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The Reverend
Joseph Stratton
The Reverend Joseph Stratton
Born	1 May 1839; Clifton Campville, England
Died	11 January 1917 (aged 77); Wokingham, England
Alma mater	Worcester College, Oxford
Occupations	Clergyman; humanitarian; writer; activist;
Years active	1870–1917
Spouse	Louise Cecilia Bazalgette Lucas (m. 1892)

Joseph Stratton (1 May 1839 – 11 January 1917) was an English clergyman, humanitarian, writer, and activist. After serving in various church roles, he became Master of the Henry Lucas Hospital in Wokingham. A dedicated animal rights advocate, he campaigned successfully against the Royal Buckhounds, opposed vivisection, blood sports, and hunting, and was active in the Humanitarian League and London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Society. Stratton also authored a number of books and pamphlets on these issues and published two poetry collections.

Biography

Early life and education

Stratton was born in Clifton Campville on 1 May 1839.^[1] He was the second son of John and Anne Statton.^[2] He was educated at Appleby Grammar School and Worcester College, Oxford. He obtained his B.A. in 1862 and M.A. in 1867.^[3]

Ecclesiastical career

Stratton was ordained in 1870 and was a curate in Swansea, Burton upon Trent, New Barnet. He left the church on theological grounds in 1878, but returned in 1886 as curate of Winchfield.^[1] Stratton was appointed Master of Henry Lucas Hospital, Wokingham, from 1889 to 1917.^[1]^[2]

Activism

Stratton opposed blood sports and hunting. He aimed to abolish the Royal Buckhounds which he carried out with success.^[4] He was presented with a public testimonial in 1901.^[2] He was a member of the Humanitarian League's campaign against hunting.^[1] Sidney Trist noted that threats against Stratton's life had been made by those who opposed his anti-hunting views.^[5]

Stratton was an anti-vivisectionist and member of the Berkshire branch of the London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Society.^[2]^[6] He was described as a "warm-hearted and tender-hearted man, who loves not only his fellow-men, but also his fellow-creatures".^[7]

Poetry

Stratton published his first collection of poetry in 1901, Fireside Poems. In 1915, he published Ethelfleda and Other Poems, initially written for the Millenary celebration of Tamworth Castle in 1913. The collection received praise, including commendation from G. W. E. Russell.^[2]

Personal life and death

In 1892, Stratton married Louise Cecilia Bazalgette Lucas, daughter of St. John Welles Lucas, M.R.C.S., and Louisa Bazalgette.^[2]

Stratton fell outside Wokingham Gas Works, likely due to a heart attack, and never recovered from the effects of the accident.^[2] He died on 11 January 1917.^[1] His funeral was held at St. Paul's Wokingham.^[8] He received a floral tribute from the Committee of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection for his "admiration and affection to the memory of a fearless and untiring champion of the rights of animals".^[9] Stratton's will and testament was written in verse form.^[5]

Selected publications

Royal Sport: Some Facts Concerning the Queen's Buckhounds (1891)^[10]
"A Fox Hunt". The Animals' Friend. 2: 140. 1896.
So-Called Sport: A Plea for Strengthening the Law for the Protection of Animals (1896)
Vivisection and Anti-Vivisection: Which Side Must I Take? (1898)^[10]
Sports: Legitimate and Illegitimate (1898)^[11]
Cruel Sport at Eton College (1899)^[10]
Tame Stag Hunting (1899)^[10]
Fireside Poems (1901)^[10]
The Decline and Fall of the Royal Buckhounds (1901)^[10]
A Defence of the Broad Churchman's Position in the Establishment (1902)^[10]
Letter to a Friend on Theology (1902)^[10]
The Attitude, Past and Present, of the R.S.P.C.A. Towards such Spurious Sports as Tame Deer Hunting, Pigeon Shooting and Coursing Rabbits (1906)^[10]
Hunting the Carted Stag (1907)^[10]
"Blood-Sports". The Animals' Cause. 1: 261–266. 1909.
Ethelfleda and Other Poems (1915)