1839 - Gilberts

There were Gilberts in Chirton and Urchfont in the 17th and 18th centuries, but the first Gilbert we hear of in Wilcot was Robert (1754-1839) who was buried here. One of his children was David (1786-1873), who lived at Stowell and worked as a carpenter. His son, another David (1827-99), was also a carpenter, and built Oak Farm:

He was promoted to bailiff of the Wilcot Manor estate in about 1896, and we have their estate accounts. At some point he was the Wilcot constable, as the indefatigable Reverend Sykes recorded in 1906:

Delightfully, he could be not only a constable but also in the 1890s a church warden:

David’s son Sidney Samuel (1853-1931) is seen here with his wife Annie (died 1938), and their two children, Willie (1886-1956) and Percy (1889-1960):

See Colin Bouch’s A History of Wilcot, pages 105-108 for Annie’s diary around 1914.

The Gilberts had a building yard at 29 Wilcot – on the site of The Limes. Here it is, with, from left to right, Percy Gilbert, B Hopkins, Willie Gilbert, Les Pearce, Sidney Samuel Gilbert, Tom Spanswick and Charlie Lovelock:

In 1922, they built the new

lychgate for the church in memory of Lord Ernest St Maur.

In the 1930s they built a new house beside the building yard, and called it The Limes.

The house was replaced by the current building in the 1960s after they had left.

Peter Gilbert, Sammie’s son, was one of those from the village who served in WWII.

Some Gilberts, perhaps related, had emigrated from nearby to Australia in the mid-19th century, and the estate they developed ended up producing a rather good wine named after the Pewsey Vale.