GILBERT, JOHN [SSNE 3895]
Text source
John Gilbert served in Muscovy from the early 1600s as a captain and engineer and had a family there. In January 1619, Gilbert was likely at Archangelsk when he met Isaac Massa, a Dutch grain trader, traveller and diplomat. Later Gilbert became a royal jeweler and mintmaster in Britain. In 1625 he proposed to debase English coinage following Russia's example. In 1627-1628 he reappeared in Moscow with a recommendation from King Charles 1 as a mining expert and inventor. He was a member of the Muscovy company, and also engaged in trade.
Sources: J. Howard, The Scottish Kremlin Builder. Christopher Galloway; Clockmaker, Architect and Engineer to Tsar Mikhail, the first Romanov (Edinburgh, 1997), p.6; D. Fedosov, The Caledonian Connection (Aberdeen, 1996); The Hague, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, 78 H 56, fo. 15v.
This entry was kindly updated by Dr Thomas Brochard.
Service record
- RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY
- Arrived 1600-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Departed 1600-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- STUART KINGDOMS,
- Arrived 1625-01-01
- Departed 1627-12-31
- Capacity MINTMASTER, purpose CIVIL SERVICE
- RUSSIA, RUSSIAN ARMY
- Arrived 1627-01-01, as MINER/ INVENTOR
- Departed 1630-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, MERCHANT, INVENTOR, purpose MILITARY, TRADE, CIVIC