Papers of Edmund Gibson

Reference:GB 227 EGIB
Alternative Id:
Dates of Creation:c.1700-1754
Physical Description:

Scope and Content
Papers include many letters to and from Gibson, including some to Robert Walpole, notes on canon law, papers on church administration, appointment of clergy, university lectureships, disposal of university prebends, on the Quaker Tithe Bill, on charity, ecclesiastical courts, commonplace books, accounts, receipts.
Volume 4 (ms5179 to ms5233):
This volume contains letters written by Edmund Gibson to John Carteret (1690-1763), Earl Granville; to Charles Townshend (1674-1738), 2nd Viscount Townshend; to Sir Thomas Pelham-Holles (1693-1768), 1st duke of Newcastle; to Edmund Waddington (1670?-1731), bishop of Gloucester; to Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745), 1st earl of Orford and to George Hooper (1640-1727), bishop of Bath and Wells together with letters from Carteret and Townshend to Gibson.
Volume 3 (ms5234 to ms5317):
The majority of items in this volume comprise letters addressed by a wide range of persons, mostly clerical, to Edmund Gibson, bishop of London, together with a few items of his own authorship.
[When describing the physical nature and extent of the letters in the above volumes the number of sheets refers to the number of leaves within the volume and the number of pages to those actually written on. It should be noted, for example, that a letter with 2 sheets and 3 pages may have been 1 sheet folded when in its original unbound letter format.]
Volume 12 (ms5325 to ms5427):
The range of material in this volume is wide, comprising miscellaneous items in the hand of Edmund Gibson together with various small accounts rendered for particular services, legal opinions, notes on parliamentary bills and copies of earlier legal documents. In addition to the eighteenth century material there is a list by Dalton of E.G.'s papers in the possession of C J Hill and a list by M.J. Sommerlad of the papers of E.G. held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford (see also http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk). Photocopies of ms5380 and ms5381 are contained in an envelope at the end of this collection.
In addition Mr Hill donated a further seven bound volumes in Gibson's hand bearing St Paul's library volume numbers:
no.22 (ms5318) Extracts from apocryphal New Testament writings and early Fathers ("Repertorium Religiosum Antiquae").
no.23 (ms5322) an index to various theological writings.
no.24 (ms5320) a bound concordance, by themes, of Canon Law.
no.31 (ms5319) a theological dictionary.
no.37 (ms5321) a bound concordance of the Bible(AV) by themes, probably for use in the preparation of sermons.
no.40 (ms5323) An Index of the Registers of Convocation.
Also included in the donation was a bound set of receiver's accounts, (ms5324).
The collection includes material relating to British political and Church history, theology, apologetics, patristics, biblical theology and canon law.
Administrative / Biographical History
Edmund Gibson (bap. 1669, d. 1748), influential bishop and statesman, was born in Bampton, Westmorland. After studying at Queen's College, Oxford, he was appointed domestic chaplain to Thomas Tenison (1695-1715), archbishop of Canterbury. He had also begun his publishing career, producing devotional tracts, pastoral pamphlets and scholarly historical and theological works including a new English edition of William Camden's "Britannia" (1695), and 2 major works on ecclesiastical law, "Synodus Anglicana" in 1702 and "Codex Juris Ecclesiae Anglicanae" in 1713. Promoted to the see of Lincoln in 1716, Gibson was translated in 1723 to the bishopric of London, where he remained until his death. An intimate of Walpole until the rejection of the Quakers' Tithe Bill (1736), he was Sir Robert's closest counsellor on matters ecclesiastical and wielded great influence in church circles.
Access Information
Generally open. Access to some material may be restricted, however, and contact with the Special Collections Department prior to visiting is advised.
The plans with the rest of the archive are available for research. Any commercial enquiries regarding current architectural work should be directed to Mr Alistair Graham.
Other Finding Aids
Hard copy list available in Reading Room
Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements
Two bound volumes correspondence, third set boxed.
Volume 3: Paper: From 18x10.6cm to 23.5x34.3cm. Binding, decorated calf embossed "Letters and Papers" on spine, repaired by Rafe Fleming, 14 March 1983 (binder's notes pasted inside back cover).
Volume 4: Paper: From 11x7.3cm to 32x19.8cm Binding, decorated calf with remains of two ties. Embossed "Letters and Papers" on spine.
Volume 12: Paper: From 16.5x19.6cm to 36x45.5cm.
Seven further bound volumes, full details of which are given with the appropriate item entry.
Appraisal Information
This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 227 procedures.
Custodial History
Gibson's papers passed to his grandson, Edmund Gibson, at whose death in 1798 the whole collection disappeared from public view to re-emerge, by chance, in 1889 when they were purchased for the library of St Paul's, London, by the sub-dean. In 1896 Gibson's descendants established at law their right in his papers, the greater part of which were accordingly dispersed from the library of St Paul's amongst the bishop's descendants, J C Dalton, Ernest Poore and C J Hill (of St Andrews). Of Mr Hill's portion of the papers, (volumes nos. 3, 4, 9 and 12), volumes 3, 4 and 12 were given to the University of St Andrews in 1928, volume 9 having been lost. Volume 3 comprises ms5234 to ms5317, Volume 4 comprises ms5179 to ms5233, while Volume 12 appears to have been boxed by St Paul's and has again been reboxed by St Andrews University Library. It contains ms5325 to ms5427 (plus later additions ms5428-9). The original volume numbers have been retained for the purposes of this listing.
Bibliography
Norman Sykes, while preparing his biography of Edmund Gibson ("Edmund Gibson, bishop of London, 1669-1748" Oxford, 1926 [BX5199.G6S9]), was given full access to Mr Hill's papers then held at Mr Hill's St Andrews residence and he reprints many either in part or in full. Volume 9 appears to have been lost prior to Sykes' inspection of the Hill manuscripts.