1852, where after a month the ship proceeded to the settlement of New Plymouth finally arriving at their destination on 9 May 1852.