Jane died in 1628, and Edward married Mary Bluet; the family was evicted from their home during the English Civil War, but moved to their estate in Dunsford.

A few compositions of Gibbons survive: an organ prelude, two verse anthems, two works for viol consorts, and some sacred music.

Of these, commentators have mainly praised the verse anthems, How hath ye City sate solitary and What Strikes the Clocke?

Musicologist John Harley called the former particularly moving, and it was likely written for the 1603 London plague outburst to which Gibbons's brother Ellis may have succumbed to.

[7][8] His brother Ellis was born 1573 and later became a composer,[9] while 1581/82 saw the birth of Ferdinando, who eventually took William's place as wait.

[10] Orlando, who would become the most famous musician of the family,[11] was born in 1583 in Oxford,[12] although Edward and Ellis were still living in Cambridge at that time.

[10][17][n 5][n 6] Modern musicologists do not accept this claim since the detailed surviving records of Bristol do not include Gibbons's name.

[10][17][n 7] Musicologist Edmund Fellowes noted, however, that "It is not impossible that he may have been organist of one of the city churches in Bristol, for the tradition is of early origin".

[17][19][22] This suggests Gibbons moved to Exeter immediately after his 1598 leave from King's, which would create a logical chronology of this period.

[23] From 25 June 1608 on, Gibbons taught choristers at the Exeter Cathedral, with a salary of 50 and a quarter shillings split between him and the organist John Lugge.

[28] By 1614 Gibbons had become head (custos) of the college of priest-vicars and succentor by 1615,[2] the latter position being due to a mandate by Archbishop George Abbot.

[2] Walker relays that during the English Civil War Gibbons rejected a £500 demand from the Parliamentary Commissioner so he and his family were evicted from their home.

[33] Though the circumstances of his death are largely unknown, he seems to have died before July 1650, the month where the administration of his estate was given to someone else.

[38] Harley suggests that if the event in question was the 1603 outbreak in London, then "the words have a highly personal application", as they may refer to the death of Gibbons's brother Ellis that year.

[37] Besides the anthem, Gibbons's other surviving sacred music is settings of the 'Commandements and Creed' as well as the Credo for one alto, two tenor and two bass soloists.

[40][n 11] To explain this, the musicologist Joseph Kerman speculated that Edward was the actual author of one of these works, albeit without more than circumstantial evidence.