H. S. Bathgate

H. S. Bathgate
Born
Henry Shiels Bathgate

(1853-12-07)7 December 1853
Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died26 May 1936(1936-05-26) (aged 82)
Mount Vernon, Glasgow, Scotland
Other namesHarry Bathgate
Occupations
  • Plasterer
  • social reformer
Organizations
Known forVegetarianism and peace activism
Spouse
Violet Wilhelmina Gordon Murray
​
​
(m. 1882; died 1935)​
Children6

Henry Shiels "Harry" Bathgate (7 December 1853 – 26 May 1936) was a Scottish plasterer and social reformer, active in the vegetarianism and peace movements. Born in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, he later lived in Mount Vernon, Glasgow, where he worked as a master plasterer and undertook projects including alterations to St Thomas Wesleyan Methodist Church (1892–1894) and work on the Southern District Fire Station (1916). After adopting a vegetarian diet following an illness in 1877, Bathgate joined the Vegetarian Society of Glasgow in 1889 and served as president of the Scottish Vegetarian Society from 1892 to 1929, supporting its work financially and organisationally. He was also involved in Christian community work, including Sabbath School activities, and wrote in 1912 against the emphasis placed on dairy products and eggs in vegetarian cookery.

Biography

Early life

Henry Shiels Bathgate was born on 7 December 1853 in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, and was baptised on 25 December. His parents were Charles Bathgate and Catherine Shiels.[1]

Career

Plastering

Bathgate later lived in Mount Vernon, Glasgow, where he worked as a master plasterer.[2] Directories for Glasgow listed him as an ornamental plasterer, with business addresses at 86 Whitevale Street (1880) and 540 Duke Street (c. 1890–1900).[3] From 1892 to 1894, he worked on modifications and additions to St Thomas Wesleyan Methodist Church.[4] In 1916, he worked on the new Southern District Fire Station.[5]

Vegetarian activism

In 1877, following an illness, Bathgate was introduced to vegetarianism by a newspaper article. He was further influenced by the writings of Dr T. L. Nichols.[2]

In 1889, he joined the Vegetarian Society of Glasgow.[2] From 1892 to 1929, he served as president of the Scottish Vegetarian Society; after stepping down, he served as honorary president.[6] He provided significant financial support to the vegetarian movement in Scotland.[7] His efforts were described in the Vegetarian in 1896.[2]

Bathgate attended the Vegetarian Society's diamond jubilee celebrations in Manchester in October 1907, where he addressed the conference and conveyed greetings from the Scottish Vegetarian Society.[8]

In 1912, writing in The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review, Bathgate criticised the prominence of dairy and eggs in vegetarian cookery, writing that "so much stress is laid on the value of milk, butter, cheese and eggs in our literature, one would almost think we could not live and be strong and well without them."[9]

Other activities

Bathgate was involved in Christian community work, including Sabbath School activities, and supported the peace movement.[2]

In 1889, Bathgate became a member of the Society of Deacons and Free Preseses of Glasgow.[10]

Personal life and death

Bathgate was a lifelong teetotaller and non-smoker.[7]

Bathgate (who used the nickname Harry) married Violet Wilhelmina Gordon Murray on 29 September 1882 at Dennistoun, Glasgow.[11][12] They had six children together;[13] Violet died in 1935.[11]

Bathgate died at Woodneuk, Mount Vernon, on 26 May 1936, aged 82.[11][14] An obituary was published in The Vegetarian Messenger in July 1936.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Henry Shiels Bathgate". Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. FamilySearch. 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (May 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) (PhD thesis). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. p. 10. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  3. ^ "H.S Bathgate". Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  4. ^ "M078 Additions and alterations to St Thomas Wesleyan Methodist Church". Mackintosh Architecture. University of Glasgow. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  5. ^ Kirkwood, Graeme. "B01 South". The History of Scottish Fire Brigades. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  6. ^ "The Lost Society: Scotland Now Has Its Own Parliament, but From the Veggie Viewpoint It Lacks Something It Had a Hundred Years Ago – Its Own Vegetarian Society". The Vegetarian (Winter 1999). Vegetarian Society – via International Vegetarian Union.
  7. ^ a b Gregory, James (29 June 2007). Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-century Britain. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-84511-379-7.
  8. ^ "The 60th Anniversary of the Vegetarian Society". The Vegetarian Messenger. November 1907 – via International Vegetarian Union.
  9. ^ Leneman, Leah. "Britain's 1st Vegans?". The Vegan (Winter 1997). The Vegan Society: 11 – via Issuu.
  10. ^ The Society of Deacons and Free Preseses of Glasgow (PDF). Glasgow: A. Duncan & Son. 1958. p. 9.
  11. ^ a b c "Henry Shiels Bathgate". Scotland, National Probate Index (Calendar of Confirmations and Inventories), 1876-1936. Ancestry.com. 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Marriages". Scotland's People. Scottish Government. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Harry Bathgate". 1901 Scotland Census. Ancestry.com. 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Deaths". Scotland's People. Scottish Government. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
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