William Edward Armytage Axon (13 January 1846 – 27 December 1913) was an English librarian,

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

and journalist for the ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. He contributed to the ''

Dictionary of National Biography 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 ...

'' under his initials W. E. A. A. He was also a notable

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 ...

activist.

Biography

Axon was born in

Chorlton-on-Medlock Chorlton-on-Medlock or Chorlton-upon-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, Chorlton-on-Medlock is bordered to the north by the River Medlock, which runs immediately south of Manchester city centre. It ...

, Manchester. He was best known as an antiquary and a bibliographer, but his interests were extremely varied. As honorary secretary of the Manchester and Salford Sunday Society he took a prominent part in the agitation for the opening of the Manchester libraries on Sunday. Axon had begun life as a boy in the Manchester Reference Library, and was early drawn to literary pursuits. Later he wrote much on the folklore and historical associations of Lancashire and Cheshire, and the antiquaries of these counties made him their president. Besides this, as a member of the English Dialect Society Axon wrote many tales and sketches illustrating the dialect and customs of the county in which he lived. Axon married Jane Woods in 1866; they had three children. After Jane's death in 1899, he married Setta Lueft; they had one child. Axon was also the author of ''Cobden as a Citizen'' in 1907. He published his study of Anna Jane Vardill's poem that was a sequel to Coleridge's poem Christabel in 1908. It was claimed that she had not written it but based on new evidence he was able to assure the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

that the poem had been written by her. Axon's second wife died in 1910. Axon for 30 years was on the literary staff of the ''Manchester Guardian'', and for his general literary work was distinguished by the University of Manchester, which conferred on him the honorary degree of Master of Arts in 1913. He was a Fellow of the

, an honorary LL.D. of

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

, and had contributed articles to the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'', ''

'', '' American Encyclopædia'', and ''

Notes and Queries ''Notes and Queries'', also styled ''Notes & Queries'', is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to " English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism".From the inne ...

''.''The Times'' Obituary (1913) Axon died at home on 27 December 1913 and was buried at St Paul's Church in

Kersal Kersal is a suburb and district of Salford in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, northwest of Manchester and was historically part of the county of Lancashire. History Kersal has been variously known as Kereshale, Kershal, Ker ...

, Manchester.

Vegetarianism

Axon was an ardent

vegetarian 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 m ...

and member of the Anti-Tobacco League. He has been described as a "leading figure of the vegetarian movement." He was Vice-President and Hon. Secretary of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed meat ...

. Axon contributed articles on the

history of vegetarianism The earliest records of vegetarianism as a concept and practice amongst a significant number of people are from ancient India, especially among the Hindus and Jains.Spencer, Colin: ''The Heretic's Feast. A History of Vegetarianism'', London 1993 ...

to John Harvey Kellogg's ''

Good Health ''Good Health'' is the first studio album by Pretty Girls Make Graves. Originally released in 2002 by Lookout Records, it was re-released by Matador Records with an additional 4 songs made up of the band's first self-titled EP. This album is oft ...

'' journal. He was editor of the ''Vegetarian Messenger''. Axon wrote the

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes ...

for the 1884 edition of Percy Bysshe Shelley's '' A Vindication of Natural Diet''. He also authored ''

Shelley's Vegetarianism ''Shelley's Vegetarianism'' is a 1891 pamphlet on the vegetarianism of Percy Bysshe Shelley by William Axon, published by the Vegetarian Society. It is a printing of a lecture delivered by Axon before the Shelley Society, at University College in ...

'', in 1891. 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 "Axon abhorred cruelty to animals and the degrading work of the 'slaughterman, reeking with blood and striking to death with remorseless blows a creature that shares with him the gift of life".

Bibliography

*1877: ''Handbook of the Public Libraries of Manchester and Salford''. Manchester:

Abel Heywood Abel Heywood (25 February 1810 – 19 August 1893) was an English publisher, radical and mayor of Manchester. Early life Heywood was born into a poor family in Prestwich, who moved to Manchester after Heywood's father died in 1812. Abel obt ...

and Son. *1879
''John Ruskin: A Bibliographical Biography''
*1883
''Lancashire Gleanings''
*1884
''Cheshire Gleanings''
*1888
''Stray Chapters in Literature, Folk-lore, and Archaeology''
*1890
''Thomas Taylor, the Platonist''
*1891
''Shelley's Vegetarianism''
*1893
''The Literature of Vegetarianism''
*1897
''Bygone Sussex''
*1899
''Echoes of Old Lancashire''
*1899
''Ortensio Lando, a humorist of the Renaissance''
*1907: ''Cobden as a Citizen'' *1908: ''Anna Jane Vardill Niven''

Edited works

*1886: ''The Annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885''. Manchester: J. Heywood, Deansgate and Ridgefield ("The volume now offered to the public, as a revised edition of the ''Manchester Historical Recorder'', is virtually a new work ...". - preface)
electronic version
* ''Collected sermons, 1631–1659'' of

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

, Volume 1 edited by

John Eglington Bailey John Eglington Bailey (1840–1888) was an English antiquary, Secretary of the Chetham Society and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Life Born at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 13 February 1840, he was the son of Charles Bailey, by his wife Ma ...

. Completed by William E. A. Axon (1891) * ''Collected sermons, 1631–1659'' Volume 2 edited by John Eglington Bailey. Completed by William E. A. Axon (1891)Collected sermons, 1631–1659
Volume 2, edited by John Eglington Bailey. Completed by William E. A. Axon (1891)

Contributions to the DNB

*Ashworth, John *Banks, George Linnaeus *Bellot, Thomas *Bennis, George Geary *Blythe, John Dean *Bowers, George Hull *Bradberry, David *Brandwood, James *Brittain, Thomas *Brooke, Henry *Brookes, Joshua *Brotherton, Edward *Bruen, John *Butterworth, James *Calvert, Charles *Calvert, Thomas *Canne, John *Castillo, John *Caw, John Young *Clayton, John (1754–1843) *Cole, Thomas (1628–1697) *Crestadoro, Andrea

Notes

References

* Obituary: Dr. William Edward Armytage Axon in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', December 30, 1913; Issue 40407; pg. 9; col B ;Attribution *

External links

* * * *
William Axon papers
at the

John Rylands Library The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a late-Victorian neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Enriquet ...

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Axon, William 1846 births 1913 deaths 19th-century English historians 20th-century English historians Anti-smoking activists British vegetarianism activists English antiquarians English biographers English librarians English male journalists English temperance activists Historians of vegetarianism Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society Male biographers People associated with the Vegetarian Society Writers from Manchester