W. Gibson Ward

William Gibson Ward FRHistS (1819 – 18 October 1882) was an English vegetarianism activist and anti-vaccination campaigner.

W. Gibson Ward

FRHistS
Born
William Gibson Ward

1819 (1819)
Birmingham, England
Died18 October 1882(1882-10-18) (aged 62–63)
Occupation(s)Vegetarianism and anti-vaccination activist

Biography

William Gibson Ward was born in Birmingham in 1819. He was the Herefordshire squire of Perriston Towers, Ross.[1]: 16  Ward became a vegetarian at the age of 30, and also abstained from alcohol and tobacco;[1]: 16  additionally, he was opposed to vaccination and vivisection.[1]: 62  He was a trustee of the National Agricultural Labourers Union and contributed to their journal the Labourers' Union Chronicle.[2] Ward was a fellow of the Royal Historical Society,[3] and vice-president of the Vegetarian Society.[4] In 1874, Ward, Isaac Pitman, John Davie and Francis William Newman were described as "four leading vegetarians" in England.[2]

Ward was involved in a dispute with Henry Taylor, secretary of the National Agricultural Society. In 1876, it was reported that Ward was charged at the Birmingham Police Court with "feloniously and maliciously libelling Henry Taylor, of Leamington Spa" by publishing two defamatory letters.[5] Ward later withdrew his false charges against Taylor and regretted having made them. An apology by his solicitor on his behalf was produced at court and the apology was accepted and signed by all parties involved.[5]

From 1878 to 1879, Ward wrote a series of letters to The Times on vegetarian dieting.[4] The letters were popular with the public and increased membership to the Vegetarian Society.[4] Historian James Gregory has noted that Ward "played an important role in the revival through letters to The Times advocating vegetable alternatives for the working classes at a time of concern about the cost of food."[6]

Ward contributed to the National Anti-Compulsory Vaccination Reporter, an anti-vaccination journal.[7]

Journalist Howard Evans was highly critical of Ward and his activities. He commented that Ward was a "ferocious hater of the landed aristocracy" and "never was there such a man who had such a curious bundle of fanaticisms."[8]

Ward died on 18 October 1882.[9]

Legacy

Henry S. Clubb, the founder and first president of the American Vegetarian Society, cited Ward as his inspiration for going vegetarian, based on Ward's visits to his father's home.[10]

References
  1. Forward, Charles W. (1898). Fifty Years of Food Reform. London: The Ideal Publishing Union.
  2. "Four Leading Vegetarians". The Graphic. Vol. 10. July–December 1874. pp. 19–21. hdl:2027/nyp.33433105621522. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  3. "Front Matter". Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 6: i–xi. 1877. ISSN 0080-4401. JSTOR 3677982.
  4. Spencer, Colin. (1995). The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism. University Press of New England. p. 276. ISBN 0-87451-708-7
  5. Anonymous. (1876). Ward V. Taylor. The Country Gentleman's Magazine 4: 53–54.
  6. Gregory, James. (2007). Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Tauris Academic Studies. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-84511-379-7
  7. "Mr Gibson Ward and 'The Figaro'". National Anti-Compulsory Vaccination Reporter. 3: 28. 1878.
  8. Evans, Howard. (1913). Radical Fights of Forty Years. London: Daily News & Leader. p. 38
  9. White, William. (1885). The Story of a Great Delusion in a Series of Matter-of-Fact Chapters. London: E. W. Allen. p. 589
  10. History of the Philadelphia Bible-christian Church for the First Century of Its Existence, from 1817 to 1917. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott co. 1922. pp. 67–89.
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