William Tebb

Born in 1830, William Tebb was a British businessman, writer, and social reformer whose interests stretched across public health, social policy, and humanitarian causes. He became especially known for anti-vaccination activism, arguing against compulsory vaccination laws and helping organize campaigns around that issue in Britain.

Tebb also wrote on a strikingly different subject: the fear of premature burial. His best-known book, Premature Burial and How It May Be Prevented, reflected his fascination with medical uncertainty and the risks he believed could come from careless certification of death. That concern, like his vaccine activism, showed how strongly he questioned official systems and expert authority.

He died in 1918, leaving behind a complicated legacy. Supporters saw him as an energetic independent reformer, while critics viewed some of his campaigns as deeply misguided. Either way, he remains a revealing figure in the history of Victorian and Edwardian reform movements.