James Plumptre (1771–1832) was an English clergyman and dramatist.
Life
James Plumptre was born at Cambridge on 2 October 1771, the third son of
Robert Plumptre, President of
Queens' College, Cambridge, by his wife, Anne Newcome.
['']ODNB
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' The writers
Annabella ('Bell) and
Anne Plumptre were his sisters.
James was educated at
Dr. Henry Newcome's school at
Hackney, where he took part in amateur theatricals. In 1788 he entered Queens' College, Cambridge, but migrated to
Clare Hall, where he graduated B.A. in 1792, M.A. in 1795, and B.D. in 1808. In 1793 he was elected fellow of Clare.
[
On 18 May 1812 he was presented to the living of ]Great Gransden
Great Gransden is a civil parish and village in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. In 2001, the parish population was 969, which rose to 1,023 at the 2011 Census. It lies 16 miles (25 km) west of Cambridge and 13 mil ...
, Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popu ...
, which he held till his death there on 23 January 1832. He married Elizabeth Robinson in Cambridge on 6 June 1815, when he was nearly 44 and she nearly 45. ('James Plumptre's England: The Journals of a Tourist in the 1790s', ed. Ian Ousby. p.6).
Animal rights
Plumptre was one of the first preachers to mention the subject of animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
from a Biblical perspective.[Perkins, David. (2003). ''Romanticism and Animal Rights''. Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ] On 8 May 1796 he preached before the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
on "The Duties of Man to the Brute Creation". As the Sabbath had been ordained for cattle and humans, Plumptre considered it a "national sin" for horses to be used on this day.
Works
He wrote plays, advocated the claims of the stage as a moral educator, and tried to improve its tone. He also wrote religious books. Besides pamphlets, letters, single sermons, and hymns, he published:
* ‘The Coventry Act; a Comedy,’ 1793.
* ‘A concise View of the History of Religious Knowledge,’ 1794.
* ‘Osway: a Tragedy,’ 1795.
* ‘The Lakers: a Comic Opera,’ 1798.
* ‘A Collection of Songs … selected and revised,’ 3 vols., 1806.
* ‘Four Discourses relating to the Stage,’ 1809.
* ‘The Vocal Repository,’ 1809.
* ‘The English Drama purified,’ 3 vols. 1812; a selection of expurgated plays.
‘Three Discourses on the Case of Animal Creation
’ 1816.
‘The Experienced Butcher
’ 1816.
* ‘Original Dramas,’ 1818.
* ‘A Selection from the Fables by John Gay,’ 1823.
* ‘One Hundred Fables in Verse, by various Authors,’ 1825.
* ‘Robinson Crusoe, edited by Rev. James Plumptre,’ 1826; republished in 1882 by the S.P.C.K.
* ‘A Popular Commentary on the Bible,’ 2 vols. 1827.
References
*
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plumptre, James
1771 births
1832 deaths
19th-century English Anglican priests
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
English animal rights scholars
English dramatists and playwrights
Fellows of Clare College, Cambridge
English male dramatists and playwrights
People educated at Newcome's School