Scottish Vegetarian Society

Through the efforts of Joseph Knight of the Manchester Vegetarian Society, the Scottish Vegetarian Society was formed on 23 November 1892 in Glasgow at the Garden Vegetarian Restaurant.^{[1]: 197 [2]}

The Society was established on a foundation that required all officers to be vegetarians, and its first chairman was H. S. Bathgate, who also served as its first president until 1929, when he became honorary president.^[2][3]

The group held its first banquet in 1893 and regularly hosted gatherings that featured meals, music, and lectures promoting vegetarianism.^[2]

In its inaugural year, the Society had 19 members; by 1896, membership had risen to 70, and by 1933 it had still not surpassed 300.^{[1]: 197 [3]}

The Society's first secretary and treasurer was John Barclay, a vegetarian athlete. He was associated with the Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club. In 1897, at the annual meeting of the Society in Glasgow, held before his departure for Jamaica, Barclay was presented with a travelling trunk in recognition of his efforts to promote vegetarianism.^[4]

In 1898, the committee was subdivided into social, literary, financial and ladies' committees.^[1]: 314

The Society was headquartered in the Athenaeum building on Buchanan Street, Glasgow.^[1]: 197 In 1896, addresses associated with the Society included 150 Hope Street and 18 Kew Gardens, Kelvinside. As of 1897, the Society's head office was located at 6 Jamaica Street, Glasgow.^[4]

By 1897, the Society was affiliated with the Vegetarian Federal Union.^[5] It supported the first meeting of the International Vegetarian Union in 1908 and hosted "At Home" events and cookery lectures in Glasgow.^[2][3]

Dugald Semple, a key figure in the Society, who from 1933 served as president of the Society, became an advocate for simple living and gave lectures on vegetarianism.^[2][3]

By 1912, the Society had formally affiliated with the Manchester Vegetarian Society, along with other local Scottish societies in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee.^[2]

During World War I, Semple helped promote meat substitutes to cope with rationing. He also represented Scotland at international vegetarian congresses, advocating for the connection between vegetarianism and peace.^[2]

The Society continued its advocacy post-war and maintained its presence in the vegetarian movement through participation in various congresses and ongoing promotion of vegetarian principles.^[2]

In the 1980s, the Society became the Glasgow branch of the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom.^[3] Since then, a new Scottish Vegetarian Association was formed.^[2]

In 1903, the Society launched its magazine Health, Food and Cookery which was edited by Charles A. Hall.^[6]