Henry Mabb

Who was Henry Mabb?

Henry Liddell Mabb was a politician, Mountie, and Rancher who lived in Manitoba, Canada.

Born at Hull in Yorkshire, England, Henry was christened at Holy Trinity Church. He was the son of Henry Liddell Mabb, Sr. and Ellen Holder, both of whom were born and raised in Yorkshire, England. The eldest child among 12, Henry Mabb, jr. lived an exceptional life in three countries.

Sometime in the late 19th century, Henry Liddell Mabb Sr. relocated the family to Antwerp, Belgium. They settled in the British ex-pat community and were congregants at the Chapelle des Tanneurs, which had served as the place of worship for Anglicans in Antwerp since 1821. Several of his brothers and sisters were christened in the chapel. Henry was also educated at the Athénée Royal. He studied and reputedly mastered 4 languages while living in Belgium.

The Mabb family appears to have moved back to England, where brother Stanley Holder Mabb was born at Sutton in 1886. The family moved to Canada in spring of 1887, with Winnipeg as their ultimate destination. However, according to a 1911 census document, for some reason Henry indicates he immigrated to Canada in 1890. Other family testimonials suggest the senior Mabb family might have made its way into Canada and specifically Manitoba from the United States, but there is no documentation to support this.