Edmund Gibson

Edmund Gibson (1669 – 6 September 1748) was an English divine and jurist. He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's College, Oxford. Shortly after Thomas Tenison's elevation to the see of Canterbury in 1694 Gibson was appointed chaplain and librarian to the archbishop, and in 1703 and 1710 respectively he became rector of Lambeth and archdeacon of Surrey. In 1716 Gibson was presented to the see of Lincoln, w... more

Edmund Gibson (1669 – 6 September 1748) was an English divine and jurist. He was born in Bampton, Westmorland. In 1686 he was entered a scholar at Queen's College, Oxford. Shortly after Thomas Tenison's elevation to the see of Canterbury in 1694 Gibson was appointed chaplain and librarian to the archbishop, and in 1703 and 1710 respectively he became rector of Lambeth and archdeacon of Surrey. In 1716 Gibson was presented to the see of Lincoln, whence he was in 1720 translated to that of London. For twenty-five years he exercised influence, being consulted by Sir Robert Walpole on ecclesiastical affairs. While a conservative in church politics, and opposed to Methodism, he was no persecutor, and indeed broke with Walpole on the Quakers' Relief Bill of 1736. He exercised oversight over the morals of his diocese; and his denunciation of the masquerades which were popular at court finally lost him the royal favour. He served as a founding governor of a charity called the Foundling... less