The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism may ...

History

Leading members of the Vegetarian Society

In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed meat-free diets. Key groups involved in the formation of the Vegetarian Society were members of the Bible Christian Church, supporters of the Concordium, and readers of the ''Truth-Tester'' journal.

Bible Christian Church

The Bible Christian Church was founded in 1809 in Salford by Reverend William Cowherd after a split from the

Swedenborgians The New Church (or Swedenborgianism) is any of several historically related Christian denominations that developed as a new religious group, influenced by the writings of scientist and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). Swedenborgian o ...

. One distinctive feature of the Bible Christians was a belief in a meat-free diet, or ovo-lacto vegetarianism, as a form of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

Concordium (Alcott House)

The Concordium was a boarding school near London on Ham Common, Richmond, Surrey, which opened in 1838. Pupils at the school followed a diet completely free of

animal product An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products, such as isinglass and rennet. Animal by-products, as defined by the USDA, are products harvested or man ...

s, known today as a

vegan diet Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. D ...

. The Concordium was also called

Alcott House Alcott House in Ham, Surrey (now in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames), was the home of a utopian spiritual community and progressive school which lasted from 1838 to 1848. Supporters of Alcott House, or the Concordium, were a key gro ...

, in honor of American education and food reform advocate

Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and av ...

''Truth-Tester'' and Physiological Conference, 1847

The ''Truth-Tester'' was a journal which published material supporting the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. In 1846 the editorship was taken over by

William Horsell William Horsell (31 March 1807 – 23 December 1863) was an English hydrotherapist, publisher, and temperance and vegetarianism activist. Horsell published the first vegan cookbook in 1849. Biography Horsell was born in Brinkworth, Wiltshire. B ...

, operator of the Northwood Villa Hydropathic Institute in

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

. Horsell gradually steered the ''Truth-Tester'' towards promotion of the 'Vegetable Diet'. In early 1847 a letter to the ''Truth-Tester'' proposed the formation of a Vegetarian Society. In response to this letter, William Oldham held what he called a "physiological conference" in July 1847 at Alcott House. Up to 130 attended, including Bible Christian James Simpson, who presented a speech. The conference passed a number of resolutions, including a resolution to reconvene at the end of September.

Ramsgate Conference, 1847

On 30 September 1847 the meeting which had been planned at the Physiological Conference took place at Northwood Villa Hydropathic Institute in Ramsgate.

Joseph Brotherton Joseph Brotherton (22 May 1783 – 7 January 1857) was a reforming British politician, Nonconformist minister and pioneering vegetarian. He has been described as the first vegetarian member of parliament. Biography He was born in Whittington ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Salford, and a Bible Christian chaired. Bible Christian James Simpson was elected president of the society, Concordist William Oldham elected treasurer, and Truth-Tester editor William Horsell elected secretary. The name 'Vegetarian Society' was chosen for the new organisation by a unanimous vote.

After Ramsgate

The Vegetarian Society's first full public meeting was held in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

the following year. In 1853 it already had 889 members. The society made available publications on the topic sometimes accompanied by lectures. In 1897 its membership was about 5,000.

Manchester and London Vegetarian Society

In 1888, a split-off group from the Vegetarian Society formed known as the London Vegetarian Society (LVS).Spencer, Colin. (1995). ''The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism''. University Press of New England. pp. 274-278. After this, the Vegetarian Society was often referred to as the Manchester Vegetarian Society (MVS). Relations between the two groups were strained because of their differences over the definition of vegetarianism.Puskar-Pasewicz, Margaret. (2010). ''Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism''. ABC-CLIO. pp. 259-260.

Francis William Newman Francis William Newman (27 June 1805 – 4 October 1897) was an English classical scholar and moral philosopher, prolific miscellaneous writer and activist for vegetarianism and other causes. He was the younger brother of John Henry Newman. ...

was President of the Manchester Vegetarian Society, 1873–1883. He made an associate membership possible for people who were not completely vegetarian, such as those who ate

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

. Newman was critical of raw food vegetarianism which he rejected as fanatical. Between 1875-1896 membership for the Vegetarian Society was 2,159 and associate membership 1,785. Newman believed that abstinence from meat, fish and fowl should be the only thing the Society advocates and the Society should not be associated with other reform ideas.Yeh, Hsin-Yi. (2013)
''Boundaries, Entities, and Modern Vegetarianism : Examining the Emergence of the First Vegetarian Organization''
''

Qualitative Inquiry ''Qualitative Inquiry'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers methodological issues raised by qualitative research in the social sciences. The journal's editors-in-chief are Yvonna Lincoln (Texas A&M University) and Norman K. Denzin (Uni ...

'' 19: 298–309. Under Newman's Presidency the Society flourished as income, associates and members increased. In regard to the associate membership, Newman commented: The first President of the London Vegetarian Society was raw foodist

Arnold Hills Arnold Frank Hills (12 March 1857 – 7 March 1927) was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and promoter of vegetarianism. Biography Hills was born in Denmark Hill, Surrey, son of a manufacturing chemist. Arnold Hills was also a ...

, and other members included

Thomas Allinson Thomas Richard Allinson (29 March 1858 – 29 November 1918) was an English physician, dietetic reformer, businessman, journalist and vegetarianism activist. He was a proponent of wholemeal (whole grain) bread consumption. His name is still us ...

and

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. Members of the LVS were more radical than the original Manchester Society. In 1969, the

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Vegetarian Society amalgamated as the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. Historian

Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska Ina-Maria Zweiniger-Bargielowska, known professionally as Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska, is a British-American academic historian specialising in 20th-century Britain. Since 2010, she has been Professor of History at the University of Illinois at ...

has noted that "against the background of growing concern about the environment, animal rights, and food safety the society has flourished in recent decades." During the 20th century, the Society's work focused primarily on public education. In fulfilling this mission, the Society worked with other community groups to educate the public about the benefits of eating healthily. The Vegetarian Society also participated in political events, as a

pressure group Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the develop ...

with the aim of influencing food producers to remove non-vegetarian ingredients such as gelatine or cheese produced using

animal rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, such as pepsin and a ...

from their products. They sought manufacturers to become accredited and marked food products with the Society's trademarked seedling symbol. This accreditation includes the use of free range eggs, which other V symbols may not include. Their campaign was opposed to the labeling of products as vegetarian that contained fish. This action particularly affected restaurants. They also highlighted celebrities who claimed to be vegetarian but ate fish. As part of this campaign, in 1995, the Society produced the documentary ''

Devour the Earth Tony Wardle is a British journalist and writer. He co-authored, with Michael Mansfield, the 1993 book ''Presumed Guilty: British Legal System Exposed'', which criticised the British criminal justice system. He is a vegan and actively involved in ...

'', written by Tony Wardle and narrated by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Journals

The Vegetarian Society first published ''The Vegetarian Messenger'' (1849–1860). It became ''The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger'' (1861–1897), ''The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review'' (1898–1952), ''The Vegetarian'' (1953–1958) and ''The British Vegetarian'' (1959–1971). In 1885, Beatrice Lindsay, a graduate from Girton College, Cambridge became the first female editor of the Vegetarian Society’s ''Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger''. ''The Vegetarian'' is the membership magazine of the Vegetarian Society and continues to be produced three times a year.

Current work

The Vegetarian Society is now a campaigning charity. In 2017 the Vegetarian Society launched its Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark. The Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks are licensed to companies to display on products which contain only vegetarian/vegan ingredients, and also that nothing non-vegetarian/non-vegan was used during the production process. These trademarks can be seen on products in shops and supermarkets and also on dishes in restaurants. In 2022 McDonald's launched their McPlant burger across the UK which is accredited with the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark. National Vegetarian Week is the charity's flagship event. The Vegetarian Society Cookery School runs leisure classes in vegetarian and vegan cooking. It works alongside various charities and community groups to deliver bespoke cookery courses to groups. Plus the school trains professional chefs and those looking for a new career in the food sector with the Professional Chef’s Diploma.

Notable members

Notable members of the Vegetarian Society have included Peter Cushing,

Henry Stephens Salt Henry Shakespear Stephens Salt (; 20 September 1851 – 19 April 1939) was an English writer and campaigner for social reform in the fields of prisons, schools, economic institutions, and the treatment of animals. He was a noted ethical vegeta ...

Isaac Pitman Sir Isaac Pitman (4 January 1813 – 22 January 1897) was a teacher of the :English language who developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in ''Stenographic Soundhand'' in 183 ...

Jorja Fox Jorja-An Fox ( ) is an American actress and producer. She first came to prominence with a recurring role in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' as Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring ro ...

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

, Paul, Linda and Stella McCartney, and Jerome Flynn.

References

Bibliography

* James Gregory, ''Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-Century Britain''. London: Tauris Academic Studies, 2006.

External links

* * {{Vegetarianism 1847 establishments in the United Kingdom Altrincham Health in Greater Manchester Organisations based in Trafford Organizations established in 1847 Vegetarian organizations Vegetarianism in the United Kingdom