William Raybould (ca 1836 – December 3, 1886) was a miner, merchant and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He represented

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

from 1882 until his death in 1886. Raybould came to

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

with his wife, the former Phoebe Shakespeare, in 1864 from

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1866, he opened a menswear store, the Nanaimo Emporium, in partnership with his brother-in-law

Noah Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...

. He served as a member of the first

Nanaimo City Council The Nanaimo City Council is the governing body for the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The council consists of the mayor and eight councillors. The councillors are councillors-at-large elected for the entire city. Municipal elections ar ...

in 1875. He worked for twenty years as pit head for a mine operated by the Vancouver Coal Company. Later in life, he assisted his wife with the management of her millinery shop. He died after falling from a wharf behind the shop while the tide was out, apparently investigating a noise from the shop. Raybould was 50 at the time and had been re-elected to a second term in the Legislature just a few months earlier.

References

Year of birth uncertain 1886 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Independent MLAs in British Columbia Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub