Joseph Gilbert (Royal Navy Officer)
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Joseph Gilbert (1732–1831) was a British naval officer who was
Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
of HMS '' Resolution'' on the second voyage of Captain James Cook. As Master he was responsible for a number of specific duties, especially navigation. He was born in
Kirton, Lincolnshire Kirton or Kirton in Holland is a historic market town and civil parish in the Borough of Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 5,371. History The Domesday Book of 1086 terms the village ''Ch ...
, the youngest child of John Gilbert, a farmer and Churchwarden of Kirton and later Freiston. He joined the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
and rose to the rank of ship's Master. Between 1764 and 1769 he was Master of HMS ''
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
'' which surveyed the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was afterwards Master of HMS ''
Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
'', which surveyed Plymouth Sound, and then of HMS ''
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
''. He was then chosen, at the relatively advanced age of 40, by
Captain James Cook Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 1768 and 1779. He complet ...
to be Master of HMS ''Resolution'' for his second voyage of discovery. This took place between 1772 and 1775 with the primary objective of locating ''Terra Australis Incognita'', a continent which was presumed to lie in the southern Pacific. As a capable surveyor and draughtsman Gilbert produced several finely drawn charts on the voyage. On their return to England, Cook presented him with his watch. On retirement from seagoing duties, Gilbert served as a Lieutenant from 1776 to 1791 as Master Attendant at
Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...
,
Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...
and then
Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...
. His last position was as Master Attendant at
Deptford Dockyard Deptford Dockyard was an important Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard and base at Deptford on the River Thames, operated by the Royal Navy from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It built and maintained warships for 350 years, and man ...
between 1791 and 1802. He retired to Hampshire in 1802 with his unmarried daughter Frances. His eldest son, George (1759–1786), sailed with Cook on his third voyage. His second son Richard (1767–1848) also served in the Royal Navy.


References

2. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, sv Gilbert, Joseph and other sources cited there {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Joseph 1732 births 1821 deaths People from Kirton, Lincolnshire Royal Navy officers English hydrographers Military personnel from Lincolnshire