+ 
454 
Died.] At Leicefter, Mifs Ann Phipps. 
Mrs. Hefter, of the NewInn. Mrs. Chriftie. 
Aged 62, Mrs. Ward. » 
At Melton Mowbray, Mr. Ward, poft- 
rafter. 
At Rollefton, Mr. ae Barfoot. 
At Loughborough, Mrs. Ella. 
At Mowntforrel, Mrs. Kirk. i 
At Ullefthorpe Lodge, Mrs. Warner. 
At Bittefwell, fuddenly, in his 46th year, 
Mr. Thomas Wood, miller: his mother 
died likewife fuddenly about a month fince 
at Gilmorton. 
At Hinckley, of a paralytic ftroke, which 
had deprived him for the laft 17 months of 
the faculty of {peech, James Tapfcot, M. D. 
phySician of that place, in the 6r1ft year of 
his age. He wasa native of America, from 
which country he brought with him the 
moft flattering teftimonies of his abilities. 
Upon his fettling at Hinckley, he was re- 
commended to the principal famihes in the 
counties of Leicefter and Warwick, by whom 
he was conftantly employed, and much re- 
fpected during the long fpace of more than 
30 years. 
STAFFORDSHIRE. 
Mearvied.| At Stafford, Mr. Walters, drug- 
gift, to Mifs Hubbard. 
At Wolverhampton, Mr. T. Wood, to Mifs 
Simpfon. a 
At Lichfield, Mr. Chinn to Mifs Porter. 
Mr. Samuel Barker, to Mifs Adams. 
G. Grundy, ef. of Tillington Houfe, near 
‘Stafford, to Mrs. Smallwood, of Moreton. 
Died.| At Stafford, Mrs. Seckerfon. 
At Whittington, aged 50, George Wright, 
gent. 
Aged 23, Mrs. Charlewood, wife of the 
Rey. Charles Benjamin Charlewood, of Oak- 
hill, near Cheadle. 
At Leek, Mrs. Cope. e 
At Pendeford, near Wolverhampton, Mrs. 
Martha Allen. 
At Cotton, Thomas Gilbert, efq. a pa- 
triot, in the beft fenfe of the word, for his 
life was dedicated to the fervice of his country, 
he always 2éted, both in and out of place, as an 
independent fenator, while in private life he 
exhibited all the amiable qualities of a re- 
{peftable country gentleman. 
” Ffeir to a (mall eftate at Cotton, in the 
county of Stafford, Mr. Gilbert endeavoured 
to improve it by the profi Mion of the law; he 
accordingly entered himfelf of the Temple, 
and was called tothe bar ; but never made any 
“yery confpicuous figure, eicher in the courts 
at Weftminfter, or on the circuit. Early in lite 
he attached himfelf to a noble family, that 
poffeff-d great influence in his neighbourhood, 
‘and when Lord Gower railed a regiment for 
the fervice of the country, in very troublefome 
times, Mr. Gilbert accepted a commiflion 
in it. 
Some time after he was rewarded for bis 
Joyalty, by the appointment of pay-mafter of the 
penfions to the officers’ widows of the royal 
Account of T. hemas Gilbert, E/q. | 
Dee. 
navy, which he held from tbe firft inftitution 
of the fund to the day of his death. q 
, By the friendfhip of his early patron, Mr. — 
Gilbert procured a feat in parliament, for 
Newcaftle-under-Line. He was afterwards 
returned for Litchfield, wh'ch place he alfa 
reprefented for fome yzars, and was fucceeded. 
by Lord Francis Gower, then juft come of 
age, in whofe favour he accepted the Cheitern 
Hundreds, and immediately retired from public 
hes ‘ 
Daring a long peried of parliamentary fer- 
vice; Mr. Gilbert was always an ufeful and 
very induftrious member, knowing that the 
beft interefts of commerce, manufactures, and 
2griculture are intimately connected with an 
eafy and fpeedy communication, he zealoufly 
applied himfelf to the amendment of the roads, - 
and alihough he did not fucceed in his origi- 
nal plane of procuring a gencral a& for their 
improvement, yet he carried through the 
houfe many provincial bills which tended to 
make travel ing in the counties of Northamp- 
ton, Warwick, Stafford, and Derby, the places 
to which he particularly direéted his atten- 
tion, infinitely more commodious and agreca- 
ble; indeed, it is well known, that before his 
time, the highways there were the worft in the 
kingdom. | 
A Gngular piece of good luck early in 
life rendered Mr. Gilbert independent. While 
paying his addreffes to a Mifs Philips, he pre- 
fented a lotrery ticket to that lady, which 
came.up one of the largeft prizes of the year. 
He afterwards married the fortunate poflefior, 
by whom he had two fons; the elder was ap- 
pointed fome years ago one of the clerks ex- 
traordinaryy belcnging to the Privy Council, 
while the younger entered into the navy, and 
ferved in the late war, under Sir Edward 
Hughes, during his ftation in the Eaft Indi s., 
Mr. Gilbert's ative mind would not permit 
him to remain unemployed; he accord ingiy 
planned a fcheme of great importance in the 
political ceconomy of the country: this was 
the meliora ion of the poor laws. He b gan 
by procuring an att of parliament to compel 
the uverfeers of the poor to makea return of 
tite expences artending their maintenance, and 
trom this return it appeared that the then fum 
total, even at that period, amounted to above 
‘amillion and a half fter'ing. 
Mr. Gilbert’s plan was to divide the country 
into diftri€éts, and 10 place each diftri€t under 
refpeCtable truftees. This fcheme, although 
reaionable in itieit, did not receive any c*unte- ~~ 
nance from the minifter, without whofe cone 
currence it would have been vain.to hav& at- 
tempted its execution; he therefore abhan- 
doned or rather fulperded his proye& ultil 
amore favourabl : opportunity. 
As Mr. Gilbert, being much beloved by his 
friends, obtained a place in wuich little attend- 
ance was neceffary: it was that of comptroller of 
the Great Wardrobe, which he held for many 
years, until it was at laft abolifhed under Mr. 
Burke’s bill} but, in the exercife of its du- 
ties, 
