Amateur historian finds lost and forgotten Bram Stoker story 'Gibbet Hill' after over a century

After being lost for over a century, legendary gothic author Bram Stoker’s forgotten short novel Gibbet Hill was found at the National Library of Ireland, the BBC reported on Saturday.

Published only seven years before Stoker’s classic Dracula, Gibbet Hill was first published in a Dublin newspaper in 1890, however, it was never documented since and was thought lost to time until the amateur historian Brian Cleary found the piece of cultural history.

According to Stoker biographer Paul Murray, the BBC noted, the story is significant as it sheds light on Stoker's development as an author and serves as a “station on his route to publishing Dracula.”

The short novel’s narrative revolves around a sailor murdered by three criminals whose bodies were displayed on the gallows as a warning to travelers.

Gibbet Hill is set in Surrey, and its setting is also mentioned in Charles Dickens’ 1839 novel Nicholas Nickleby. Cleary's discovery came after he took time off work due to sudden hearing loss in 2021, during which he began visiting the library in Dublin, Stoker's city of birth.

In October 2023, while searching for an unfamiliar title in an 1890 Christmas supplement of the Daily Express Dublin Edition, Cleary recognized the title Gibbet Hill. He recalled, "I read the words Gibbet Hill, and I knew that wasn't a Bram Stoker story that I had ever heard of in any of the biographies or bibliographies."

Re-published after over a century

Cleary expressed his amazement, stating, “I was just astounded, flabbergasted. I sat looking at the screen wondering: 'Am I the only living person who had read it?'”

Following his initial research, Cleary reached out to biographer Paul Murray, who confirmed that there had been no trace of the story for over a century, according to the BBC. Murray noted, “1890 was when he was a young writer and made his first notes for Dracula.” He described Gibbet Hill as “a classic Stoker story, the struggle between good and evil, evil which crops up in exotic and unexplained ways.”

The short story will be published alongside artwork by Irish artist Paul McKinley by the Rotunda Foundation, the fundraising arm of Dublin's Rotunda Hospital, where Cleary worked. All proceeds from the publication will support the newly formed Charlotte Stoker Fund, named after Bram Stoker’s mother, a campaigner for hearing loss, to fund research on infant hearing loss.

The discovery will also be featured in the city's Bram Stoker Festival in late October. Library director Audrey Whitty remarked on Cleary's achievement, noting, he has “found something extraordinary in your newspaper archives - you won’t believe it,” and highlighted that his "astonishing amateur detective work" showcases the library's rich archives. She added, “There are truly world-important discoveries waiting to be found.”