William Nassau Molesworth (8 November 1816 – 19 December 1890) was an English priest, historian and vegan. He was a priest for the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in Manchester.

Background and life

He was the eldest son of John Edward Nassau Molesworth,

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

, Lancashire, and his first wife Harriet; William was born 8 November 1816, at Millbrook, near

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, where his father then held a curacy. The engineer

Guilford Lindsey Molesworth Sir Guilford Lindsey Molesworth (1828–1925) was an English civil engineer. Biography Early years Molesworth was born in Millbrook, Hampshire and was the son of John Edward Nassau Molesworth, Vicar of Rochdale who was a great grandson of Rob ...

was his brother. He was educated at

The King's School, Canterbury The King's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for 13 to 18 year old pupils) in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group. It is Britain's ...

, and at

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where as a senior optime, he graduated B.A. in 1839. In 1842, he proceeded to the degree of M.A., and in 1883 the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

gave him its LL.D. degree. Molesworth was ordained in 1839, and became curate to his father in Rochdale. In 1841 the warden and fellows of the Manchester Collegiate Church presented him to the incumbency of St. Andrew's Church, Travis Street, Ancoats, in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, and in 1844 his father presented him to the church of St. Clement,

Spotland Spotland ( ) is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Rochdale ward name is Spotland and Falinge. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 10,805. It lies on the River Spodden, and is the home of Spotland Stadium ...

, near Rochdale. He held that living till his resignation through ill-health in 1889. An earnest

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

, in 1881 Molesworth was made an honorary

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

in Manchester Cathedral by Bishop Fraser. He was a

high church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

man but politically radical. He was the friend of

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

, who praised one of his histories, and of

Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. As a you ...

, and received information from Lord Brougham for his ''History of the Reform Bill''. He was among the first to support the

co-operative movement The history of the cooperative movement concerns the origins and history of cooperatives across the world. Although cooperative arrangements, such as mutual insurance, and principles of cooperation existed long before, the cooperative movement bega ...

, which he knew through the

Rochdale Pioneers The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, was an early consumers' co-operative, and one of the first to pay a patronage dividend, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement. Although other co-operatives preceded it, ...

, and served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the second day of the 1870

Co-operative Congress The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s. Members of Co-operatives UK ...

, the second to take place. Though described as 'angular in manner,' he appears to have been agreeable and estimable in private life. After some years of ill-health, he died at Rochdale 19 December 1890, and was buried at

Veganism

Molesworth was a member of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed meat ...

and lectured on the economical and hygienic benefits of a vegetarian diet at a conference of the Vegetarian Society in Manchester on 17 May 1876. Molesworth was a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

as he abstained from all animal products including

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condimen ...

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

and

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

. He also opposed the consumption of coffee, grease, salt and tea.

Family

On 3 September 1844 he married Margaret Murray, the daughter of George Murray of Ancoats Hall, Manchester, by whom he had six sons and one daughter.

Works

Molesworth wrote a number of political and historical works, 'rather annals than history,' but copious and accurate. His principal work was ''History of England from 1830'', appearing 1871–3, and incorporating an earlier work on the

Great Reform Bill The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electo ...

; it reached a fifth thousand in 1874, and an abridged edition was published in 1887. His other works were: * ''Essay on the Religious Importance of Secular Instruction,'' 1857. * ''Essay on the French Alliance,'' which in 1860 gained the Emerton prize adjudicated by Lords Brougham, Clarendon, and Shaftesbury. * ''Plain Lectures on Astronomy,'' 1862. * ''History of the Reform Bill of 1832,'' 1864. * ''History of the

from 1660,'' 1882. He also edited, with his father, ''Common Sense,'' 1842–3.

References

;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Molesworth, William Nassau 1816 births 1890 deaths 19th-century English historians Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Glasgow British veganism activists Church of England priests People associated with the Vegetarian Society People educated at The King's School, Canterbury People from Southampton (district) Presidents of Co-operative Congress Tea critics