John Gully was born on 21 August 1783 at The Crown Inn, Wick, near Bristol, where his father was the landlord. During Gully's boyhood, the family moved to Bath, where his father became a butcher, and he was brought up in his father's trade. After his father's death, the business gradually declined, and at the age of twenty-one, Gully became an inmate of the Kings' Bench Prison, London. He had for some time taken an interest in prize-fighting matches, and this led in 1805 to his receiving a visit from an acquaintance, Henry Pearce, the ‘Bristol Game-Chicken’, the champion of England. The two men had a ‘set-to’ which so impressed the onlookers that several prize fight promoters paid Gully's debts and took him to Virginia Water, where he was trained for a more serious fight with Pearce. The contest took place at Hailsham in Sussex on 8 October 1805 before a huge crowd, among whom was the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV). After a fight of seventy-seven minutes, during which there were sixty-four rounds, Gully, who was nearly blinded, gave in.
Ill health forced the ‘Bristol Game-Chicken’ to retire in December 1805, and Gully was regarded as his legitimate successor, although he was never formally nominated champion. No challenger for his title came forward for two years. At length, he was matched to meet Bob Gregson, the Lancashire heavyweight, for 200 guineas a side. His opponent measured 6 feet 2 inches in height and was famously strong, while Gully himself was 6 feet tall. The fight took place on 14 October 1807 at Six Mile Bottom, on the Newmarket road. This encounter was remarkable for its brutality; both men became quite exhausted, but in the thirty-sixth round, Gully landed a blow which prevented Gregson from continuing. Captain Barclay took the winner off the ground in his carriage and drove him in triumph onto the Newmarket racecourse the next day. Gregson, not being satisfied, again challenged his opponent. This match, which was for £250 a side, took place in Sir John Sebright's park, near Market Street, Hertfordshire, on 10 May 1808, the combatants being watched by about a hundred noblemen and gentlemen on horseback and in carriages. The crowd was so great that it was rumoured the French had landed, and the volunteers were called out. The two men fought in white breeches and silk stockings, without shoes. After the twenty-seventh round, Gregson was too exhausted to continue. In this contest, which lasted an hour and a quarter, Gully, who had commenced with his left arm in a partially disabled condition, showed a complete knowledge of prize-fighting and a remarkable quickness of hitting.
In June 1808, with Tom Cribb, Gully took a joint benefit at the Tennis Court in London when he formally retired from the ring. By this time, he had become the landlord of The Plough Inn, 23 Carey Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. He began devoting himself to the business of a betting man and became, in 1812, the owner of horses of his own, Cardenio being his first. He moved around this time to Newmarket and became more seriously involved in racing in 1827 when he gave Lord Jersey 4000 guineas for his Epsom Derby winner, Mameluke. He backed his purchase for the St Leger that year, but James Robinson on Matilda took the race, and Gully lost £40,000. In 1830, he became a betting partner with Robert Ridsale when their horse Little Red Rover ran second to Priam for the Derby. Their best year, however, was 1832, when they won the Derby with St Giles, and Gully took the St Leger with Margrave, making £50,000 on the former and £35,000 on the latter race. However, having fallen out with Ridsale in the hunting field, he horsewhipped him, which led to his having to pay £500 damages for assault. In partnership with John Day, Gully won the Two Thousand Guineas 1844 with Ugly Buck. In 1846, he took both the Derby and the Oaks (with Pyrrhus the First and Mendicant), an event previously accomplished only once, when Sir Charles Bunbury's Eleanor carried off both prizes in 1801. Gully was again the winner of the Two Thousand Guineas with Hermit in 1854, and in the same year, he won the Derby with Andover, having the bookmaker Henry Padwick for his partner in the latter horse. During this period as a racehorse owner and gambler, Gully purchased Upper Hare Park, near Newmarket, from Lord Rivers, but he subsequently sold it to Sir Mark Wood. He then bought Ackworth Park, near Pontefract, Yorkshire, becoming MP for that pocket borough from 10 December 1832 to 17 July 1837. Politically, he described himself as a reformer, supporting the ballot and shorter parliaments. In 1835, he brought a legal action against the editor of The Age for slander in connection with the Pontefract election. He unsuccessfully contested the seat again in June 1841. Having amassed a considerable fortune from his racing interests, he also acquired a degree of respectability. In 1836, he was presented at court. He married twice and had twelve children, with each wife. His first wife was the daughter of a London publican; his second, Mary, survived him.
Having sold Ackworth Park to Kenny Hill, Gully took up his residence at Marwell Hall, near Winchester. He had, however, invested his winnings in coalworks in the north and in land. He purchased a number of shares in the new Hetton Colliery, which he held until they had risen to a high premium. About 1838, he was involved in setting up the Thornley collieries and had a share in the Trindon collieries. In 1862, he became sole proprietor of the Wingate Grange estate and collieries. By this time, he had moved to Cocken Hall, near Durham. He died at the North Bailey in Durham on 9 March 1863 and was buried at Ackworth, near Pontefract, five days later.
