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William Brown (veterinarian)

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William Brown
JP
Brown with his dog Taffy in 1919
BornSeptember 1861
North Shields, Northumberland, England
Died27 September 1931 (aged 70)
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
Resting placeGolders Green Cemetery
Occupation(s)Veterinarian, activist
Spouse
Emily Stripp
​
(m. 1888)​
Children2
RelativesElfrida Vipont (niece)

William Brown JP (September 1861 – 27 September 1931) was an English veterinarian, anti-vivisectionist, and advocate for animal rights, temperance, and peace. A prominent Quaker, he was actively engaged in religious, social, and political work throughout his life.

Biography

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Early life

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William Brown was born in September 1861 in North Shields, Northumberland, into a Quaker family.[1][2][3] He was the son of Charles and Emily Brown (d. 1904) and had a brother, Dr. E. Vipont Brown of Manchester.[2][4]

Veterinary career

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Brown was a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.[2] He practiced as a veterinary surgeon for 39 years in Wiveliscombe, Somerset, having moved there around 1886. During his career, he also served as the Veterinary Inspector for the Wiveliscombe, Dulverton, and Bishops Lydeard districts under the Diseases of Animals Act.[5] In 1925, he retired from veterinary practice and resigned as Veterinary Inspector.[6] Following his retirement, Brown moved to Tottenham, where he engaged in Quaker social work.[7]

Contributions to politics

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During his time in Wiveliscombe, Brown contributed significantly to the welfare of the town and its residents. He was involved in local politics, serving as a justice of the peace for Somerset and regularly sat on the local courts.[7][8] In 1910, he was elected president of the Taunton and District Free Church Council.[9]

Brown was active in the Adult School movement, fostering connections among members. His dedication to the movement included serving on the local School Board and the Council School Managers.[10]

Initially a supporter of the Liberal Party, Brown assisted candidates in the West Somerset constituency. Later, he became a Labour sympathiser, helping James Lunnon in his campaign against Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen.[7] He also served as the chairman of the Taunton and West Somerset Labour Party.[10]

Religious work

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Despite being a Quaker, Brown was closely aligned with the Congregational Church and helped establish a branch of the Independent Order of Good Templars in Wiveliscombe. Among his achievements was the foundation of an Adult Bible Class, which became a popular and long-lasting initiative to support the church community. He was also a staunch supporter of the British and Foreign Bible Society and worked diligently to promote its mission.[10]

Brown was a prominent member of the Society of Friends in the West of England.[7] In 1897, he was recorded as a minister by the West Division of Somerset Monthly Meeting.[11] During the First World War, he was an active Quaker chaplain for conscientious objectors.[7] He also committed himself wholeheartedly to the Society of Friends' reconstruction efforts in the distressed areas of South Wales.[7]

Activism

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Lecture notice for Brown's lecture "Animals' Rights"

Brown travelled around the country lecturing on anti-vivisection, peace, and temperance.[7] He also served as president of the Prohibition Society.[7]

In 1905, in association with the Friends' Anti-Vivisection Association, Brown delivered lectures on vivisection and animal rights, arguing that animals have the right to be protected from suffering.[12] In 1919, at the request of the association, he compiled a series of lectures he had delivered on the subject, published under the title Our Lesser Brethren.[13]

After the founding of the Cats Protection League in 1927, Brown joined its council.[14] In 1929, he spoke out against blood sports, stating:[15]

Have you a right to torture animals for your pleasure? Have you a right to make their lives amid terror and misery in order to derive some measure of gratification from what are called the pleasures of the chase?

Personal life and death

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Brown was a vegetarian.[16] He married Emily Stripp at Looe, Cornwall, on 31 May 1888.[17] They had two sons, Edgar and William.[1] William was later the editor of the The Veterinary Journal.[18]

On 28 June 1921, Brown was involved in a fatal motor accident in Taunton. Arthur Putman, 72, stepped into the road and was struck despite Brown's efforts to avoid him. A witness confirmed Brown was not at fault.[19]

Brown died from heart failure in his sleep on 27 September 1931.[7] He had celebrated his 70th birthday that month and was attending a Quaker conference at Welwyn Garden City.[2] On 1 October, he was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium and a memorial was held at Friends House on Euston Road.[7] In December 1932, a new lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars in Wiveliscombe was established as the William Brown Memorial Lodge, following a ceremony with visiting members and addresses on temperance.[20]

Publications

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  • Our Lesser Brethren. London: Headley Brothers. 1919. OCLC 57291028.

References

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  1. ^ a b "1891 Census Returns database". FreeCEN. Free UK Genealogy. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Death of Mr. William Brown M.R.C.V.S.". Western Daily Press. 2 October 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 13 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Death of Temperance Advocate". The Tiverton Gazette, East Devon Herald, etc. 6 October 1931. p. 4. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Wiveliscombe". Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal and Western Advertiser. 2 March 1904. p. 6. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Public Officers". Kelly's Directory: 510 – via University of Leicester.
  6. ^ "Resignation of Veterinary Inspector". The Tiverton Gazette, East Devon Herald, etc. 15 September 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Death of Mr. Wm. Brown". Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal and Western Advertiser. 30 September 1931. p. 14. Retrieved 13 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Death of Mr. William Brown". Western Gazette. 2 October 1931. p. 14. Retrieved 13 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Free Church Councils". Central Somerset Gazette. 25 February 1910. p. 5. Retrieved 13 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Departure of Mr William Brown from Wiveliscombe". Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal and Western Advertiser. 7 October 1925. p. 7. Retrieved 15 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Society Notes". The British Friend. 6: 149. June 1897 – via HathiTrust.
  12. ^ "Anti-vivisection Meeting in Clevedon". Mercury: Clevedon, Nailsea, Portishead, Yatton. 30 September 1905. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Friends and Current Literature". The Journal of the Friends Historical Society. 20 (1–2): 34. 1920 – via School of Advanced Study.
  14. ^ Campbell, Clare; Campbell, Christy (13 October 2016). "'A Chance of Life and Happiness'". Please Take Me Home: The Story of the Rescue Cat. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4721-1571-3.
  15. ^ "Suppression of Cruel Sports". Western Daily Press. 4 May 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Calvert, Samantha Jane (June 2012). Eden's Diet: Christianity and Vegetarianism 1809–2009 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Birmingham. p. 203.
  17. ^ "Marriages". The Cornishman. 7 June 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Mr. William Brown, M.R.C.V.S.". The Veterinary Record. 66 (3): 48. 16 January 1954 – via Internet Archive.
  19. ^ "Taunton Accident". Western Morning News. 7 July 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Wiveliscombe". Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal and Western Advertiser. 13 December 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 16 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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