William Gibb
William Gibb of Gartcows (1736-1791)
His son was John Gibb (1776-1850), and his grandson was Alexander Gibb (1804-1867).
William Gibb was one of the first civil engineers in Britain and the first in the Gibb family line.
He was born in 1736, but sadly lost his father when he was six. He began working life as a mason, and like other master builders of his time, gained knowledge through the hands, of tools and materials. He grew to become what he would've called an architect, but what we would now call a civil engineering contractor.
Completing it in contract time, his last work was the aqueduct that carries the Forth and Clyde Canal over the Kelvin river. In doing so he lost all his money. He died leaving his family motto: Fides praestantior auro - 'To keep faith is better than riches.'[1]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Alexander Gibb The Story of an Engineer by Godfrey Harrison