James Clark (Bible Christian)
James Clark | |
|---|---|
Portrait from Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898) | |
| Born | 18 October 1830 Bolton, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 7 June 1905 (aged 74) Salford, Lancashire, England |
| Resting place | Weaste Cemetery |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1857–1905 |
| Known for | Vegetarianism activism |
| Spouse |
Cordelia Collier
(m. 1854; died 1893) |
| Children | 7 |
| Relatives | Edwin Collier (brother-in-law) |
| Signature | |
James Clark (18 October 1830 – 7 June 1905) was an English Bible Christian Church minister and social reformer. Based in Salford from his youth, he served as pastor of the denomination for nearly 50 years and was active in local education and poor-law administration, including service on the Salford School Board and the Salford Board of Guardians.
A teetotaller from 1848 and a vegetarian from 1851, Clark worked for temperance organisations in Manchester and held senior roles in bodies including the United Kingdom Alliance, the Manchester and Salford Temperance Union, and the Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope Union. He was long associated with the Vegetarian Society as its honorary secretary, chaired its annual meeting in 1902, and represented it at international congresses, and he was later credited with helping to establish the International Vegetarian Union.
Biography
Early life and career
James Clark was born on 18 October 1830 in Bolton, Lancashire.[1] He was Christened in Bolton le Moors on 2 January 1831.[2] Clark's family had a history of tuberculosis.[3]
Clark moved to Manchester as a youth and began his career in a shipping house, where he later became a buyer. Despite the demands of his work, he attended evening classes associated with the Bible Christian Church in King-street, Salford.[4]
Ministry work and social reform
In 1848, Clark became a teetotaller and worked for the Manchester Temperance Society. He adopted vegetarianism in 1851 and was ordained as a minister of the Bible Christian Church, eventually becoming the pastor at Whitstuntide in 1858. This denomination, established in 1809, mandated abstinence from intoxicants and meat.[4]
One of Clark's ministerial predecessors was Joseph Brotherton, Salford's Member of Parliament.[4] Clark remained as a pastor for nearly 50 years, continuing his church duties in his later years, despite failing health.[1][5]
Clark was actively involved in relief efforts during the Cotton Famine and served on the Relief Committees in Salford. Following the Broughton floods of 1866, he dedicated much time to aiding those affected. He was a long-time member of the Salford Board of Guardians, advocating for significant reforms. Upon his resignation as chair in 1889, he received an address signed by every member, regardless of party affiliation.[4]
A committed Liberal and proponent of education, Clark taught at the Salford Lyceum and served two terms on the Salford School Board. He oversaw large Sunday and day schools within the Bible Christian Church, regarded among the best in the borough. He had a particular interest in the flourishing Band of Hope and held senior roles in the United Kingdom Alliance, the Manchester and Salford Temperance Union, and the Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope Union.[4]
Later years
Clark served as honorary secretary to the Vegetarian Society for many years.[3] In 1902, he chaired the annual meeting of the society. Clark also represented the society at international congresses, including those in Chicago (1893), St. Louis (1903), Paris, and Cologne. He was active up until a month before his death, attending the May meeting of the Vegetarian Society in Cambridge. Additionally, Clark helped establish the International Vegetarian Union.[5]
Personal life and death
Clark married Cordelia Collier in 1854. Her brother Edwin served as a deacon of the Bible Christian Church and was vice president and treasurer of the Vegetarian Society. They had seven children: Ernest, Bertha, Maud, Harold, Ethel, Arthur, and Alfred. Arthur was an active vegetarian. Cordelia suffered a seizure in 1889, worsening until her death in 1893 at age 69, and was buried in Weaste Cemetery, Salford.[1]
Clark died at his home in Salford on 7 June 1905 at the age of 74, following a paralytic stroke.[1][4] He was buried in Weaste Cemetery on 10 June.[6]
Legacy
Clark's death was reported as a loss to the Bible Christian Church, his local community, and the causes he supported. In the days before he died, he reportedly said he wished to die while serving his congregation. Representatives of several organisations, including the Vegetarian Society, attended his memorial service. Contemporary tributes described him as charitable and committed to assisting the poor. Two memorials were erected in his memory, and his successor referred to his humane outlook and concern to relieve suffering. Contemporaries credited him with important work for the Vegetarian Society at a time when the organisation faced difficulties.[7]
Selected publications
- Abstinence From Flesh: A Scriptural Doctrine and a Religious Duty (London: Frederick Pitman, 1877)[8]
- Testimony of Scripture (Manchester: Vegetarian Society, c. 1910s)[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Biography: Cordelia Clark". Weaste Cemetery Heritage Trail. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "James Clark". Lancashire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1911. Ancestry.com. 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ a b 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. 25. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Rev. James Clark". The Manchester Guardian. 8 June 1905. p. 12. Retrieved 5 March 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "History of Vegetarianism: The Bible Christian Church (1809-1930)". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Clark". The Manchester Guardian. 9 June 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Antrobus, Derek (1997). A Guiltless Feast: The Salford Bible Christian Church and the Rise of the Modern Vegetarian Movement. City of Salford, Education and Leisure. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-901952-57-8.
- ^ Abstinence from flesh : a scriptural doctrine and a religious duty : an address delivered in the Bible Christian Church, Cross Lane, Salford, 13th. Fred. Pitman. 1877. OCLC 842385226.
- ^ "Testimony of scripture / by Rev. James Clark". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
External links
- Media related to James Clark at Wikimedia Commons
- James Clark at Find a Grave