diff --git a/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backreflist.py b/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backreflist.py
index 715fa7568..c6c29d025 100644
--- a/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backreflist.py
+++ b/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backreflist.py
@@ -67,6 +67,12 @@ class BackRefList(EmbeddedList):
                               _('_References'), refmodel)
         self._callback = callback
         self.connectid = self.model.connect('row-inserted', self.update_label)
+        self.db_connect = []
+        for item in ['person', 'family', 'source', 'citation', 'event',
+                     'media', 'place', 'repository', 'note']:
+            self.db_connect.append(self.dbstate.db.connect(
+                '%s-delete' % item, self.model.delete_row))
+        self.tree.set_reorderable(False)
         self.track_ref_for_deletion("model")
 
     def update_label(self, *obj):
@@ -80,6 +86,8 @@ class BackRefList(EmbeddedList):
 
     def _cleanup_local_connects(self):
         self.model.disconnect(self.connectid)
+        for item in self.db_connect:
+            self.dbstate.db.disconnect(item)
 
     def _cleanup_on_exit(self):
         # model may be destroyed already in closing managedwindow
diff --git a/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backrefmodel.py b/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backrefmodel.py
index 2121bb178..a8044493f 100644
--- a/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backrefmodel.py
+++ b/gramps/gui/editors/displaytabs/backrefmodel.py
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ class BackRefModel(Gtk.ListStore):
         self.sref_list = sref_list
         self.count = 0
         self.loading = False
+        self.hndl_iter = {}
         self.idle = GLib.idle_add(self.load_model().__next__)
 
     def destroy(self):
@@ -145,7 +146,17 @@ class BackRefModel(Gtk.ListStore):
             # We need to use localized string in the model.
             # we also need to keep class names to get the object type,
             # but we don't need to show that in the view.
-            self.append(row=[_(dtype), gid, name, handle, dtype])
+
+            self.hndl_iter[ref[1]] = self.append(
+                row=[_(dtype), gid, name, handle, dtype])
             yield True
         self.loading = False
         yield False
+
+    def delete_row(self, hndl_list):
+        """ Remove rows of the model based on the handles """
+        for hndl in hndl_list:
+            miter = self.hndl_iter.get(hndl, None)
+            if miter is not None:
+                self.remove(miter)
+                del self.hndl_iter[hndl]