Greetings WLFHS people, from Vancouver, Canada. I'm a new member and excited to be part of your group.
If anyone is able to help me track down some living Gibb family members from Linlithgow or Bo'ness, I would be very much appreciative.
My earliest known paternal ancestor is Robert Gibbs (b. 13 Aug. 1736 Dunfermline - d. 5 Mar 1814 Bedfordshire). This genealogical brick wall does not have an obvious Scotland's People birth record though there are some suspiciously close ones in other years and counties. He migrated to Ampthill, Bedfordshire in 1745. (As the result of the Jacobite Rising of 1745?) Later he founded a prestigious family nursery dynasty.
There is a decent chance that I am directly related to Robert Gib, Lord of Carribber (~1490-1558). This is based upon an official coat of arms created for my Robert Gibbs's grandson by the College of Arms that is nearly identical to those of Robert Gib as outlined in George Duncan Gibb's "The Life and Times of Robert Gib, Lord of Carribber" and other public sources. We have the Rouge Croix correspondence record, though I realize a coa may not be much proof of anything. Recent genetic testing has shown that I am of Norman and Danish Viking paternal lineage which is in keeping with Duncan Gibb's controversial volumes on Robert Gib and this family's earliest origins.
Last August I had the amazing good fortune to visit the ruins of "Rob Gib's Castle" (aka Carribber Castle) located about 2 1/2 miles Northwest of Linlithgow and overlooking the Avon River. I can say the local scenery was straight out of the most wonderful movie. And I am from "Beautiful British Columbia."
Using (Sir) George Duncan's groundwork, I have discovered two living families who are maternal descendants of Robert Gib of Carribber. The ancestors of a third Gibb family have suspiciously similar names and origins to Robert Gib's family below (taken from Edinburgh physical records):
Patrick Gib, b 1428, Married Katherine de Carriber, daughter of Lord Carriber
James Gib, b 1460, Linlithgow b1428, son of Patrick
Robert Gib, Lord of Carribber b circa 1490, Linlithgow, son of James b1460
James Gibb, b 1515, West Lothian, son of Robert b 1491
Archibald Gib, b 1560, Bo'ness, West Lothian, son of James b 1515
Archibald Gibb, b 1496, Linlithgow, Son of James b1460
Archibald Gib, b 1590, Kinneal (Bo'ness) Scotland
Here are the earliest known ancestors of my new found Gibb friends of Montreal:
Archibald Gibb (Gib) & Jane Linkston m. 27 Nov 1791 Linlithgow, Scot.
Archibald Gibb & Mary Duncan m. 04 Aug 1822 Kirknewton and East Calder, Scot.
Archibald Gibb & Isabella Ruxton m. 11 Dec 1853 Whitburn, West Lothian, Scot.
Archibald Gibb & Barbara Linklater m. 03 Sep 1885 Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Scot.
So if you are aware of any existing Linlithgow or Bo'ness Gibb family members for me to contact, please let me know. Bo'ness especially seems to have been a historic enclave for the Gibb lineage.
Cheers,
Rob Brandreth-Gibbs
RobertG611
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
Gibb of Linlithgow and Bo'ness
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RobertG611
Re: Gibb of Linlithgow and Bo'ness
Apparently only daughter Jean was born in Linlithgow (1792). The next two daughters were born in Uphall and son Archibald was born in Kirkliston.
RBG
RBG
Re: Gibb of Linlithgow and Bo'ness
I used to live in Bo'ness and there are a number of Gibb families living there today. They would have attended Bo'ness Academy and you might be able to trace them through the Bo'ness Academy website.
The only way you can know if you are descended from a particular line is to start with yourself, your parents and then your grandparents and work methodically backwards until you establish a connection. It would take too long to start at the very beginning and work forwards because then you'll find lots of wrong turnings and have to retrace your steps. And, of course, you would probably find hundreds of Gibs/Gibbs with most of them not having a legitimate claim to the same ancestry as yourself but may claim it anyway.
Before civil registration in Scotland we have to rely on the Old Parish Registers which mainly date back to around 1538 and these can be seen on the Scotlands People website. Before 1538, you're mainly going to find titled families, families of some importance Royalty etc who would keep their own records of births, marriages and deaths etc. When a title was passed on to the eldest son, for example, there would be records of it but where you run into difficulty is if you are descended from the second or third son and that line would probably "disappear" from the records through time. So there will be many people who are actually descended from a particular line but proving it would be almost impossible.
One line of enquiry for you could be the office of the Lord Lyon of Scotland, where you'll be able to get information on heraldry in Scotland.
My own name is Grant and I lay claim to the Grant motto and crest which I feel I can legitimately use but I'm not related in any way to the Grant Clan which originates in Highland Scotland and my own family is from Lowland Scotland.
I wish you luck in your searching and I hope you can establish a connection.
Diana
The only way you can know if you are descended from a particular line is to start with yourself, your parents and then your grandparents and work methodically backwards until you establish a connection. It would take too long to start at the very beginning and work forwards because then you'll find lots of wrong turnings and have to retrace your steps. And, of course, you would probably find hundreds of Gibs/Gibbs with most of them not having a legitimate claim to the same ancestry as yourself but may claim it anyway.
Before civil registration in Scotland we have to rely on the Old Parish Registers which mainly date back to around 1538 and these can be seen on the Scotlands People website. Before 1538, you're mainly going to find titled families, families of some importance Royalty etc who would keep their own records of births, marriages and deaths etc. When a title was passed on to the eldest son, for example, there would be records of it but where you run into difficulty is if you are descended from the second or third son and that line would probably "disappear" from the records through time. So there will be many people who are actually descended from a particular line but proving it would be almost impossible.
One line of enquiry for you could be the office of the Lord Lyon of Scotland, where you'll be able to get information on heraldry in Scotland.
My own name is Grant and I lay claim to the Grant motto and crest which I feel I can legitimately use but I'm not related in any way to the Grant Clan which originates in Highland Scotland and my own family is from Lowland Scotland.
I wish you luck in your searching and I hope you can establish a connection.
Diana