Thomas Gilbert

Thomas Gilbert ( – 18 December 1798) was a British lawyer, soldier, land agent and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1773 to 1794. As one of the earliest advocates of poor relief, he played a major part in the Relief of the Poor Act of 1782. Early life Gilbert was the son of Thomas Gilbert of Cotton, Staffordshire. He entered Inner Temple in 1740 and was called to the bar in 1744. In 1745 he accepted a position in the regiment created by Lord Gower, the brother-in-law of the Duke of Bridgewater. His first wife was named Miss Phillips whom he married between December 1761 and January 1762. When he married her he bought her a lottery ticket, and she won one of the largest prizes in the country. She died on 22 April 1770 and he married secondly to Mary Crauford daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel George Crauford. Political career