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William Gilbert (20 May 1804 – 3 January 1890) was a British writer and Royal Navy surgeon. He wrote a considerable number of novels, biographies, histories, essays (especially about the dangers of alcohol and the plight of the poor) and popular fantasy stories, mostly in the 1860s and 1870s. Some of these have been reprinted in recent decades and are still available today. He is best remembered, however, as the father of dramatist W. S. Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan. ==Life and career== Gilbert was born at Bishopstoke, Hampshire, the eldest son of William (1780–1812), a grocer in Commercial Row, Blackfriars, London, and his wife Sarah ''née'' Mathers (1782–1810).〔Ainger, family tree and pp. 5 and 13. Gilbert's ODNB entry says her name was Catherine, but Ainger's extensive, and later, research on family history is clear.〕 Both his parents died of tuberculosis by the time William was seven years old, and thereafter, he and his younger siblings, Joseph and Jane, were raised in London by their mother's sister and her husband, Mary ''nee'' Mathers (b. 1778) and John Samuel Schwenck (d. 1865), a childless and financially comfortable couple. Gilbert's father had also left the children legacies that would be invested by their uncle until the youngest had reached age 21, so Gilbert's would not be due to him until age 26. With the three young Gilbert children, the Schwencks soon moved from Lambeth to a larger house in Clapham, where they raised the children with affection.〔Ainger, pp. 13–14〕 Gilbert served the East India Company as a midshipman from 1818 (age 14) to 1821 but was unhappy with the conditions, and so he quit the service. He then spent several years in Italy, returning to England about 1825. There he studied at Guy's Hospital and served as an assistant surgeon in the navy, and then he entered the Royal College of Surgeons in 1830. At this time, he received his an annuity from his father's estate, giving him financial independence, and also published a volume of his poetry. He first married Mary Ann Skelton in 1832, who died two years later at around age 20. By this time, he had privately published another book, but after the death of his wife, he published no more for many years. He married Anne Mary Bye Morris (1811–1888), age 24, on 14 February 1836. She was the daughter of Thomas Morris (1760–1849), an apothecary, and Christiana ''nee'' Sutherland (1777–1845). The couple's famous son, W. S. Gilbert, was born on 18 November 1836 at the Morris's house in Southampton Street. The Gilberts then moved to Hammersmith, near Anne's sister Harriet and her family.〔Ainger, family tree and pp. 14–16〕 In 1838, Gilbert took his wife and toddler on a long trip to Italy, where he had lived as a young man. There, their daughter Jane Morris Gilbert (1838–1906) was born. In 1841, Gilbert's brother and sister, Joseph and Jane, both died of tuberculosis. Gilbert received some property owned by his sister and became a potential co-guardian to Joseph's two young sons, together with the Schwencks. In 1843, his daughter Mary Florence (1843–1911) was born. In early 1845, Gilbert decided to take custody of his two young nephews from their mother, Catherine, who had begun a relationship with an officer of the East India Company. She brought a custody lawsuit and her children were returned to her. Amidst considerable publicity critical of Gilbert and the Schwencks, Gilbert fled with his young family to Boulogne, France, where his daughter, Anne Maude (1845–1932), was born. The family lived there for two years and returned to London in 1847, moving to Brompton.〔Ainger, pp. 17–20〕 Gilbert and Anne "led an increasingly quarrelsome life" in London.〔Stedman, Jane. ("Gilbert, William (1804–1890)" ), ''Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 21 January 2013〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Gilbert (author)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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