 John Norton's greatest commission was now on the horizon.William Gibbs (1790–1875) had become a partner in the family trading company and by the time of Queen Victoria's accession in 1837 had, with his brother Henry, circumspectly steered their business through the French Wars and the dissolution of Spanish colonial interests.William became sole owner in 1842 and the following 40 years produced annual profits that would have reached beyond his ancestors' imagining.