My wife's ancestors - Gibbon - Contents
Arthur Gibbon
- References:
- Family bible, pub 1823, yet signed "Arthur Gibbon 1814"
Arthur Gibbon.
Portrait perhaps c.1825 (it was a pair with the one of Elizabeth Montgomery below).
See smaller shot.
This portrait, and the one of Elizabeth Montgomery below, are damaged, with a bubbled surface in places.
The Gibbon family thought they must have been hung near a fireplace and damaged by heat, but Aberdeen Art Gallery says this is "bituminous cracking. At this date artists used bitumen mixed into the oil paint to enrich the blacks - it was a disastrous move as of course the bitumen never hardens completely but continues to move, forming these distinctive bubbles - but only in the black areas.".
Arthur Gibbon [descendant of Robert III, King of Scotland and of Henry I],
born 7th July 1780,
mar 3rd Oct 1814 (this is what Bedlington par records say, other family papers say 11th Sept, marriage contract says "on or about" 3rd Oct, then written in margin is 11th Sept)
at Bedlington, Northumberland (parish records say they were both living there at the time, prob. only temporarily)
to Elizabeth Montgomery [born 12th July 1796, descendant of Edward III, him age 34, her age 18],
postmarital contract 2nd May 1815, Aberdeen, just before first child born, him described as "merchant" of Aberdeen,
her entitled to £8,000 from the Herbert family, this is perhaps £5m in today's money,
there is a family medical guide, by Richard Reece, 11th edn,
pub 1814, signed "Elizabeth Gibbon, 1820"
[age 24, young mother],
Arthur listed as merchant of Aberdeen at gift of
Sir Alured Clarke June 1822,
see Letter from 11th Earl of Pembroke, Aug 1822,
think he is "Arthur Gibbon, merchant" listed at
6 Castlebrae, Aberdeen
in
[Aberdeen Directory, 1824-25],
this is
Castle brae, which ran from Castle St to Virginia St,
think now vanished,
see map,
think he is "Arthur Gibbon, merchant" listed at
Commercial Bank Court, 42 Castle St, Aberdeen
in
[Aberdeen Directory, 1825-26],
he is "Arthur Gibbon, merchant" listed at the family home,
11 Virginia St, Aberdeen, in
[Aberdeen Directory, 1827-28]
to
[Aberdeen Directory, 1829-30],
a letter addressed simply to "Mrs. A. Gibbon, Aberdeen" 1827 got there,
Arthur listed as merchant, living --- Street, Aberdeen
(must be Virginia St)
at Arthur Augustus' bapt Apr 1829,
their eldest child Emily died May 1829,
they seem to have left Scotland for England c.1830,
and never returned except on visits,
he is
listed as gentleman,
living
Acklington Park
(between Felton
and
Warkworth),
Northumberland, England
(see map
and
map)
as at birth and bapt of William Henry 1832,
they rented Acklington Park from
Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland,
there was an auction of
all the beds, carpets, curtains, crockery and furniture at Acklington Park,
6th Apr 1836 and following days,
it seems they were selling much of their possessions
before moving to the Continent,
no portraits in sale, they kept those,
they travelled on Continent widely,
they were
in Heidelberg, Germany,
1837,
and seem to have lived there for some time
(William Henry was educ there),
their daughters later married on the Continent,
retired pre-1849,
see Poem written by him to his wife, May 1849,
this is written from
Ellengowan, Aberdeen,
where his unmarried sisters lived,
the widow of the 11th Earl writes to
"my dear Elizabeth", May 1850,
settling further financial affairs on the "occasion of Margaret's marriage",
Elizabeth writes to her son Arthur Augustus, 5th Nov 1853,
about the death of Margaret's children:
"These, oh these, are some of the bitter trials of our lives,
and those only who have experienced such bereavement can only know what others feel.
It is indeed a very hard fate to think that dear Margaret has been doomed to lose
both her children in so short a period of time.",
his passport from 1853 survives,
the widow of the 11th Earl
left them further money when she died Mar 1856, this was probably the final break with the
Herbert family,
a letter refers to Elizabeth as "having been a ward of her husband,
the late Lord Pembroke,
and the whole family more or less under his guardianship",
he is described as "gentleman" at son
William Henry's mar Nov 1856,
her passport from 1857 survives, they travelled on Continent until 1857,
he
died London, 2nd Apr 1861, age 80 yrs,
bur 6th Apr,
Gibbon grave, West Norwood, SC London,
NOT bur Beckenham Cemetery,
his name is written onto the graves at Nigg Bay
but he is not bur there,
Elizabeth living with her son Arthur Augustus
at 75 Gloucester St, Pimlico, London, in 1869,
she died London, 1st Feb 1870, age 73 yrs,
a letter dated 6th Jan 1870 referring to her death is actually an error for 6th Feb
(as shown by the postmarks),
bur 7th Feb,
Gibbon grave, West Norwood,
had issue:
- Emily Augusta Gibbon, born 4th May 1815,
bapt 18th May [St.Paul's, Aberdeen],
a beautifully-written letter from her survives, written from Aberdeen, 13th Feb 1828 (age 12),
died 11th May 1829, age 14 yrs, bur 15th May at Nigg Bay. - Robert Gibbon, born 12th Mar 1817,
bapt 5th Apr [St.Paul's, Aberdeen, the place name "Alford" is also mentioned],
died 6th Jan 1818, age 10 months, bur 10th Jan at Nigg Bay.
- Margaret Gibbon,
Margaret Livingston Gibbon, "Maggy", born 30th Apr 1818,
bapt 19th May [St.Paul's, Aberdeen],
mar 20th July 1850, Cathedral Church, Munich, Germany,
to Baron Charles de Stentzsch (or von Stenksch-Prittag) and had issue.
- Elizabeth Gibbon, born 14th Sept 1819,
bapt 21st Oct [St.Paul's, Aberdeen],
died 11th Dec 1822, age 3 yrs, bur 14th Dec at Nigg Bay. - Robina Gibbon,
Robina Barbara Yates Gibbon, born 22nd Mar 1821,
bapt 28th Apr [St.Paul's, Aberdeen],
"Yeats" in family bible and burial record,
died 13th Aug 1824, age 3 yrs, bur 17th Aug at Nigg Bay.
- Georgina Gibbon
[Georgina Montgomery, "Georgy"],
born 10th Aug 1823, Aberdeen,
bapt 11th Sept [St.Paul's, Aberdeen],
prob. named after her mother's uncle George Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke, who took care of his brother Reebkomp's family after Reebkomp died,
mar 19th Dec 1846, at Frankfurt, to Baron Adolf de Röeder and had issue.
- Catherine Gibbon [Catherine Elizabeth, think NOT Catharine], born 21st May 1826,
bapt 15th June [St.Paul's, Aberdeen],
died 13th May 1827, age 1 yr, bur 17th May at Nigg Bay.
- Arthur Augustus Gibbon,
born 3rd Feb 1829 at Aberdeen (NOT 1832),
bapt 18th Apr [St.Paul's, Aberdeen].
- William Henry Gibbon,
born Acklington Park, Northumberland, 14th Jan 1832, NOT 1831,
bapt 9 Mar 1832, Warkworth par, Northumberland,
William, "Willy".
Elizabeth Montgomery.
Portrait perhaps c.1825 (it was a pair with the one of Arthur Gibbon above).
See smaller shot.
Arthur Gibbon.
Image courtesy of Mike Hilligan.
Arthur Gibbon.
Light adjusted digitally.
See original.
Image courtesy of Mike Hilligan.
- Acklington Park
is now gone.
All that remains is the walled vegetable garden.
- The expenses book of
Arthur Augustus Gibbon
refers to a "Mary Jane Gibbon" [unidentified] in Nov 1900.
