John Smith (c. 1795 – 13 August 1870) was an English banker, activist, spiritualist, and writer. He was the manager of the York City and County Bank, Malton. A prominent activist for vegetarianism, Smith served as president of the Hull Vegetarian Association and authored the influential Fruits and Farinacea. He also authored The Principles and Practice of Vegetarian Cookery.

Biography

Early life

John Smith was born in Knaresborough, West Riding of Yorkshire, around 1795. He later moved to Malton, North Riding of Yorkshire.[1]

Career

Smith was the manager for 30 years of the York City and County Bank, Malton.[2] He was also an agent of the London Assurance Company.[3]

Additionally, Smith lectured on scientific subjects and spiritualism.[2] He attended the Paris Peace conference in 1849.[4]: 108 

Vegetarianism

Fruits and Farinacea, 1854 edition

Smith became a vegetarian around 1835.[5]: 29  He was introduced to it through a paper titled "Manifestation of Mind", which highlighted the cognitive and emotional parallels between humans and animals, emphasising their shared ability to experience both pleasure and pain.[4]: 108  In 1848, he attended the first annual meeting of the Vegetarian Society, held at Hayward's Hotel, Manchester.[5]: 29 

At the 1850 Vegetarian Society annual meeting, Smith addressed criticisms of consuming animal-derived products like milk and eggs within the movement. He highlighted ethical and physiological arguments for vegetarianism while defending the pragmatic use of such products during transitions or challenges. Smith advocated a fruit- and grain-based diet as the healthiest ideal, acknowledging the practical difficulties of fully adopting it.[6]

In 1845, Smith published Fruits and Farinacea, later described by vegetarianism historian Charles W. Forward as "the most comprehensive and complete work on the subject published in England up to that date."[5]: 15  The book was widely-reviewed in the mainstream press. It was followed by The Principles and Practice of Vegetarian Cookery in 1860, authored at James Simpson's request and dedicated to him.[4]: 108 

In 1848, Smith's advocacy inspired the formation of a vegetarian association in Malton, with James Simpson serving as its president. Smith later delivered a lecture in York in 1855 and, the following year, assumed leadership of the Hull Vegetarian Association. During his tenure, he encouraged the editor of the Hull Advertiser to adopt a vegetarian diet.[7]

Personal life and death

Smith was married to Mary Smith.[8]

Smith died aged 75 at his home the Mount, Malton, on 13 August 1870.[2][9] He was well-respected in his local community and a number of shops closed for his funeral.[4]: 108 

Legacy

Smith's Fruits and Farinacea was one of the inspirations for Scottish vegetarianism activist John Davie to become vegetarian.[4]: 32 

Publications

References

  1. ^ "1861 Census Returns database". FreeCEN. Free UK Genealogy. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Death of Mr. John Smith, of Malton". The Leeds Mercury. 16 August 1870. p. 8. Retrieved 22 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "The London Assurance". The Yorkshire Herald and the York Herald. 24 September 1864. p. 4. Retrieved 22 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (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). Vol. 2. University of Southampton.
  5. ^ a b c Forward, Charles Walter (1898). Fifty Years of Food Reform: A History of the Vegetarian Movement in England. London; Manchester: The Ideal Publishing Union; The Vegetarian Society.
  6. ^ "What is Vegetarianism". The Vegetarian (PDF). Vol. 3. p. 175.
  7. ^ Gregory, James (29 June 2007). Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-century Britain. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-85771-526-5.
  8. ^ Kelly, A. Lindsay, ed. (1929). "Malton". Kelly's Directory of North and East Ridings of Yorkshire, 1913 (PDF). p. 5. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Deaths Sep 1870". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Smith_(vegetarian)
No tags for this post.