James Simpson (Bible Christian)
English deacon and social reformer (1812–1859)
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James Simpson JP (9 July 1812 – 2 September 1859) was an English Bible Christian deacon and social reformer. Based at Foxhill Bank, near Accrington, Lancashire, he was active in vegetarianism, temperance, anti-tobacco campaigning, the anti-Corn Law movement, and the peace movement. He was a member of the Anti-Corn Law League, a vice-president of the United Kingdom Alliance, and a justice of the peace for Lancashire.
- Deacon
- social reformer
James Simpson | |
|---|---|
Portrait from Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898) | |
| Born | 9 July 1812 Clitheroe, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 2 September 1859 (aged 47) Foxhill Bank, near Accrington, Lancashire, England |
Burial place | St James' Church, Church Kirk |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Vegetarianism activism |
| Notable work | The Vegetarian Messenger |
| Title | President of the Vegetarian Society |
| Term | 1847–1859 |
| Successor | William Harvey[1] |
| Spouse |
Hannah Harvey (m. 1843) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | William Harvey (father-in-law) |
Simpson co-founded the Vegetarian Society and served as its first president from 1847 until his death. He later published and edited the society's journal, The Vegetarian Messenger. He was a lifelong vegetarian and a deacon of the Bible Christian Church.
Biography
Early life and education
James Simpson Jr. was born on 9 July 1812 in Clitheroe, Lancashire.[2] He was the son of James Simpson Sr., a wealthy calico printer.[3][4] The family later moved to Foxhill Bank, near Accrington.[2] They were members of the Bible Christian Church.[5]: 106
Simpson was educated by Rev. W. Wood at Hybrake House, Altham.[6] He later received private tuition in London and Berlin. He intended to pursue a career in law, but did not do so; the temperance historian Samuel Couling attributed this to his moral principles. After his father's death, Simpson inherited a large fortune.[2]
Public life
Simpson supported a range of social and political reforms. A member of the Anti-Corn Law League, he was also involved in the temperance movement.[7] He served as vice-president of the United Kingdom Alliance. He was also a prominent member of the Lancashire Liberal Party.[5]: 106 He was a justice of the peace for the county palatine of Lancaster.[8]
Vegetarianism
Simpson was a lifelong vegetarian. According to the International Vegetarian Union, his vegetarianism was encouraged by his mother, the Bible Christian Church's dietary teaching, and Swedenborgian influence.[7] He also served as a deacon of the church.[9]
Simpson co-founded the Vegetarian Society and was elected its first president in 1847.[10] From 1849, he published and edited the society's journal, The Vegetarian Messenger.[11] His travels abroad were reported as contributing to the establishment of vegetarian societies outside Britain.[12] He anonymously published two works on vegetarianism.[5]: 106
Personal life and death
Simpson married Hannah Harvey in 1843.[4] They had two children.[6] His father-in-law was William Harvey, who was Mayor of Salford from 1857 to 1859, and a prominent Bible Christian.[13]
Simpson died on 2 September 1859, aged 47, at Foxhill Bank, near Accrington.[8] He had been ill for 18 months.[6] He was buried at St James' Church, Church Kirk.[14] A 30-foot (9.1 m) obelisk was erected in his memory.[5]: 106
Legacy
Historian James Gregory notes that one of Simpson's lectures on vegetarianism inspired T. Anderson Hanson to become a vegetarian.[5]: 52
Publications
- Conversations on Abstinence from the Flesh of Animals as Food (London: Whittaker & Co., 1846)
- The Products of the Vegetable Kingdom vs the Flesh of Animals as Food (London: Whittaker & Co., 1847)
- A Few Recipes of Vegetable Diet with Suggestions for the Formation of a Dietary, from which the Flesh of Animals is Excluded... (London: Whittaker & Co., 1847)
- A Letter to the Rt. Hon. H. Labouchere, on the More Effective Application of the System of Relief by Means of Soup Kitchens (London: Whittaker & Co., 1847)
- (as editor) The Vegetarian Messenger (1849–1859)