George Stacey Gibson FLS (20 July 1818 – 11 April 1883), was a British banker, botanist and philanthropist.

Early life

George Stacey Gibson was born in

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. Th ...

, Essex on 20 July 1818, the only child of

Wyatt George Gibson Wyatt George Gibson (28 July 1790 – 1862) was a British banker. Early life He was born on 28 July 1790, the son of Atkinson Francis Gibson and Elizabeth Wyatt. Career He ran the Saffron Walden and North Essex Bank, which in 1906 became part ...

(1790–1862) and Deborah, daughter of George Stacey of Alton, Hampshire. He was a nephew of Jabez Gibson.

Career

The Gibson family of Saffron Walden owned a brewery, an extensive chain of public houses, a bank and a number of substantial residential properties in the town. As a botanist, Gibson discovered various plants, was made a

Fellow of the Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...

in 1847, and published ''Flora of Essex''. However, after the death of his father had to focus on running the Saffron Walden and North Essex Bank, of which he was the sole proprietor. In 1874, he had

William Eden Nesfield William Eden Nesfield (2 April 1835 – 25 March 1888) was an English architect. Like his some-time partner, Richard Norman Shaw, he designed several houses in Britain in the revived 'Old English' and 'Queen Anne' styles during the 1860s and 1 ...

build a new bank on the east side of the Market Place. It is now a branch of

Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...

and Grade II* listed.

Personal life

On 16 July 1845, he married Elizabeth Tuke, the daughter of

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

and Priscilla Tuke, and brother of

William Murray Tuke William Murray Tuke (1822-1903), was a British tea merchant and banker. Early life William Murray Tuke was born in 1822, the son of Samuel Tuke and Priscilla Hack, the daughter of James Hack of Chichester, and his wife, Hannah Jeffreys. Career ...

. In 1845, and they moved to Hill House, 75 High Street, Saffron Walden. Their only child, Mary Wyatt Gibson was born in Saffron Walden on 19 April 1855. She had had learning difficulties, and lived at Hill House until her death in 1934. After her death, most of the grounds of Hill House were developed for housing, and the family name lives on in Gibson Gardens, Gibson Way and Gibson Close.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, George Stacey 1818 births 1883 deaths British botanists British philanthropists British Quakers Fellows of the Linnean Society of London George Stacey People from Saffron Walden 19th-century British businesspeople