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The Reverend
James Simpson
The Reverend James Simpson
	Portrait from Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898)
Born	9 July 1812; Clitheroe, Lancashire, England
Died	3 September 1859 (aged 47); Accrington, Lancashire, England
Burial place	St James' Church, Church Kirk, Lancashire, England
Occupation(s)	Deacon, activist
Known for	Vegetarianism activism
Title	President of the Vegetarian Society
Term	1847–1849
Successor	William Harvey
Spouse	Hannah Harvey (m. 1843)
Children	2
Relatives	William Harvey (father-in-law)

James Simpson (9 July 1812 – 3 September 1859) was a Bible Christian deacon and activist for a number of causes. He was active in the vegetarianism, temperance, anti-tobacco, anti-Corn Law and peace movements. Simpson co-founded and served as the first President of the Vegetarian Society.

Biography

James Simpson was born on 9 July 1812,^[2] in Clitheroe, Lancashire, the son of James Simpson Sr.,^[3] a wealthy calico printer.^[4] His family were members of the Bible Christian Church.^[5] He was educated by Rev. W. Wood at Hybrake House, Altham,^[6] and received a private education in London and Berlin.^[7]

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.^[8]

Actively engaged in public life, Simpson supported diverse social and political reforms. A member of the Anti-Corn Law League, he also joined the temperance movement during a time when such a choice was uncommon.^[7] He served as Vice-President of the United Kingdom Alliance. In addition, he was a prominent member of the Lancashire Liberal Party.^[5]

Embracing the tenets of Bible Christianity and influenced by Swedenborg, Simpson maintained a lifelong commitment to vegetarianism, instilled by his mother.^[7] He helped form and was elected the first president of the Vegetarian Society in 1847.^[9] His travels abroad led to the establishment of international vegetarian societies.^[10] He also anonymously published two works on vegetarianism.^[5]

Simpson died on 3 September 1859, at the age of 47.^[4] He was living in Foxhill Bank, Accrington, and suffered from a long illness for 18 months.^[6] Simpson was buried at St James' Church, Church Kirk.^[11] A 30 feet (9.1 m) high memorial obelisk was also erected there.^[5]

Selected publications

The Products of the Vegetable Kingdom vs the Flesh of Animals as Food 'Part I' (London: 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, 1847)

References

^ Antrobus, Derek. "History of Vegetarianism - William Harvey (1789-1870)". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
^ Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
^ "Biography: Mary Rostron". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Biography: Mary Harvey". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (2002). "Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era". The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections (PDF). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. p. 106. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Interment of the Remains of the Late Mr. Simpson". The Weekly Standard and Express. 1859-09-14. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com (subscription required).
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Vegetarian Movement in England 1847-1981". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
^ "Biography: Mary Rostron". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
^ "History". Vegetarian Society. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
^ "Veggie revolution was led by the North". Lancashire Telegraph. 1998-01-08. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
^ "Burials at St James in the Parish of Church Kirk". Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerk Project. Retrieved 2024-01-18.