Sir Benjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs (8 January 1821 – 2 June 1885) was an agriculturalist and horticulturalist who was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

for his services to both by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1878.

Early life

Brandreth-Gibbs was born at Brompton Hall in London and baptized in 1821 in

Maulden Maulden is a village and civil parish located in the county of Bedfordshire. The village is located 1.5 miles east of Ampthill and about south of Bedford. It has about 1,250 homes and 3130 residents. Maulden is referred to in the Domesday Bo ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, the youngest son of horticulturalist Thomas GibbsBenjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs on the Silk Weavers and Stay Makers website
/ref> who founded 'Thomas Gibbs & Co., Seedmerchants' of Half-moon Street, London. Benjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs studied under the Rev Henry Smith Pollard MA and Rev M Marcus MA and was about to enter

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

with intention of proceeding to the

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

but suddenly decided to turn his attention to agricultural pursuits.''The Illustrated London News'' - 22 December 1855 pg 726

Career

He was a Superintendent in Class 9 - agricultural machinery, one of the largest sections - at

The Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took ...

of 1851 and was a juror in the same class. He was one of the members of the Executive Committee formed after The Great Exhibition to set up a Memorial to the Exhibition which was to be in the form of "a testimonial of admiration and esteem" to

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

, whose statue was to be its chief feature. The idea caused some embarrassment to Prince Albert and various other schemes were considered until the death of the Prince in 1861 led to his statue being put at the centre of the

Albert Memorial The Albert Memorial is a Gothic Revival Ciborium (architecture), ciborium in Kensington Gardens, London, designed and dedicated to the memory of Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Great Britain. Located directly north of the Royal Albert Ha ...

. Brandreth-Gibbs was engaged by the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

in superintending the selection of agricultural machinery for the British display at the

Paris Exhibition Paris Exposition or Paris Exhibition can refer to * French Industrial Exposition of 1844 * Exposition des produits de l'industrie française, held intermittently from 1798 to 1849 * Exposition Universelle (1855), the Paris Exposition of 1855 * Expos ...

of 1855; the display won five gold medals. He was a Superintendent on the Agricultural and Horticultural Committee of the

International Exhibition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

of 1862 when he oversaw the display of agricultural implements in the eastern uncovered annexe at

The Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around ...

. He was awarded the rank of Commander in the

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph () was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes The order was originally awarded in three classes: ''G ...

of Austria and Officer in the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He was

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

on 27 November 1878 for services to horticulture. He was the Honorary Director of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

for 32 years and was president in 1884. He was a Member of the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and was known as the English Agricultural Society until it received i ...

and was the Honorary Secretary of the Royal Smithfield Club for 35 years and a vice-president from 1878 to his death in 1885.

Death

Benjamin Thomas Brandreth-Gibbs died in 1885 aged 64 years at his home Moseley House in West Kensington Park in London. He is buried in

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

with his wife Catherine Mary (née Jackson) whom he married in 1870Lady Catherine Mary Brandreth-Gibbs - ''Dod's Peerage'' (1923)
/ref> and who died in 1937 aged 86, his daughter Catherine Alice who died in 1951 aged 78, and his infant sons Alsted (1876-1878) and Millard Brandreth-Gibbs (1880-1881). Another son was Villiers Gibbs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandreth-Gibbs, Benjamin Thomas 1821 births 1885 deaths English agriculturalists Officers of the Legion of Honour Royal Horticultural Society Burials at Brookwood Cemetery