The Manor of Gilberts was one of the areas of land that William Penn set aside for himself as the Proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania. The Manor was located on the along the left (northeastern) bank of the Schuylkill River, extending above and below the Perkiomen Creek. The Manor was created on 8 October 1683 when Penn wrote a warrant assigning the Manor to himself. The tract was named after his paternal grandmother Joanne (Gilbert) Penn's family.