lished writings are: 1. ‘A Salutation of the Father's Love unto the Young Men and Virgins, who are in the Openings of the Prophesies in Visions and in Revelations,’ &c., 1663, written in 1661 in Shrewsbury gaol. 2. ‘The Everlasting Rule born witness unto … in words,’ 1667. 3. ‘Universal Love, being an Epistle given forth by the Spirit of God through His Suffering Servant, William Gibson,’ 1671; republished 1672; written in Maidstone gaol. 4. ‘Tythes ended by Christ with the Levitical Priesthood,’ &c., 1673. Part by T. Rudyard and George Watt. 5. ‘A False Witness examin'd and rebuk'd,’ &c., 1674. 6. ‘The Life of God which is the Light and Salvation of Men Exalted: or an Answer to six Books or particular Treatises given forth by John Cheyney …’ 1677. 7. ‘Election and Reprobation Scripturally and Experimentally Witnessed unto, &c.,’ 1678. 8. ‘A Christian Testimony born by the People of God, in scorn call'd Quakers, in London …’ 1679. Part by Thomas Rudyard. 9. ‘A General Epistle given forth in obedience to the God of Peace …’ &c., 1682.
[Neal's Hist. of the Puritans, ed. 1822, v. 267; Gough's Hist. of the Quakers, iv. 3; Besse's Sufferings, i. 255, &c.; Smith's Catalogue of Friends' Books.]
GIBSON, WILLIAM (1664–1702), miniature-painter, was nephew of Richard Gibson, the dwarf [q. v.], from whom he received instruction. He was also a pupil of Sir Peter Lely, and was very successful in his copies of Lely's works. He attained great eminence as a miniature-painter, and was largely employed by the nobility. At the sale of Lely's collection of prints and drawings by the old masters, Gibson bought a great number, and added considerably to them by subsequent purchases. He resided in the parish of St. Giles-in-the-Fields, and died of a ‘lethargy’ in 1702, aged 58. He was buried at Richmond in Surrey.
[Walpole's Anecd. of Painting, ed. Dallaway and Wornum; De Piles's Lives of the Painters; Brit. Mus. Addit. MS. 19131 (Davy MSS.) fol. 257; Manning and Bray's Hist. of Surrey, i. 433.]
GIBSON, WILLIAM (1720–1791), self-taught mathematician, born at Boulton, near Appleby, Westmoreland, in 1720, worked on a farm from childhood, and afterwards obtained a farm of his own at Hollins, near Cartmel Fell, Lancashire. He received no education whatever in youth, but in early manhood taught himself to read a book on arithmetic, and developed an extraordinary power of working out sums of all kinds in his head. He afterwards taught himself writing, and studied geometry, trigonometry, algebra, and astronomy, in all of which he proved himself an expert. He finally acquired a knowledge of the higher mathematics in all their branches, and answered correctly for many years the problems propounded in the ‘Gentleman's Diary,’ the ‘Ladies' Diary,’ the ‘Palladium,’ and similar publications. His fame spread, and he was consulted by mathematicians in various parts of England. About 1750 he opened a school at Cartmel for eight or ten pupils, who boarded at his farmhouse. He also obtained a good practice as a land-surveyor. He died from a fall at his house at Blawith, near Cartmel, on 4 Sept. 1791, leaving a widow and ten children. A son of the same name, employed at the Bank of England, died at Pentonville on 13 Feb. 1817, aged 64.
[Gent. Mag. 1791 pt. ii. 1062–4, 1817 pt. i. 188; Chalmers's Biog. Dict.]
GIBSON, WILLIAM, D.D. (1738–1821), catholic prelate, fifth son of Jasper Gibson of Stonecrofts, near Hexham, Northumberland, was born on 2 Feb. 1738, and educated in the English College at Douay, where he was ordained priest. He came back on the mission in 1765, and for many years he resided in the family of the Silvertops of Minster-Acres. He was president of Douay College from 1781 till 1790, when he was appointed vicar-apostolic of the northern district of England in succession to his elder brother, Matthew Gibson [q. v.] His consecration as bishop of Acanthos, in partibus, took place at Lulworth Castle, 5 Dec. 1790. He entered actively into the disputes between the bishops and the ‘catholic committee’ on the question of catholic relief [see Butler, Charles, 1750–1832], and was mainly instrumental in establishing a new college for the refugees from Douay, by which the famous English College has been perpetuated at Ushaw [see Allen, William, cardinal, and Eyre, Thomas]. He died at Durham, which had always been his episcopal residence, on 2 June 1821, and was buried at Ushaw College.
He compiled a French grammar for the use of Douay College, and translated from the French of M. de Mahis ‘The Truth of the Catholic Religion proved from the Holy Scriptures,’ Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1799, 8vo. ‘A Conversation between the Right Hon. Edmund Burke and the R.R. Dr. Gibson,’ in reference to the proposed government veto on the appointment of catholic bishops, appeared at London, 1807, 8vo.
His portrait, drawn by W. M. Craig, and roughly lithographed by Vowkes, is inserted
