^e£i was foon after realized under liis patent, fo far as to be 

 of great advantage to the fidiery from this country. Biog. 

 Brit. 



■ Gilbert, or Gilberd, Williajf, a phyfician, was born, 



«■ in the year 1540, at Co!chcfter, of which borougli his father 

 had been recorder. After ftudying fomc time at Cambridge, 

 he travelled abroad for farther improvement in thofe branches 

 of fcicnce to which he was particularly addicted ; and took, 

 the degree of doftor of phyfic in fome foreign univerfity. 

 He returned to his own country with a high character for 

 philofophical and chemical knowledge, and was made a 

 member of the College of Phyficians in London, where he 

 fettled about the year 1573. He praftifed with fo much 

 reoutation and fuccefs, that he at length became firll phyfi- 

 cian to queen Elizabeth, in which ofhce he continued during 

 the life of that princefs. The vacancies from the duties of 

 hi* profe.Tion he employed in the purfuit of philofophical ex- 

 periments, particularly relative to the magnet, and in tliefe 

 he was afli'.led by a penlion from queen Ehzabeth. We are 

 informed of no other circumftances concerning the life of 

 thi.i learned man, who died, unmarried, November 20, 160^, 

 atjed 63, and was buried in his native place, where a hand- 

 fome monument was erected to his memory by his brothers. 

 He left all his books, globes, mathematical inliruments, and 

 cabinet of minerals, to the College of Phyficians. His pic- 

 ture, which reprefents him as of a tall llature and chcarful 

 countenance, is in the gallery over the fcliools at Oxford. 



The capital work of Dr. Gilbert, entitled " De Mag- 

 nete, Magneticifque Corporibus et de Magno Magnete 

 Tellure, Phyfiologia nova, plurimis et argumentis ct expe- 

 rimentis demonftrata," was firll publiihed at I^ondon in 

 1600, and has been reprinted in Germany. Tliis is not only 

 the earlieft complete fyftem of magnetifm, but alfo one of 

 the firft fpecimens of a philofophical fyftem built upon ex- 

 periments, after the manner io much infilled on afterwards 

 by the great lord Bacon.. Aikin, Biog. Mem. of Med. 

 Eloy. 



Gilbert, .Ioiix, the fon of Mr. Thomas Gilbert, a gen- 

 tleman pofieffing an eftate of about 300/. a year, was born 

 in the year 1724. His elded brother had a liberal educa- 

 tion, with a view to the bar, and became afterwards a mem- 

 ber of parliament for Newcaftle and Litchfield; but the fub- 

 jecl of this article had only fuch inftruflion as the obfcure 

 village of Farley, in the neighbourhood of his father's 

 houfe, could afford. At the age of twelve or thirteen years, 

 he was bound apprentice to Mr. Bolton, father of the well- 

 Jcnown and julily celebrated Matthew Bolton, of Soho, near 

 .Birmingham; between whom and Mr. Gilbert an intimacy 

 fubfillcd, as long as the latter lived. At the age of 1 9 he 

 loll his father; and as he died pofTeffed of extenlive lime- 

 works, they required attention. Accordingly Mr. Gilbert, 

 ■in order to undertake the fuperintendence of them, quitted 

 his connexion with Mr. Bolton, who very reluftantly part- 

 ed with him, and devoted himfelf to the management of liis 

 .own family concerns. Notwithllanding the difadvantages 

 under which Mr. G. had laboured in early life, he polTeAed 

 talents, which, matured by age and experience, could not 

 fail of recommending him to notice. But the mod remark- 

 able circnm'lance in thehiftory of tins ingenious perfon, and 

 that indeed whicli has induced us to give a brief account of 

 liim, was his introduction to the duke of Bridgev>-ater, at 

 the time when he was projefting improvements of his col- 

 lieries, in the neighbourhood of Mancheiler. Mr. Gilbert's 

 brother was then fleward to the duke ; and deiired him to 

 infpeft and examine his Grace's collieries at Worlley. After 

 viewing the works, it immediately occurred to him, that if 

 she coals on that part of the duke's eftate could {56 brought 

 Vol. XVL 



G I L 



to market in fiich a populous town as Manchefter, and for 

 the fupply of the numerous works in its vicinity, the col- 

 liery, which, in the ftate it was at the time of liis infpeflion, 

 yielded little profit, would become extremely valuable. It 

 is faid, that he fecluded himfelf altogether from company 

 for two days, at the Bull inn at Manchefter, to confider 

 how this might be done by water-carriage, as that by land 

 was very expenfive, and, on account of the badnefs of th*- 

 roads, ver)' inconvenient, and almoll impratticable. Hav- 

 ing digeded his fchome, he communicated it to the duke, 

 who was no lefs ftruck with the proportion fuggeftcd by 

 Mr. G. tlian the projector himfelf. Accordin'^ly the work 

 was foon after begun. Mr. G.'s name has feldom occurred 

 in connexion with this very important and lucrative under- 

 taking ; and as he preceded Mr. Brindley in this bufincf*, 

 of which we have ample and fatisfadtory evidence, we thouHit 

 that judice required a candid and impartial itatement of the 

 cafe; Mr. G. was fo fortunate, in the profc-cution of this 

 work, as to find lime upon the duke's ellat.-, which muU 

 otherwife have been brought by hi.d from Buxton, at the 

 didance of near 30 miles ; and in a work of this great ex- 

 tent, this was no inconfiderable faving. The tunnel wa* 

 entirely executed, as well as planned, by Mr. G. ; who, be- 

 ing acquainted with Mr. Brindley as a neighbour, and know- 

 ing him to be a very ingenious and excellent mill-wrigl.t, 

 engaged his afldance in the conduit and completion of tlii« 

 arduous undertaking, and introduced him to the duke for 

 this purpofe. The duke was fo well fatisHed with his agent 

 and projector, that at firft they lived together for two or 

 three months in tlie year, and for feveral of the lall years of 

 Mr. Gilbert's life, he fpent half his time with him. In Jur.e, 

 1757, he removed with his family to Worfiey, that he 

 might, with greater convenience, attend the profecution of 

 the bufinefs he had undertaken. As a farther e^Hdence of 

 the duke's regai'd for Mr. G. we may here add, that he 

 gave his fon, wlio was educated for the church, the fecond 

 beft preferment at his difpofal, to the amour.t of about 

 1200.A, per annum. We might mention many other con- 

 cerns in which Mr. G. was engaged, and in which he had 

 an opportunity of ir.anifefting his ficill and judgment, in the 

 conduft of canals, mines, and other improvements relating 

 to rural economy. We Ihall merely add, that he is faid ti» 

 have been the firll perfon who fugge'.ledthe ufe of gun-pow- 

 der in obtaining rock-falt. Mr. G. was probably io modeft 

 and unalTuniing, that he did not, during his life-time, lay 

 claim to the honour which belonged to him, witii refpeA to 

 the duke of B;idgewater's canals and collieries ; and we have 

 introduced his name into the Cyclopedia, in order to do 

 him judice, without meaning to detratl from the merit ot 

 his coadjutor and fucceffor, Mr. Brindley, to whom we have 

 already paid ample and deicrvcd refpcft uader his biogra- 

 phical article. Mr. Gilbert's general charafter commanded 

 the clteem of all who knew him, and his death, even after a 

 prolonged life of about 73 years, which happened at Worl- 

 ley, on the 4thof Auguit, 1797, was, whliout doubt, re- 

 gretted by his friends, and efpecially by the noble duke, 

 who was in the houfe at the time. 



Gilbert's IJlanJ, in GiOgraphy, an ifland near the S W. 

 coaftof Terra del Fuego. N.bt. 55 13'. W.long. 71= 7'. 



Gilbert's Toiun, a town of America, in tiie date of Vir- 

 ginia, feated on the Shenando, 30 miles N.of CharlottcfviUe. 



GILBERTINES, m Ecdejlaftkol Hyiory, an order of 

 reli'i-ious, thus caDed from St. Gilbert, of Scmpringham, ia 

 the county of Lincoln, who founded the fame about the 

 year 114S: the monks of which obferved th,- rule of St 

 Auguftine, and were accounted canons; and the nuns that 



of ^t. Bcnedid. ^ ■ 



I i Ti:c 



