Introduction

I originally started this research in 1997 for myself and my immediate family, but the whole project has grown and introduced me to 'new cousins' also interested in the 'Gilbert's of Banham'. So now the circulation will be wider and more people will be able to comment and add to the story of all of our's family.

So far I have 'got back' as far as 1733. There is still much work that can be done in trying to develop some of the details of our ancestors and it would be wonderful if we can find links beyond this date. My knowledge of socal history is limited and an historian would help reveal more about how our ancesters lived and what drove them to settle in Banham and subsequently to move south in the Industrial Revolution.

All the following are my thoughts and impressions developed from the facts lying in parish records, census returns, maps, gazeteers, visiting the areas, and more recently from the internet, gleened initially to follow my direct line. Even they are not 'the truth'. Names are reused not only down the line, but across, and names are mispelt or nicknames used - errors can occur. Some links may need double checking or be disputed by others in the fullness of time, but Dr Nick Somogyi who used to work for the College of Arms checked my family tree in 1997 and agreed with it thus far.

To try to make it easier whilst writing this ever-changing document, I have put the dates of a person by their name and put the names in upper case eg ALEXANDRA (b1957). I hope this isn't too irritating, but organising the narrative became challenging once I went beyond births and deaths and tried to get a more detailed picture. I think this history works best when you have the actual family tree to consult alongside.

Apologies too for all the footnotes – not everyone's favourite thing – but essential as I got to the brain-befuddled stages and found myself asking “Why did I think that?”

Some of my speculations may be a bit free or coming from a point of ignorance, but hopefully in the future, I will find more information to help confirm, or send my suppositions in a different direction.

I have sometimes traced distantly related branches of the family as roads, in the future, to more information about our family through links with other genealogists or histories.

My move from England curtailed some of my investigations, which I hope may be picked up again at a later date or by others – maybe you!

Subscribing to Genes Reunited1 brought up 4 'cousins' (so far) whose research confirmed and added to mine and I hope that access to this narrative will help develop this 'history' further.

Also, there is a surname project (coming out of the USA) to genetically identify the Gilberts through male Y-DNA testing which (so far) has identified 37 geneticaly unique lines (now based mainly in the USA) carrying the Gilbert surname2. One of these lines is from ROBERT Gilbert (b1791) in Banham.  His living descendant, EDWARD Gilbert has also contributed to the document through his research.

Thank you to everyone for their generosity in sharing.

Our Gilbert family were skilled artisans and tradesmen who also farmed tithed and freehold land - millwright, brickmaker, engineer. The women married farmers. There doesn't seem to be any real skeletons in closets or links to the famous or infamous but it is the ordinary person who keeps the fabric of society rolling and we should be just as proud of them as any hero or superstar.

1.   www.genesreunited.co.uk
2.   www.janegilbert.org