William Gilbert (1799-1877) is a boot and shoemaker at the rugby school. He operated a small shop in town and was later acquired by Grace as a sporting goods store. By 1823, when William Webb Ellis first received the ball and ran, Gilbert had already provided the ball to the rugby school and the rugby game began.

In 1842, William Gilbert moved the shop to St Mathews Street in football. By 1851, Gilbert Rugby had grown in fame, winning medals at major exhibitions in London in 1851 and 1862.

In 1875, Richard Lindop invented the first rubber ball in rugby, modern rugby balls continued to evolve to improve the sense of passing and handling. When William Gilbert died in 1877, he was inherited by his nephew James, who sewed 2,800 balls a year. As the game develops, so does Gilberts' business. Gilbert began exporting balls to Australia, and his export business grew rapidly.

In 1946, Gilbert formed a joint venture with Glasgow-based football brand Thomlinsons, who was responsible for most of the brand's distribution and marketing efforts until the 1970s. , Gilbert's game ball is still the first choice.

With the advent of new materials and brands, challenging Gilberts’ traditional leather business, which had been through tough times, and the Gilbert family decided to sell the business in 1978. Grace expressed interest at the time but decided to refuse to buy it. In 2002, Grays of Cambridge Int Ltd acquired the Gilbert brand, which continues to guide ball technology, design and quality. Grays of Cambridge Int Ltd is still the owner of Gilbert Rugby today. The launch of the new Xact ball provides the good performance of rugby balls ever and was successfully used during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

In 2014, HSBC launched the World Sevens Rugby Series. The series involves rugby sevens teams from around the world, participating in 10 different games. Gilbert Rugby is honored to be appointed as a match ball supplier and continues to this day.

In 2016, the Olympics were held in Rio and the rugby sevens were introduced. It was a big moment for the sport and Gilbert, who was appointed as the official supplier of the Sevens.