Gibbons’ Fifth Apprentice (Drapers’ Company Bindings Book 1655-89) 

On 29 June 1681, Samuel Dawes, was taken on as Gibbons’ fifth apprentice. It completes the pattern of Gibbons indenturing a new apprentice at roughly two year intervals, with his first four arriving in 1673, 1675, 1677 and 1679. At the point of Samuel Dawes joining the workshop, Gibbons’ first apprentice, Edward Sherwood, would have finished his apprenticeship just the year before. As a journeyman he was free to work for whom and wherever he liked but in all likelihood he would have remained in Gibbons’ burgeoning workshop which was growing to meet the demands of increasingly illustrious commissions, including Windsor Castle. It is also around this time that Gibbons entered into partnership with Arnold Quellin to produce stone sculpture, expanding his practice even further.

In this entry in the Drapers’ Bindings Book, Gibbons’ name is misspelt as ‘Gringling’ Gibbons. Over the years, his unusual name has produced various alternative spellings and pronunciations.