The Pomeroy and Gilbert Alliance

The connection between the Pomeroy and Gilbert families of Devonshire was established on February 24, 1679 (Old Style calendar) through the marriage of Joan Pomeroy and Humphrey Gilbert (1639–1715) at Stoke Gabriel. Joan was the daughter of Roger Pomeroy, Esq. (1629–1708) of Sandridge, a riverfront estate in Stoke Gabriel. Humphrey Gilbert belonged to the family of Compton Castle. Following the failure of the male line of the Sandridge branch of the Pomeroy family, the rights to the Sandridge lands were legally absorbed into the Gilbert holdings. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The eldest son of that union, John Gilbert, Esq. (1684–1733), married Anne Courtenay on July 14, 1712. To preserve his mother’s maternal family surname, they gave their second son the compound name Pomeroy Gilbert. [2]

The Life of Captain Pomeroy Gilbert

Pomeroy Gilbert was baptized at Stoke Gabriel on May 31, 1717. He inherited the primary responsibility of managing the family’s dual estate holdings, which included both Compton Castle and Sandridge. On August 24, 1738, he married Mary Williams, the daughter of Admiral Edmund Williams of Plymouth. [1, 2, 5]

Gilbert pursued a military career, eventually serving as a Captain in His Majesty’s 72nd Regiment of Foot. During his military tenure, his unit was deployed and quartered on the Island of Jersey. [2, 6]

While stationed in the Channel Islands, Captain Gilbert faced mounting legal and financial liabilities back in Devonshire. Official court records show multiple long-standing judgements for debt brought against him in the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas between 1738 and 1770. To satisfy these mounting liabilities, the historic Sandridge estate was formally placed on the market. In 1770, the property was sold to the prominent English lawyer John Dunning (later the 1st Baron Ashburton). This transaction permanently fractured the multi-century structural connection between the Pomeroy-Gilbert bloodline and the physical soil of Sandridge. [1, 3]

Captain Gilbert never returned to reside in Devon. He executed his final will and codicil on September 22, 1769, while living temporarily in Plymouth before his final deployment. He passed away on April 28, 1770, at the age of 54. He was buried at St. John Parish Church on the Island of Jersey. His physical stone wall monument records his absolute rank, status, and origin, reading: [1, 5, 6]

“Near this place lies the Body of POMEROY GILBERT late of Sandridge in the County of Devon Captain in his Majesty’s 72nd Regiment of Foot Quartered in this Island. He died the 28 of April 1770. Aged 54 Years.” [6]

Bibliography

Devon Record Office. STOKE GABRIEL, MARLDON: Records of the Gilbert Family (Ref: 48/14/133/2a-c & 48/14/133/3). Exeter: South West Heritage Trust. Contains the primary legal documentation of Pomeroy Gilbert’s1769 will, his Devon property descriptions, and the Court of King’s Bench judgements for debt spanning 1738–1770. [1]
Lysons, Daniel and Samuel Lysons. Magna Britannia: Volume 6, Devonshire. London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1822. Compiles peer-reviewed historical land registries documenting the direct descent of the Sandridge estate from the Pomeroy co-heiress down through the Gilberts, up to its physical transfer to John Dunning in 1770. [3]
St. John Parish Church Registers. Epitaph Transcripts of Jersey. St. John, Jersey. Records the authentic, unedited monumental inscription confirming Pomeroy Gilbert’s actual deployment, date of death (April 28, 1770), and verified age of 54. [6]
Stirnet Genealogy. Gilbert01 Family Index. Reconstructs the primary genealogical tree from the 1679 wedding of Humphrey Gilbert and Joan Pomeroy down through John Gilbert’s 1712 marriage to Anne Courtenay, and the exact vital dates of Captain Pomeroy Gilbert. [2]
Stoke Gabriel Parish Registers. Devon Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials. Exeter: Devon Heritage Centre. Preserves the primary ecclesiastical registrations for the 1717 baptism of Pomeroy Gilbert. [5, 7]