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C. P. Newcombe

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C. P. Newcombe
Newcombe in 1905
Born
Cornelius Prout Newcombe

(1825-09-05)5 September 1825
St Luke's, London, England
Died30 July 1913(1913-07-30) (aged 87)
Rusthall, Kent, England
Occupation(s)Businessman, educator, activist
Years activec. 1850–1913
Known forVegetarianism and veganism activism
Spouses
Caroline Tunnicliff
​
​
(m. 1848, died)​
Mary Kirk
​
​
(m. 1858, died)​
[1]
Children4
Family

Cornelius Prout Newcombe (5 September 1825 – 30 July 1913) was an English businessperson, educator, and prominent advocate of vegetarianism, veganism and temperance.

Born in St Luke's, London, Newcombe was the second son of a butcher and nephew of the painter Samuel Prout. Newcombe's career began in business with a partnership in insurance and shipbuilding, which collapsed in 1854, leading him to become a schoolmaster. He founded Alexandra Park College in Hornsey in 1868 and later worked as a headmaster in New Zealand before returning to England. Newcombe believed in the health benefits of a strict vegetarian diet and organised a meeting of vegetarian octogenarians. He edited the Vegetarian Society's journal The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review, published The Manifesto of Vegetarianism in 1911, and was critical of consuming animal products. Newcombe also contributed to temperance literature. Newcombe died in 1913 in Rusthall, Kent, and was commemorated by the Vegetarian Society with a memorial essay competition.

Biography[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

Cornelius Prout Newcombe was born on 5 September 1825[2] in St Luke's, London.[1] He was the second son of Frederick Newcombe, a butcher, and Hannah Prout.[3] Newcombe was related to notable figures such as his uncle, the painter Samuel Prout, his cousin, the musical theorist Ebenezer Prout,[4] and his niece, the artist and suffrage activist Bertha Newcombe.[1]

In 1848, Newcombe married Caroline Tunnicliff in Coventry, and the couple had four children.[1] In the early 1850s, he formed a business partnership, Griffiths, Newcombe, & Co., an insurance brokerage and shipbuilding company. However, the company collapsed in 1854, leading Newcombe to become a schoolmaster.[1]

In 1858, after Caroline's death,[note 1] Newcombe married Mary Kirk.[1]. In 1868, he founded Alexandra Park College in Hornsey.[6] Later in his career, Newcombe moved to New Zealand, where he served as the head of various schools. He returned to England around 1895 and continued working as a head teacher.[1]

Later life and activism[edit]

At the age of 80, in 1905, Newcombe organised and presided over a meeting of fellow vegetarian octogenarians in London.[4] He was a strong advocate of vegetarianism, claiming that humans were naturally vegetarian[7] and that cancer could be cured by a strict vegetarian diet.[8] In 1906, he sought funding for a "Fruitarian Cancer Hospital".[9]

In 1911, Newcombe published The Manifesto of Vegetarianism, dedicated to John E. B. Mayor, Joseph Wallace, and Albert Broadbent.[10] He also edited The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review, the journal of the Vegetarian Society.[11] In 1912, he wrote in the journal addressing the division within the vegetarian community between those who consumed animal products and those who did not. Newcombe opened up the discussion to letters arguing for each side, receiving 24 responses. He was critical of the defences presented for consuming eggs and milk, instead arguing for a diet consisting solely of cereals, pulses, fruit, nuts, and vegetables.[11]

Newcombe also created and edited a temperance publication, The Temperance Gazette, published by William Horsell, and was a member of the National Temperance Association.[12]

Death and legacy[edit]

Newcombe died on 30 July 1913 at the age of 87 in Rusthall, Kent. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.[4] In his honour, the Vegetarian Society established a memorial prize essay competition.[13]

Publications[edit]

  • "On Fish Eating", The Vegetarian, Vol. 4, 15 April 1899, pp. 145–150
  • The Diet Cure of Cancer[14]
  • The Manifesto of Vegetarianism (London: Vegetarian Society, 1911)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Newcombe is listed as a widower on his marriage record.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Charles Thomas Newcombe of London and Hastings". Sussex PhotoHistory. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  2. ^ Lee Jackson [@VictorianLondon] (26 September 2014). "Cornelius Prout Newcombe, Teetollar and Vegetarian" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 February 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (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). Vol. 2. University of Southampton. p. 85. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "The Late Mr C. P. Newcombe". Tunbridge Wells Courier. 8 August 1913. p. 3(subscription required) – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P87/TRI/007
  6. ^ "Studying and practising chemistry" (PDF). The Journal. The Institute of Science & Technology: 13. Spring 2014. ISSN 2040-1868.
  7. ^ Richardson, Elsa (24 December 2019). "Man Is Not a Meat-Eating Animal: Vegetarians and Evolution in Late-Victorian Britain" (PDF). Victorian Review. 45 (1): 117–134. doi:10.1353/vcr.2019.0034. ISSN 1923-3280.
  8. ^ "Gymnastics at Norfolk House". London North Mercury and Crouch End Observer. 8 April 1904. p. 5. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  9. ^ Newcombe, C. P. (October 1906). "A Fruitarian Cancer Hospital" (PDF). The Herald of the Golden Age. 11 (4): 78.
  10. ^ "The manifesto of vegetarianism / by C.P. Newcombe". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  11. ^ a b Leneman, Leah (1 January 1999). "No Animal Food: The Road to Veganism in Britain, 1909-1944" (PDF). Society & Animals. 7 (3): 219–228. doi:10.1163/156853099X00095. ISSN 1568-5306.
  12. ^ Gregory, James (2013). "'Zealously affected in a good thing' The publishing career and life of William Horsell (1807‒1863)". Retrieved 24 June 2024 – via Academia.edu.
  13. ^ Davis, H. Valentine (1916). The Food Problem (Domestic and National) During and After the War. Manchester: The Vegetarian Society. The C. P. Newcombe Prize Essay Competition, read at the Annual Meeting, October 16th, 1916, at Manchester.
  14. ^ "The Diet Cure of Cancer". Herald of the Golden Age. 9 (4): 66. October 1904.
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