Robert Bailey Walker (7 October 1839 – 28 May 1885) was an English clergyman, activist, editor, and writer. He served as honorary curate at St Clement's Church in

Longsight Longsight is an inner city area of Manchester, England, south of the Manchester City Centre, city centre, bounded by Ardwick and Gorton, West Gorton to the north and east; Levenshulme to the south; and Chorlton-on-Medlock, Victoria Park, Man ...

and was actively involved in promoting temperance and

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

. Walker served as secretary of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...

, edited several publications, and authored a number of pamphlets.

Biography

Early life

Walker was born at

Bamber Bridge Bamber Bridge is a large village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". People who live in Bamber Bri ...

on 7 October 1839, the son of Robert Walker and Hannah Abode. He was baptised on 27 October. Walker's family worked in the cotton industry.

Career

Walker started his career as a schoolmaster. He later served as secretary of the Free and Open Church Movement in Manchester and worked as editor of the ''Industrial Partnerships Record''. Additionally, Walker became the first editor of ''Co-operative News''. He presented papers to the

British Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chief ...

, Social Science Congress and

Manchester Statistical Society The Manchester Statistical Society is a learned society founded in 1833 in Manchester, England. It has a distinguished history, having played an important part in researching economic and social conditions using social surveys. It continues to ...

. Walker was also a

Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is an established statistical society. It has three main roles: a British learned society for statistics, a professional body for statisticians and a charity which promotes statistics for the public good. ...

. Walker was a founder of the Ruskin Society. A committed teetotaller, he took the pledge from

Joseph Livesey Joseph William Livesey (5 March 1794 – 2 September 1884) was an English temperance campaigner, social reformer, local politician, writer, publisher, newspaper proprietor and philanthropist. Early life Livesey was born on 5 March 1794 at Walt ...

. Walker also served as secretary of the Manchester and Salford Temperance Union and corresponded extensively

social reform Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...

advocates worldwide. Walker was a strict

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and became secretary of the

in 1870, also serving as editor of its magazine, '' The Dietetic Reformer''. He was the first vice-president of the

Order of the Golden Age The Order of the Golden Age (OGA) was an international animal rights society with a Christian, Theosophical and vegetarian emphasis, which existed between 1895 and 1959. History The Order of the Golden Age (OGA) was conceptualised in 1881 by ...

. In December 1884, Walker was ordained as an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest at

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the c ...

and served as honorary curate at St. Clement's Church in

Personal life and death

Walker was married to Matilda Margaret "Dora" Walker. They had three children. Walker died at

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origin ...

from the effects of a violent cold, aged 46. His funeral took place on 2 June 1885, at

St John the Evangelist's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea St John the Evangelist's Church is the Anglicanism, Anglican parish church of the Upper St Leonards area of St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Hastings, Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. The present bui ...

, followed by his burial at Hastings Cemetery.

William E. A. Axon William Edward Armytage Axon (13 January 1846 – 27 December 1913) was an English librarian, antiquary and journalist for the ''Manchester Guardian''. He contributed to the ''Dictionary of National Biography'' under his initials W. E. A. A. He ...

and other friends attended. A fund was set up by the Committee of the Vegetarian Society in Walker's honour to raise funds for his children and widow. Those who donated included notable vegetarians James Clark,

Arnold Hills Arnold Frank Hills (12 March 1857 – 7 March 1927) was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and activist. He notably made an appearance for the England national football team in 1879. Hills was an advocate for temperance and vege ...

Anna Kingsford Anna Kingsford (; 16 September 1846 – 22 February 1888) was an English anti-vivisectionist, Theosophist, a proponent of vegetarianism and a women's rights campaigner. She was one of the first English women to obtain a degree in medicine, aft ...

Edward Maitland Edward Maitland may refer to * Edward Maitland (writer) (1824–1897), English writer and occultist * Edward Maitland (RAF officer) Air Commodore Edward Maitland Maitland, (born Edward Maitland Gee; 21 February 1880 – 24 August 1921) was an e ...

W. J. Monk William John Monk ( – 10 July 1896) was an English clergyman and activist for vegetarianism and Temperance movement in the United Kingdom, temperance. He was a vice-president of the Vegetarian Society.Kean, Hilda. (1998). ''Animal Rights: Poli ...

Isaac Pitman Sir Isaac Pitman (4 January 1813 – 22 January 1897) was an English publisher and teacher of the :English language who developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in ''Stenogr ...

, John E. B. Mayor, and Howard Williams.

Selected publications

Walker authored many pamphlets; a full list was published in his obituary in ''The Dietetic Reformer'' in 1885: *''The Old Oak Tree'' (1866) *''Arrangement of Work'' (1869) *''English Gleanings'' (1870) *''The Free Church and Offertory Movement'' (1871) *''Sketches of the Coroner's Court'' (1872) *''Sketches, Dietetic and Literary'' (1876) * *''Ten Year's Dietetic Crusade'' (1880) *''Almonds and Raisins: The Vegetarian Society's Annual'' (1884)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, R. Bailey 1839 births 1885 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Activists from Lancashire Burials at Hastings Cemetery Christian vegetarians Clergy from Lancashire English magazine editors English pamphleteers English vegetarianism activists English temperance activists Fellows of the Royal Statistical Society Respiratory disease deaths in England People associated with the Order of the Golden Age People associated with the Vegetarian Society Organization founders People from South Ribble (district) 19th-century English non-fiction writers 19th-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers Writers from Lancashire