![Thomas-gilbert-portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Thomas-gilbert-portrait.jpg)
Thomas Gilbert (1786–1873), a pioneer in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, was its first Colonial Storekeeper (a government official responsible for all government stores) and its first Postmaster. He was also a fourth-generation
mathematical instrument
A mathematical instrument is a tool or device used in the study or practice of mathematics. In geometry, construction of various proofs was done using only a compass and straightedge; arguments in these proofs relied only on idealized properties ...
maker and
optician in England, his family being highly regarded in this field at the time.
Early life and instrument making
Thomas Gilbert was born in 1786 in The
Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...
, Middlesex, England. He was the son of William Gilbert (1755-1819) and Anna Couchman.
The Gilbert family were highly regarded makers of mathematical, optical and philosophical instruments and were based in the
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...
area of London, England before becoming associated with
Leadenhall Street in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. Thomas' great grandfather, John Gilbert (1695-1749), was the first family member known to have worked in this field, and some of his work was presented to
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...
and
The Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
. Thomas was apprenticed to his father and worked as an instrument maker and optician in his father's businesses, variously known as Gilbert & Wright, Gilbert Wright & Hooke, Gilbert & Gilkerson, Gilbert & Co, Gilbert & Sons.
W&T Gilbert partnership
After his father's death Thomas Gilbert partnered with his brother, William Dormer Gilbert (1781-1844) in their business W&T Gilbert, which operated from Leadenhall Street, City of London. William also had property in Woodford, Chigwell, Essex, where some of the larger work for their business was done.
[sources: McConnell, Anita. “Hiding in the Forest … The Gilberts’ Rural Scientic Instrument Manufactory.” London and beyond: Essays in Honour of Derek Keene, edited by Matthew Davies and James A. Galloway, University of London Press, London, 2012, pp. 123–132. Accessed 24 Apr. 2020.](_blank)
/ref> The brothers undertook extensive work for the East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
. Their "experiments for the improvements of glasses were so extensive that the Government assisted them by a suspension of the Excise supervision, so that their large outlay should not be increased by the payment of duty".
In 1827 W&T Gilbert had been involved in a controversy regarding instruments made for the East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
to use in the Bombay Observatory in India. John Curnin, the Observatory's astronomer, was highly critical of the Gilbert's work on the instruments and this resulted in a scandal and an investigation by the East India Company, after which Curnin was dismissed. Charles Dickens may have been inspired by this incident in Dombey and Son
''Dombey and Son'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventual ...
(1846–48), a novel featuring a Leadenhall Street instrument retailer.
After this incident in 1828 W&T Gilbert declared bankruptcy with debts of 12,000 Pounds. The bankruptcy case is considered important in British bankruptcy law, particularly in relation to fraudulent preference (of which the Gilberts were found not guilty).
South Australian Association
In 1834 Thomas became involved with the South Australian Association
British colonisation of South Australia describes the planning and establishment of the colony of South Australia by the British government, covering the period from 1829, when the idea was raised by the then-imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield ...
in London before arriving in the colony of South Australia
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
in 1836 to help establish the colony. In his obituary it is stated: "from March, 1834, to the time of his departure two years afterwards he devoted to it his entire time, and no small amount of money".
Evening Journal, Adelaide, South Australia. Page 2 under the heading Latest News. Published 30 May 1873. Accessed 24 April 2020.
Many early South Australian settlers were those who had relinquished good positions in Britain to help establish "a model state which would not reproduce the inequalities of older countries".
Colonial storekeeper
In London Gilbert had been appointed the task of operating the Colonial Storehouse by the South Australian Association formed by Robert Gouger. He arrived at Nepean Bay
Nepean Bay is a bay located on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia about south-south-west of Adelaide. It was named by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders, after Sir Evan Nepean on 21 March 1 ...
, Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...
, South Australia on 11 September 1836 with other first settlers and surveyors on the ,[ one of the ships in the "]First Fleet of South Australia
In 1836, at least nine ships in 1836 carried the first European settlers from England to the south coast of Australia for the establishment of the City of Adelaide and the province of South Australia.
Although not all of the ships sailed toge ...
", before travelling on to the mainland to establish the Colonial Storehouse at Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
.
Gilbert attended the Proclamation of South Australia at Glenelg on 28 December 1836. He is said to have proclaimed the toast: "Mrs Hindmarsh and the Ladies" at the event.
Gilbert's storehouse, post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
and residence, known as the Colonial Store, and the adjacent Iron Store, were the first European structures built on the Adelaide plains. These temporary huts were built on the banks of the River Torrens
The River Torrens , (Karrawirra Parri / Karrawirraparri) is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains. It was one of the main reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows from its source in the ...
, on the present City of Adelaide Golf Links, just south of Strangways Terrace, North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.
History
Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...
.[ This was at the place known by the ]Kaurna
The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...
people as Tininyawardli (or Tinninyawodli), near Piltawodli
The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...
(the name later adopted for Park 1 of the Adelaide Park Lands
The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the sur ...
). William Williams, who published wordlists of Kaurna
The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...
words and also acted as a translator between the groups,[ (Also on Google Books.)] was Deputy Colonial Storekeeper.
All manner of pioneering equipment, rations, hardware, and clothing were issued from this store to government parties such as builders, surveyors, police, and the Protector of Aborigines
The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836.
The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...
( William Wyatt). Also, to assist the pioneering population some items and rations were sold when there were general shortages. It was always expected that the Colonial Storekeeper position would eventually become redundant when settlement became so well developed as to support commercial suppliers to government, selected by a Supply and Tender Board answerable to a Commissioner of Public Works.
Thomas Gilbert retired as Colonial Storekeeper on 31 December 1854. He was replaced by John Vidal James (1820–97), son-in-law of Sir James Hurtle Fisher
Sir James Hurtle Fisher (1 May 1790 – 28 January 1875) was a lawyer and prominent South Australian pioneer. He was the first Resident Commissioner of the colony of South Australia, the first Mayor of Adelaide and the first resident Sou ...
. Along with Thomas Lipson, the government granted him a lifetime pension.
Postmaster
In addition to his normal duties, on 10 April 1837, shortly after the Proclamation of South Australia, Thomas Gilbert was appointed by Governor Hindmarsh
Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838.
Family
His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Con ...
as first Postmaster in South Australia, with the first post office being operated from his private residence. Thomas Gilbert was never officially given the title of Postmaster General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...
and was granted a salary of thirty pounds per year for the Postmaster position. He managed the post office for approximately fifteen months, at which point he lodged a grievance with the South Australian Government as he had not been paid for this role. The Government published an official censure on Gilbert and, as a result, he resigned the position of Postmaster effective 13 December 1838, but continued in his capacity as Colonial Storekeeper. Officially, the General Post Office in Adelaide does not recognise Thomas Gilbert as the first Postmaster General and, instead, they have an oil painting of Charles Todd as their first Postmaster General.
Civic activity
Gilbert was highly regarded among his fellow colonists, holding various official positions, including magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
. He was a member of the Street Naming Committee and a founding member of the South Australian Literary and Scientific Association, which was first established in London in 1834. Gilbert was also a founding member of the South Australian Lodge of Friendship No. 613. He was elected and initiated into Freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
the first meeting of the Lodge which was held in 1834 at the South Australian Association in London. He later was elected Master of the Lodge of Friendship on 14 August 1838 and over the next years served a number of terms as its Master.
Death and legacy
Thomas Gilbert died in Adelaide, South Australia on 30 May 1873 aged 87 years of age. He is buried in West Terrace Cemetery
The West Terrace Cemetery is South Australia's oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light's 1837 plan of Adelaide. The site is located in Park 23 of the Adelaide Park Lands just south-west of the Adelaide city centre, between ...
, Adelaide. On his gravestone is written "Erected by a few colonialists in token of their sincere admiration of his honorable and generous qualities as a public officer and faithful friend".
Gilbert Street in the city centre of Adelaide is named after Thomas Gilbert. The Gilbert Valley in mid-north South Australia, along with the river flowing through it (the Gilbert River) are also named after him, with the town of Riverton deriving its name from this same river.
The mathematical and optical instruments Thomas Gilbert was involved in making, along with those made by his brother, father and earlier ancestors, are highly collectable.
Thomas Gilbert did not marry and is not known to have any issue. William Barlow Gilbert (c. 1825 – 13 March 1893) who arrived in South Australia in 1847, aboard ''Phoebe'', was a nephew and the son of Thomas Gilbert's brother and former business partner, William Dormer Gilbert. William Barlow Gilbert was a partner in the ''Adelaide Times
The ''Adelaide Times'' was an early newspaper founded by James Allen and printed in Adelaide, the capital of the then colony of South Australia. It was published between 2 October 1848 and 8 May 1858, and evolved through a series of names and pub ...
'' and ''Weekly Despatch'' newspapers, and held various Government positions.
Notes
References
Adelaide – Libraries and Institutes, Birth of First Library and The Adelaide Book Society
Retrieved 5 July 2008
Retrieved 6 July 2008
Retrieved 5 July 2008
Retrieved 5 July 2008
Post office records (South Australia), National Archives of Australia
Retrieved 5 July 2008
Library Telescope on Stand, Antiques Atlas
Retrieved 24 April 2020
Reports of Cases Relating to Commerce, Manufactures, Etc., Courts of Common Law, England; 1829-1830, Parts 1-3, John Horatio Lloyd, William Newland Welsby
Retrieved 24 April 2020.
The Bombay Case: Astronomers, Instrument Makers and the East India Company. Author: Schaffer, Simon. Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 43, No. 2, p. 151-180
Retrieved 20 April 2020
McConnell, Anita. “Hiding in the Forest … The Gilberts’ Rural Scientic Instrument Manufactory.” London and beyond: Essays in Honour of Derek Keene, edited by Matthew Davies and James A. Galloway, University of London Press, London, 2012, pp. 123–132
Accessed 24 Apr. 2020.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Thomas
1786 births
1873 deaths
People from Adelaide
Settlers of South Australia
Australian people of English descent
19th-century Australian people
Burials at West Terrace Cemetery