Contents [hide]

Gilby History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Gilby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Gilby family

The surname Gilby was first found in Lincolnshire at Gilby, a hamlet in the parish of Pilham. 1 However, more records point to Leicestershire where the surname was descended from the tenant of the lands of Galby or Gilby held by Robert Burdet's son from Hugh Grandesnil, a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

The earliest record of the family was Geoffrey Gilbe who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire in 1327. A few years later, John Gilby was listed in 1414. 2

Early History of the Gilby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilby research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1414, 1510, 1531, 1535, 1561, 1571, 1585, 1603, 1619 and 1645 are included under the topic Early Gilby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilby Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gilby, Gilbey, Gilbie, Guilbey, Gillbie, Gillby and others.

Early Notables of the Gilby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Anthony Gilby (c.1510-1585), an English clergyman and preacher in Leicestershire, known as a radical Puritan and translator of the Geneva Bible...
Goddred Gilby, the elder son, who was with his father at Geneva, translated Cicero's ‘Epistle to Quintus,’ London, 1561, 12mo, and Calvin's ‘Admonition against Judicial Astrology,’...
The younger, Nathaniel, of Christ's College and fellow of Emmanuel, Cambridge, was tutor to Joseph Hall, Bishop of Norwich, whose mother was one of Gilby's congregation...

Gilby migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gilby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jacob Gilby, a servant sent to Virginia in 1666
Ann Gilby, who landed in Maryland in 1673 3

Gilby Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Gilby, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 3
Henry Gilby, a bonded passenger who arrived in Maryland in 1768

Gilby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wm. Gilby, who arrived at Philadelphia in 1803

Gilby migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gilby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Francis Gilby, British Convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Miss Ann Gilby, (b. 1816), aged 18 who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1843 5

Gilby migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gilby Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Gilby, (b. 1846), aged 27, English labourer from Northampton travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Surat" going to Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand in 1873, the ship sunk at the Catlins River all the passengers were transported to Dunedin via various rescure vessels 6

Gilby migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Gilby Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Robert Gilby, aged 18, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 3
Mr. John Fox Robert Gilby, (b. 1616), aged 18, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Gilby (post 1700) +

William Hall Gilby (d. 1821), English geologist, the son of William Gilby, M.D., an English physician 8

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020