Edward Dolby Shelton (1856 – 1944) was an English printer, publisher, and activist. He was known for his advocacy of temperance and

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

. Shelton's career included managing Alexander Thomson's printing business in Manchester and co-running a printing and publishing venture on the Isle of Wight. He notably managed the Ventnor Vegetarian Hotel there, which hosted prominent figures like

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

. Later in life, he focused on business and church activities in

Ely, Cambridgeshire Ely ( ) is a cathedral city and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district, in Cambridgeshire, England, northeast of Cambridge, southeast of Peterborough and from London. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the built-up a ...

, while continuing to promote vegetarianism alongside his wife, Frances.

Biography

Early life

Edward Dolby Shelton was born in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

in 1856. He was educated at the British School there, until the age of 11.

Activism and career

Shelton became a

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

after being influenced by a lecture given by J. M. Skinner, a fellow Good Templar and temperance advocate, during Shelton's time in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. His commitment to vegetarianism deepened after joining the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...

upon moving to

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. In 1880, Shelton moved to

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, where he worked at Alexander Thomson's printing business. During this period, he connected with leading figures in the vegetarian community and lived with the strict vegetarian Joseph Alley. Shelton became an active member of the Vegetarian Society, eventually joining its executive committee through the encouragement of R. Bailey Walker. In the second quarter of 1885, Shelton married Frances Elizabeth Stroulger; they had one son, Percival. Shelton relocated to London in May of the same year. Initially, his household was divided on the subject of vegetarianism, but over time, his wife came to accept the lifestyle. In 1888, the family moved to

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport, Isle of Wight, Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface D ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

for health reasons. There, Shelton co-managed the ''Isle of Wight Express'', a publication that eschewed alcohol advertisements and prioritised social issues. He was also engaged in a printing and publishing business with William Briddon that dissolved in 1888. Despite these efforts, the venture was not financially successful, and Shelton had to rely on his income from running the Ventnor Vegetarian Hotel, which hosted notable guests such as

and other vegetarians from Manchester and London. After the challenges in Ventnor, Shelton moved to

. Here, Shelton shifted focus to business and church activities, stepping back from active vegetarian propaganda. Nevertheless, he remained involved in the Cambridge Vegetarian Society, though his vegetarian lifestyle led to them being regarded as "freaks and fanatics" by some in the local community. From 1893 to 1905, Shelton partnered with John P. Tibbitts in publishing and printing under Shelton and Tibbitts. Shelton was involved in producing works like ''Gems of Ely Cathedral'' (1900) and the ''Ely Red Book'' (1894), as well as local postcards featuring scenes like the Soldiers' Memorial in

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...

. His contributions are noted in directories of early Cambridgeshire publishers and photographers.

Later life and death

Around the age of 50, Shelton became a seer for the Trustees of the

Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion is a small society of evangelical churches, founded in 1783 by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, as a result of the Evangelical Revival. For many years it was strongly associated with the Calvinist ...

, a position he held well into the 1930s. Both Shelton and his wife continued to advocate for vegetarianism; she contributed a regular column to ''The Vegetarian'', and Shelton attended cookery lessons to further promote the cause. Shelton died in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

in 1944, at the age of 88. His life and work were commemorated in an article in ''The'' ''Vegetarian Messenger'' (1935) and his obituary in ''Vegetarian News''.

References

External links

19 letters from E. Dolby and Percy Shelton to Oscar Browning, 1900 - 1912

1931 letter to Shelton from Gandhi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelton, E. Dolby 1856 births 1944 deaths 19th-century printers 19th-century British publishers (people) British hoteliers Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion English magazine editors English printers English publishers (people) English temperance activists English vegetarianism activists People associated with the Vegetarian Society People from Peterborough