G. Cosens Prior
G. Cosens Prior | |
|---|---|
 Prior in 1894 | |
| Born | 1855 Chichester, West Sussex, England |
| Died | (aged 81) Brentford, Middlesex, England |
| Resting place | Ealing and Old Brentford Cemetery |
| Occupations |
|
| Organizations |
|
| Known for | Temperance and vegetarianism activism |
| Criminal charges | Misappropriation of client funds (1904) |
| Criminal penalty | Five years' penal servitude (1904) |
| Spouse |
Clara Gertrude Wilkin
(m. 1880; died 1918) |
| Children | 9 |
| Signature | |
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George Cosens Prior (1855–1937) was an English solicitor and social reformer. Based in Portsmouth, he headed one of the city's oldest law firms, acted as solicitor to several trusts, and maintained a large private practice; he also worked as a notary public. Alongside his legal career he served as minister at Portsmouth High-Street Unitarian Church. Prior was active in the temperance movement for many years and served as president of the Portsmouth Gospel Temperance Union. He adopted vegetarianism in 1889 on ethical grounds, became president of the Portsmouth Vegetarian Society, and frequently lectured on vegetarianism. He served as chairman of the committee of the Vegetarian Federal Union and as honorary solicitor for the Order of the Golden Age from 1901 to 1903. In 1904, after declaring bankruptcy, he was convicted of misappropriating client funds and sentenced to five years' penal servitude.
Biography
Early life
George Cosens Prior was born in Chichester in the final quarter of 1855.[1] His parents were John Woods Prior, who founded the family's wool-stapling business in Chichester, and Amelia Prior (née Underdown).[2]
Legal and religious work
Prior headed one of the oldest law firms in Portsmouth, acted as solicitor to several prominent trusts, and maintained a large private practice.[3]: 173 He also worked as a notary public and served as minister at Portsmouth High-Street Unitarian Church.[4][5]
Temperance and vegetarianism
Prior was active in the temperance movement for many years and served as president of the Portsmouth Gospel Temperance Union.[3]: 173 [6]
In 1889, Prior adopted vegetarianism in 1889 on ethical grounds.[7] He became active in the Portsmouth Vegetarian Society and served as its president and he frequently lectured on vegetarianism.[3]: 146 [8] He also served as chairman of the committee of the Vegetarian Federal Union.[9] From 1901 to 1903, he acted as honorary solicitor for the Order of the Golden Age.[10][11]
Criminal charges
In 1904, Prior was charged with misappropriating client funds in the course of bankruptcy proceedings.[5] He was convicted and sentenced to five years' penal servitude.[12]
Conviction
Prior married Clara Gertrude Wilkin on 4 March 1880 at the parish church of Gaywood, King's Lynn.[4] She was a vegetarian; the couple raised nine vegetarian children.[3]: 173 Clara died in 1918, aged 67.[13]
Prior died in Brentford, Middlesex, aged 81, in the second quarter of 1937.[14] He was buried at Ealing and Old Brentford Cemetery on 15 April.[15]
References
- ^ "Births Dec 1855: Prior, George Cosens". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "George Cosens Prior". The Chichester Papers (13–22): 34. 1959 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d Forward, Charles Walter (1898). Fifty Years of Food Reform: A History of the Vegetarian Movement in England. London: The Ideal Publishing Union.
- ^ a b "George Cosens Prior & Clara Gertrude". The Hampshire Advertiser. 10 March 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 22 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Drew Clients' Money". Birmingham Evening Despatch. 9 November 1904. p. 4. Retrieved 22 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ The Blue Ribbon Official Gazette and Gospel Temperance Herald. 1883. p. 275 – via Google Books.
- ^ 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. p. 95. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger. Vol. IX–Third series. London: F. Pitman. 1883. p. 100 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Annual Report 1897: Hants and Portsmouth Vegetarian Society". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "The Order of the Golden Age" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 6 (10): 1. 1901 – via IAPSOP.com.
- ^ "The Order of the Golden Age" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 8 (9): 1. 1903 – via IAPSOP.com.
- ^ "Solicitor Sent to Penal Servitude". The Wells Journal. 1 December 1904. p. 6. Retrieved 22 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deaths Mar 1918: Prior, Clara G." FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Deaths Jun 1937: Prior, George C." FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "George Cosens Prior". England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2024. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 29 January 2026.