Beatrice Lindsay
Beatrice Lindsay | |
|---|---|
 Lindsay in Fifty Years of Food Reform (1898) | |
| Born | 3 October 1858 Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England |
| Died | 16 December 1917 (aged 59) |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
| Occupations |
|
| Employer | Vegetarian Society |
| Known for | Scientific career, activism for vegetarianism, animal welfare, and women's suffrage |
Beatrice Lindsay FLS (3 October 1858 – 16 December 1917) was an English zoologist, writer, editor, and activist. A graduate of Girton College, Cambridge, she was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society and became known for her contributions to both scientific and reformist literature. She published anatomical and evolutionary research as well as accessible popular science works, including two books aimed at general readers. Lindsay was the first woman to edit the Vegetarian Society's journal, The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger. She promoted vegetarianism, animal welfare, and women's suffrage, often blending scientific reasoning with ethical advocacy.
Biography
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]Beatrice Lindsay was born on 3 October 1858 to William and Anne Lindsay (née Boddington)[1] in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester.[2]
Lindsay matriculated at Girton College, Cambridge in 1880. She studied the Natural Sciences Tripos, receiving a Class II in Part I in 1883 and a Class III in the Moral Sciences Tripos in 1884.[3]
Scientific career and writing
[edit]In 1885, Lindsay published an anatomical paper, "On the Avian Sternum", in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, arguing that the keel of carinate birds is a unique structure not homologous with reptilian elements.[4] She later authored two popular science books: An Introduction to the Study of Zoology (1895), written as a general guide to zoology with an emphasis on humane science, and The Story of Animal Life (1902), part of the Library of Useful Stories series.[5]
Lindsay often connected evolutionary science with ethical obligations to animals. In An Introduction to the Study of Zoology, she wrote that the bodies of animals used for dissection should be regarded with a certain reverence, and cited Darwin's fieldwork as a model for studying animals in natural settings rather than in laboratories.[5]
On 21 December 1911, Lindsay was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society.[6]
Vegetarianism advocacy
[edit]Lindsay became a vegetarian around 1875 and joined the Vegetarian Society in 1880.[7] In 1885, she was appointed editor of the society's publication, The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger, becoming the first woman to hold the post.[8]
During her editorship, the journal adopted several new features, including a Ladies' Page, a supplementary children's magazine titled The Daisy Basket, and a Christmas annual, Almonds and Raisins, which Lindsay also edited. These additions reflected the society's efforts to expand its appeal to women and families.[5]
Between 1885 and 1886, she wrote a multi-part historical overview of the vegetarian movement, published in the journal, which has been described as the first history of the modern vegetarian movement.[9]
She also contributed a recurring column titled New Foods, which aimed to make vegetarianism more accessible by introducing readers to imported and lesser-known ingredients such as yams, pine nuts, and coconut oil. Her writing blended scientific explanation with practical advice, often drawing on taxonomy, anatomy, and botany to contextualise unfamiliar foods.[5]
In lectures delivered for the Vegetarian Society and published in 1888, Lindsay presented both moral and anatomical arguments for vegetarianism. In "Vegetarianism and Higher Life", she argued that recognising kinship with animals was a moral imperative. In "Man Not Carnivorous", she interpreted human anatomy as consistent with a frugivorous diet.[5]
Lindsay also contributed to feminist publications such as the Women's Penny Paper, where she described her conversion to vegetarianism as the result of long-term personal experimentation. In one letter, she wrote: "After several years of experiment, I at last succeeded in making my practice square with my theory." Her approach presented vegetarianism as a process of self-discipline and transformation grounded in daily practice.[5]
Women's suffrage activism
[edit]Lindsay was a supporter of women's suffrage and a member of the National Society for Women's Suffrage. In June 1893, she attended its Conference of the General Committee and Associated Committees.[10]
Death
[edit]Lindsay later moved to the Isle of Man.[11] She died in Onchan[12] on 16 December 1917.[13]
Selected publications
[edit]Articles and columns
[edit]- Lindsay, Beatrice (May–June 1885). "On the Avian Sternum". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 53 (3). Zoological Society of London: 684–716. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1885.tb07875.x.
- "A Vegetarian Letter". Women's Penny Paper (58): 67. 1889.
- "Vegetarianism". Women's Penny Paper (70): 210–211. 1890.
- New Foods (monthly column), published in The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger. Vegetarian Society. 1891.
Books and chapters
[edit]- Axon, W. E. A., ed. (1888). "Vegetarianism and Higher Life". Manchester Vegetarian Lectures: First Series. Manchester: Vegetarian Society. pp. 42–47.
- Axon, W. E. A., ed. (1888). "Man Not Carnivorous". Manchester Vegetarian Lectures: First Series. Manchester: Vegetarian Society. pp. 69–77.
- An Introduction to the Study of Zoology. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. 1895.
- The Story of Animal Life. London: George Newnes Ltd. 1902.
Editorial work
[edit]- The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger, Vegetarian Society. 1885–c. 1895.
- Almonds and Raisins. Vegetarian Society. c. 1885–1888.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Beatrice LINDSAY". Boddington families. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Births Dec 1858". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Lindsay, Beatrice". Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ The Ibis. British Ornithologists' Union. 1885. pp. 462–463.
- ^ a b c d e f Young, Liam (2015). "Eating Serial: Beatrice Lindsay, Vegetarianism, and the Tactics of Everyday Life in the Late Nineteenth Century". Societies. 5 (1): 65–88. doi:10.3390/soc5010065.
- ^ Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. London: Linnean Society of London. 1848–1968. p. 8.
- ^ The Dietetic Reformer. Vegetarian Society. 1885. p. 256.
- ^ Abitz, Dan (2022), "Animal Rights", in Scholl, Lesa; Morris, Emily (eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Victorian Women's Writing, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 55–62, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78318-1_283, ISBN 978-3-030-78317-4, retrieved 31 May 2025
- ^ Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (2002). The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections (PDF). Vol. 1. University of Southampton. p. 331.
- ^ The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions. New York: Garland Pub. 1866. p. 157.
- ^ Darby, Nell (October 2019). "With the 150th anniversary of Girton Colege, Cambridge - the first women's college at the university. What can the census tell us about the college and those associated with it? Nell Darby explores". TheGenealogist. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Beatrice Lindsay". Isle of Man, UK, Civil Birth Marriage & Death, 1849-2013. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "Beatrice Lindsay". UK, Records of the Removal of Graves and Tombstones, 1601-2007. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
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| Animal groups | |||||
| Animal anatomy Animal morphology |
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| Animal physiology |
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| Zoologists | |||||
| History | |||||
| International | |
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| National | |
- 1858 births
- 1917 deaths
- 19th-century British zoologists
- 19th-century English non-fiction writers
- 19th-century English scientists
- 19th-century English women scientists
- 19th-century English women writers
- 19th-century English writers
- 20th-century English non-fiction writers
- 20th-century English scientists
- 20th-century English women scientists
- 20th-century English women writers
- 20th-century English writers
- 20th-century English zoologists
- 20th-century science writers
- Activists from Manchester
- Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge
- British animal welfare scholars
- British women magazine editors
- British women science writers
- British women zoologists
- English activists
- English animal welfare workers
- English columnists
- English lecturers
- English magazine editors
- English non-fiction writers
- English science writers
- English suffragists
- English vegetarianism activists
- English women activists
- English women columnists
- English women non-fiction writers
- English zoologists
- Fellows of the Linnean Society of London
- People associated with the Vegetarian Society
- People from Chorlton-on-Medlock
- Scientists from Manchester
- Vegetarianism writers
- Victorian women writers
- Victorian writers
- Writers from Manchester