On 28 August 1859 an English mariner named Francis Gibbs, aged 48, died of chronic gastroenteritis in Barcelona. He was described the husband of 'Isabel' Tidbury (Elizabeth Tidbury, I presume) and the son of 'Guillermo & Isabel' - surely one William Gibbs and his wife Elizabeth.
Francis' precise origin is unclear but a possible error in the death record provides a clue. The full name of the deceased is given as 'Francis Gibbs y Newbury' and he is stated to be a native of 'Becr, Inglaterra'. Under Spanish naming customs this should indicate that his mother's birth surname was Newbury. Perhaps though there was some confusion after Francis' death, and the entry actually means that he was from Newbury, Berks.?
SOURCE: City of Barcelona Deaths 1859, Volume 4, Entry 252, Barcelona Municipal Archive
Francis' precise origin is unclear but a possible error in the death record provides a clue. The full name of the deceased is given as 'Francis Gibbs y Newbury' and he is stated to be a native of 'Becr, Inglaterra'. Under Spanish naming customs this should indicate that his mother's birth surname was Newbury. Perhaps though there was some confusion after Francis' death, and the entry actually means that he was from Newbury, Berks.?
SOURCE: City of Barcelona Deaths 1859, Volume 4, Entry 252, Barcelona Municipal Archive
