Gordon Clegg Gordon Clegg ( né Preston ) is the son of the late Betty Williams and soldier Ted Farrell . When Betty gave birth to him she was unmarried , so Gordon was adopted by Betty ' s sister Maggie Clegg and husband Les , who raised him . Gordon didn ' t learn that Betty was his mother until 1975 , but his father ' s identity remained a mystery to him . The Cleggs moved to Coronation Street , Weatherfield and bought the Corner Shop in 1968 . Gordon had a relationship with Lucille Hewitt but broke off their engagement to pursue a career in Accountancy in London , after which he made occasional return visits to Weatherfield to see Maggie and Betty . In 1982 , he married Caroline Wilson and they had a son , Peter , in 1985 . Gordon and his family live in Wimbledon . He still made visits to the Street , to events such as Betty ' s wedding to Billy Williams , her " retirement " party , and then finally for her funeral in 2012 . Biography . 1949 - 1969 : Early life . In 1949 , Betty Preston fell pregnant by her wartime sweetheart Ted Farrell . Ted was untraceable so Betty gave birth to son Gordon and decided to give him up for adoption . Betty ' s sister Maggie had married Les Clegg in 1947 and although they didn ' t have children of their own , they agreed to take Gordon and raise him as their own . Gordon grew into a bright young man , showing an interest in Accountancy , a subject he specialised in . He loved his " mother " Maggie but hated Les , who was an alcoholic with a violent history . In 1968 , Les bought the Corner Shop in Coronation Street , Weatherfield and the Cleggs moved there , with Gordon living in the flat above the shop , with Maggie intent that he didn ' t have to work behind the counter , so he could focus on his studies . It was therefore much to Maggie ' s dismay when Gordon fell for young Lucille Hewitt . It took some convincing for Lucille to agree to go out with Gordon , as she thought he was too mothered by Maggie , but he impressed her when he fought for her attentions with Gary Strauss and Ray Langton . Gordon and Lucille faced the objections of Maggie ( Les having been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for his alcoholism ) and Lucille ' s guardians Annie and Jack Walker , and eventually Gordon decided to show Lucille that he was committed to her by suggesting that they run away to Gretna Green and return as husband and wife , even though it would mean missing his exams . He and Lucille went to the train station , without telling their families , but when they missed their train Lucille convinced him that they should return . Gordon passed his exams , and began thinking about his career prospects . As Lucille pressed ahead with wedding preparations and set a date for Easter Saturday 1969 , Gordon realised he couldn ' t marry her and cancelled the wedding at short notice . Ashamed of his actions , he took a job at the head office of an Accountancy firm in London , and upset Maggie by making a permanent move there . 1970 - 1976 : Learning the truth . In 1971 , Gordon became engaged to Jennifer Swann . She visited Weatherfield , without Gordon , to meet Maggie . She and Gordon didn ' t marry . Gordon returned to Weatherfield in 1974 for Maggie and Ron Cooke ' s wedding . Gordon gave Maggie away and saw her off as she moved to Zaire with Ron . Gordon agreed to handle the sale of the shop but arranged to rent it to Megan " Granny " Hopkins for £14 a week , with the money counting towards the eventual sale to the Hopkins ' . Before leaving for London , he infuriated Betty , who had moved to the area in 1969 , by having a one - night stand with Beverley Marshall in her house . The Hopkins ' were determined to get a good deal on the shop and when they found Gordon ' s birth certificate behind a sideboard , revealing his true mother ' s name . Granny Hopkins was intending to use blackmail against Gordon but Maggie told Gordon the truth herself before the Hopkins ' could do so . Gordon was stunned by the news , and reacted firstly by warning the Hopkins ' , who left the Street abruptly in a midnight flit , and going out to celebrate the fact that Les Clegg was not his father . After getting over the initial shock , he began treating Betty as his mother . In 1976 , Gordon visited to arrange the sale of the shop to Renee Bradshaw . 1977 - 2012 : Later years . In 1982 , Gordon married Caroline Wilson . This was followed by the birth of their son , Peter , in 1985 . In 1995 , Gordon gave Betty away when she married Billy Williams . As Billy was an old flame of Betty ' s , Gordon wondered if he could be his real father , but Betty told him he wasn ' t . When Betty decided to retire in 2002 , Gordon invited her to live with his family in Wimbledon , although this caused friction with Caroline as she wasn ' t keen on the idea . After some consideration , Betty decided not to take up the offer , as she enjoyed working too much . Gordon extended the invitation again the following year after Betty had a fire at her house in Weatherfield , but she only lived with the Cleggs temporarily . In 2004 Gordon visited Betty and brought her flowers for her 84th birthday . Betty continued to visit Gordon for many more years , including Christmases . In 2012 when she fell sick , he went to visit her . But she had passed away , and a devastated Gordon turned up at the Rovers Return to tell her friends of her passing . He planned on having her buried in London , but seeing how loved Betty was by her friends , he decided it was best to have her buried in Weatherfield , and next to her late first husband Cyril . Gordon later went through er things with Emily Bishop , Rita Sullivan and Rovers landlady Stella Price . A letter written by Annie Walker was found which revealed that she wanted Betty to run the pub after he retirement in 1984 , but Stella didn ' t want Gordon to know until she saw a solicitor . On the day of the funeral , they let Gordon know about the letter , but he knew that his mother had still been happy working at the pub although she had turned down the offer . After the funeral in the Rovers Return , he read a letter from Betty written before her death , thanking all her friends for all the good years . Gordon handed barman Sean Tully another letter from Betty , containing her secret hotpot recipe . Gordon then said goodbye before departing later in the evening . Quotes . " Thanks very much . " ( First line , to Elsie Tanner ) " Yeah , she was wasn ' t she ? She was top . Night - night . " ( Final line , to Tina McIntyre )