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Mary Ann Gilbert (1776 – 26 April 1845) was an English
agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...
.


Birth and childhood

Mary Ann Gilbert was the daughter of Thomas Gilbert, who was a grocer in
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
, Sussex. When he died in 1782, he left (by her own account) his widow and daughter almost penniless. After her mother's death in 1807, she frequently stayed with her uncle Charles at
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
.


Marriage

On 18 April 1808, she married Davies Giddy, a Cornish landowner, who had served as High Sheriff of the Duchy.THE ARCHIVE OF THE DAVIES-GILBERT FAMILY OF EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX, AND TRELISSICK, CORNWALL is held by East Sussex Record Office and consists of 2236 files. Its online catalogue entry provides much information about the family, under the heading "Administrative History.
/ref> He was an M.P. for Cornish constituencies from 1806 to 1832. Among his roles in Parliament was as Chairman of the Board of Agriculture. Mary Ann Gilbert was passionately concerned about low agricultural productivity and the plight of the rural poor. Davies was more interested in how the Parish Rate for the support of unemployed might be reduced. In 1814, Mary Ann Gilbert's uncle, Charles Gilbert, died. In his will, he left her much property in
Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, or to a future husband, if he changed his name to "Gilbert". In December 1817 Davies Giddy took his wife's surname, "Gilbert", to perpetuate it. In January 1818, the names of their children were also changed.


Agronomic experiment

Sharing her husband's interest, Mary Ann Gilbert managed some successful practical agronomical experiments at
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a Chalk Group, chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, East Sussex, Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters, Sussex, Seven Sisters. Beachy Head is located within the administrative ar ...
in feeding the poor, or rather, teaching them to feed themselves using land no one else wanted, for a fair rent. She presented the statistical results of these works to her husband's political, scientific and "County" contacts. She was also a prominent member of the
Labourer's Friend Society The Labourer's Friend Society was a society founded by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830 for the improvement of working class conditions. This included the promotion of allotment of land to labourers for "cottage husbandry" that late ...
(later the Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes). Among those who advised her were
Richard Whately Richard Whately (1 February 1787 – 8 October 1863) was an English academic, rhetorician, logician, philosopher, economist, and theologian who also served as a reforming Archbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland), Church of Ireland Archbishop of ...
, Anglican Archbishop of Dublin and his brother, the Vicar of Cookham in Berkshire,
Edwin Chadwick Sir Edwin Chadwick Order of the Bath, KCB (24 January 18006 July 1890) was an English social reformer who is noted for his leadership in reforming the Poor Laws in England and instituting major reforms in urban sanitation and public health. A ...
and William Gill, of
Chacewater Chacewater () is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated approximately east of Redruth. The hamlets of Carnhot, Cox Hill, Creegbrawse, Hale Mills, Jolly's Bottom, Salem, Saveock, Scorrier, Todpool, Twelve ...
, Cornwall.


Topographic illustrations

Her illustrations appear in Thomas Bond's ''Topographical and historical sketches of the boroughs of East and West Looe, in the county of Cornwall'' (1823). Bond was a cousin of her husband.Bond's biography appears in
ODNB The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
: John Westby-Gibson, ‘Bond, Thomas (1765–1837)’, rev. Christine North, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 5 June 2008The book, ''Topographical and historical sketches . . .'' is available online on GoogleBooks.
/ref>


Children

Of their eight children, three daughters and a son survived her husband. Their son,
John Davies Gilbert John Davies Gilbert (5 December 1811 – 16 April 1854) was a land owner, born in Eastbourne the son of Davies Gilbert and Mary Ann Gilbert. John Davies Gilbert and his son, Carew Davies Gilbert played a major role, as landowners, in the develop ...
(5 December 1811 – 16 April 1854) was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in April, 1834. He played a significant part, as landowner, in developing the town of
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...
.


Death

Mary Ann Gilbert died on 26 April 1845 at Eastbourne ''Gentleman's Magazine'' June 1845, New Series, vol. 23, page 626, "Obituary of Mary Ann Gilbert".
Available at Google Books


See also

*
British Agricultural Revolution The British Agricultural Revolution, or Second Agricultural Revolution, was an unprecedented increase in agricultural production in Britain arising from increases in labor and land productivity between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries. Agricu ...


Sources, Notes and References


Sources

* *
ODNB The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Mary Ann 1845 deaths English agronomists English illustrators 1776 births