Wikipedia
(Motto: Mallem Mori Quam Mutare/ I Prefer Death to Change)
The Davies-Gilbert family developed the towns of Eastbourne and East Dean in Sussex in the 19th century. They also owned the Estate of Trelissick, Truro (Cornwall) from 1844 until it was sold in 1913. There is some disagreement whether they are related to the Gilberts of Compton, Devon (whose most famous member was Sir Humphrey Gilbert) however, family research carried out in the late 18th Century did not reveal a definitive link. There has been no research carried out since then. The earliest traceable member of the family is Thomas Gilbert (d. 1567).
"Trelissick" in Feock with Devoran and Carnon Down in the
19th Century (Part 2), by the Feock Local History Group (1973),
republished 2006 (pages 39-50).
Famous family members include Davies Gilbert (1767-1839, known as Davies Giddy before 1818). He was an engineer, author and High Sheriff of Cornwall. He was President of the Royal Society of Science from 1827 to 1830, and was a Member of Parliament as well. There have been several books written about, or by, the family. The book Beyond the blaze is the most famous of these.