Gilbert de Gant,[1] 1st Earl of Lincoln (c. 1126–1156) was an English nobleman who fought for King Stephen during The Anarchy.
He was the son of Walter de Gant and Maud of Brittany.[2] An uncle, Robert de Gant, was Lord Chancellor for King Stephen.[3]
While still fairly young, Gilbert fought on the side of king Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, where he was captured along with the king.[4] He was then compelled to marry Rohese de Clare, daughter of Richard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford and Adeliza de Meschines, and a niece of Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester.
In 1149 or 1150 the king made him Earl of Lincoln as a rival to William de Roumare, who had gone over to the side of Empress Matilda.[5]
He and Rohese had only one child, a daughter, Alice de Gant, who married Simon III de Senlis, son of Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton.[6]
He founded Rufford Abbey c. 1148 in Nottinghamshire, England.