Sir John T. Gilbert, Irish Historian and Archivist
Published on 23rd January 2014
John Thomas Gilbert, born in Dublin on the 23rd January 1829, was the author of the influential three-volume 'History of the City of Dublin', published from 1854-59. He was a firm advocate of documenting the history of his native city using primary sources. His work on manuscripts relating to the city alerted him to the need for the preservation of Irish public records, many of which were in a neglected and vulnerable condition. He commenced a campaign, which eventually led to the setting up of the Public Records Office in the Four Courts. He calendared the records of Dublin Corporation, which date from the twelfth century, and began the series of printed volumes 'The calendar of ancient records of the city of Dublin'.
Brief Biography
John Thomas Gilbert was the son of John Gilbert, an English Protestant, and Marianne Costello, an Irish Catholic. He was born in house no. 23 Jervis Street, Dublin, on the 23rd January 1829. He was educated at Bective College, Dublin, and at Prior Park, near Bath, England. In 1846 his family moved to Blackrock, County Dublin, where he lived until his death in May 1898.
In 1855 he became a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and secretary of the Irish Celtic and Archaeological Society. He also became librarian of the Royal Irish Academy. In 1891 he married the Irish novelist Rosa Mulholland. He was knighted in 1897 for his services to archaeology and history.
He died on the 23rd May 1898.
A biography, 'Life of Sir John T. Gilbert', written by his wife Rosa Mulholland Gilbert was published in 1905. She died in 1921. View the biography online.
The Gilbert Collection
John T. Gilbert's valuable library of mainly 17th and 18th century books and manuscripts relating to Dublin and Ireland was purchased by Dublin Corporation after his death in 1898. It forms the nucleus of the special collections of Dublin City Public Libraries housed in the Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street.
The printed catalogue of the books and manuscripts of the Gilbert collection compiled by Douglas Hyde, LL.D & D.J. O'Donoghue is available for consultation in the Reading Room, Dublin City Library & Archive but may also be consulted free online.
The Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Commemorative Lectures
The Gilbert Lecture Series was inaugurated in 1998, the year which marked the centenary of the death of Sir John T. Gilbert. The aim of the series is to celebrate the life and work of Gilbert, and the history of Dublin, the city whose past he wished to uncover and bring before a wider public.
The 15th annual lecture in the Gilbert Lecture Series, 'Sir John T. Gilbert (1829-1898): Life, Works and Context' by Brendan Twomey (32pp. €10), was held at Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street on the 23rd January 2012.
This evening (Thursday, 23rd January), fittingly enough, on this the anniversary of his birth, the 17th annual Sir John T. Gilbert Commemorative Lecture "Alleys, annals and anecdotes:a new look at Gilbert’s History of Dublin" will be given by Dr. Séamas Ó Maitiú, historian and author. Admission is free and no booking is required, but you are advised to come early to avoid disappointment as places will be limited.
The print version of last year's lecture, "Dublin after Dark: Glimpses of Life in an Early Modern City", given by Maighréad Ní Mhurchadha, Local Historian, will also be launched this evening.
Listen below to the 15th annual lecture while following the presentation:
John T. Gilbert was born on this day in 1829.