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Henry de Beltgens Gibbins

Age: 42

Sex: male

Date: 15 Aug 1907

Place: Shipley, West Yorkshire

Rev Dr Henry de Beltgens Gibbins MA was found dead in a Midland Railway tunnel between Leeds and Bradford.

He was a well-known economist and had recently been to Canada where he had worked at the Lennoxville University but had surrendered his post as Principal after completing twelve months having been utterly disappointed and suffering from ill health. He had then returned to the UK on a visit to see his wife's mother at Victoria Park in Colwyn Bay. After he had been to see his father for the weekend in Thackley, Bradford.

His father said that he was not in good health whilst in Canada and that he suffered from a weak heart and was subject to attacks of dizziness.

He was last seen after breakfast which he had between 8.30am and 9am in the grounds of Park Lodge at 9.20am.

He was shortly after found in the tunnel between the outer rail of the up line and the wall about 250 yards from the Shipley end of the tunnel.

Railway officials said that no open carriage doors were found but marks were found inside the carriage that he was supposed to have been in.

It was evident that the train had passed over him.

In his pocket’s they found a gold watch that had been presented to him by the wool-sorters of Bradford in 1881 in recognition of his services in connection with anthrax. A first-class ticket issued the previous morning from Shipley to Applerley was also found along with the return half of the ticket to Colwyn Bay.

He had been wearing his gold rimmed eye-glasses when he was found and an open letter was found nearby and it was thought that he had been reading the letter when he had some way or another fallen out of the train.

Books he had written included:

  • The Industrial History of England.
  • The History of Commerce In Europe.
  • English Social Reformers.
  • British Commerce and Colonies.
  • Industry in England.
  • The English People in the Nineteenth Century.
  • Economics of Commerce.

He had also been a contributor to Palgrave’s Dictionary of Political Economy.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Yorkshire Evening Post - Thursday 15 August 1907

see Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 17 August 1907

see Nottingham Evening Post - Wednesday 14 August 1907

see Wikipedia