James Simpson (Bible Christian)

The Reverend James Simpson JP
Portrait from Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898)
Born	(1812-07-09)9 July 1812 Clitheroe, Lancashire, England
Died	2 September 1859(1859-09-02) (aged 47) Foxhill Bank, near Accrington, Lancashire, England
Burial place	St James' Church, Church Kirk
Occupations	Deacon social reformer
Known for	Vegetarianism activism
Notable work	The Vegetarian Messenger
Title	President of the Vegetarian Society
Term	1847–1849
Successor	William Harvey[1]
Spouse	Hannah Harvey ​ (m. 1843)​
Children	2
Relatives	William Harvey (father-in-law)

James SimpsonJP (9 July 1812 – 2 September 1859) was an English Bible Christian deacon and social reformer. Based at Foxhill Bank near Accrington, Lancashire, he supported a range of social and political reforms and was active in the vegetarianism, temperance, anti-tobacco, anti-Corn Law and peace movements. Simpson was a member of the Anti-Corn Law League and served as vice-president of the United Kingdom Alliance. He co-founded the Vegetarian Society and served as its first president (1847–1849), later publishing and editing its journal, The Vegetarian Messenger. He was a justice of the peace for Lancashire.

Biography

Early life and education

James Simpson Jr. was born on 9 July 1812 in Clitheroe, Lancashire.^[2] He was the son of James Simpson Sr., a wealthy calico printer.^[3][4] The family later moved to Foxhill Bank, near Accrington.^[2] They were members of the Bible Christian Church.^{[5]: 106}

Simpson was educated by Rev. W. Wood at Hybrake House, Altham.^[6] He later received private tuition in London and Berlin. He intended to pursue a career in law. He intended to pursue a career in law, but did not do so; the temperance historian Samuel Couling attributed this to his moral principles. After his father's death, he inherited a large fortune.^[2]

Public life

Simpson was active in public life and supported a range of social and political reforms. A member of the Anti-Corn Law League, he was also involved in the temperance movement.^[7] He served as vice-president of the temperance organisation the United Kingdom Alliance. He was also a prominent member of the Lancashire Liberal Party.^{[5]: 106} He was a justice of the peace for the county palatine of Lancaster.^[8]

Vegetarianism

Simpson was a lifelong vegetarian. His vegetarianism was instilled by his mother, and that he embraced the Bible Christian Church's dietary teaching and was influenced by Swedenborg.^[7] He also served as a deacon of the Church.^[9]

Simpson co-founded the Vegetarian Society and was elected its first president in 1847.^[10] From 1849 he published and edited the society's journal, The Vegetarian Messenger.^[11] His travels abroad were reported as contributing to the establishment of vegetarian societies outside Britain.^[12] He anonymously published two works on vegetarianism.^{[5]: 106}

Personal life and death

Simpson married Hannah Harvey in 1843.^[4] They had two children.^[6] His father-in-law was William Harvey, who was Mayor of Salford from 1857 to 1859 and a prominent Bible Christian.^[13]

Simpson died on 2 September 1859, aged 47, at Foxhill Bank, near Accrington.^[8] He had been ill for 18 months.^[6] He was buried at St James' Church, Church Kirk.^[14] A 30 feet (9.1 m) high obelisk was erected in his memory.^{[5]: 106}

Legacy

Historian James Gregory notes that one of Simpson's lectures on vegetarianism inspired T. Anderson Hanson to become a vegetarian.^{[5]: 52}

Selected publications

• Conversations on Abstinence from the Flesh of Animals as Food (London: Whittaker & Co., 1846)
• The Products of the Vegetable Kingdom vs the Flesh of Animals as Food (London: Whittaker & Co., 1847)
• A Few Recipes of Vegetable Diet with Suggestions for the Formation of a Dietary, from which the Flesh of Animals is Excluded... (London: Whittaker & Co., 1847)
• A Letter to the Rt. Hon. H. Labouchere, on the More Effective Application of the System of Relief by Means of Soup Kitchens (London: Whittaker & Co., 1847)
• The Vegetarian Messenger (1849–1859)

References

1. Antrobus, Derek. "History of Vegetarianism - William Harvey (1789-1870)". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
2. Couling, Samuel (1862). "Simpson, James". History of the Temperance Movement in Great Britain and Ireland: From the Earliest Date to the Present Time. London: W. Tweedie. p. 349.
3. "Biography: Mary Rostron". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
4. "Biography: Mary Harvey". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
5. Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (May 2002). "Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era". The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections(PDF) (PhD thesis). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
6. "Interment of the Remains of the Late Mr. Simpson". The Weekly Standard and Express. 14 September 1859. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com(subscription required).
7. "The Vegetarian Movement in England 1847-1981". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
8. "Died". Stockport Advertiser. 9 September 1859. p. 3. Retrieved 25 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "The Bible Christian Church (1809-1930)". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
10. "History". Vegetarian Society. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
11. Young, Liam (2021), "Vegetarian Messenger, The", The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Victorian Women's Writing, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 1–9, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-02721-6_436-1, ISBN 978-3-030-02721-6, retrieved 10 October 2025
12. "Veggie revolution was led by the North". Lancashire Telegraph. 8 January 1998. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
13. "Biography: Mary Rostron". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
14. "Burials at St James in the Parish of Church Kirk". Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerk Project. Retrieved 18 January 2024.