Elizabeth Horsell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Gillett 1798 Bromyard,Herefordshire, England |
| Died | (1874-06-12)12 June 1874 (aged 76) |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, writer |
| Known for | Vegetarianism andtemperance activism |
| Notable work | The Penny Domestic Assistant and Guide to Vegetarian Cookery (1850) |
| Spouse | |
Elizabeth Horsell (née Gillett; bapt. 27 June 1798 – 12 June 1874) was an English activist and writer. She was known for her work in thetemperance movement andvegetarian advocacy. Horsell authoredThe Penny Domestic Assistant and Guide to Vegetarian Cookery (1850), an earlyvegan cookbook. Alongside her husband, publisher and reformerWilliam Horsell, she operated ahydropathic infirmary inRamsgate and contributed to numerous public lectures and reform initiatives.
Elizabeth Gillett was born in 1798 inBromyard,Herefordshire, the daughter of John and Anne Gillett. She was baptised on 27 June 1798.[1] She marriedWilliam Horsell inVowchurch on 30 June 1834.[2]
From the 1840s, Horsell became active in thetemperance movement and was invited to speak at Dr John Lee's Peace and Temperance Festival.[3]: 11 Alongside her husband, she also participated invegetarian meetings in London,[3] giving lectures at venues including the Talfourd Hotel,[4] as well as further afield.[5]
In 1846, the couple moved toRamsgate, where they established ahydropathic boarding house.[3]: 2 While the establishment was being set-up, Horsell ran a family school for the "moral, intellectual and physical improvement" of children.[3]: 11
In 1850, Horsell published thevegan cookbookThe Penny Domestic Assistant and Guide to Vegetarian Cookery, through her husband's press.[5] It offered recipes free fromanimal products and salt. It includes guidance on domestic economy, industry, and hygiene, along with statistical tables and moral reflections. The work was intended to support the physical and social improvement of those adopting a vegetarian lifestyle.[6]
Following her husband's death in 1863, Horsell continued to contribute to the vegetarian movement and ran a girls' boarding school that accommodated vegetarian pupils.[3]: 11–12 She also wrote several letters to theVegetarian Messenger, in which she reaffirmed her commitment to dietary reform and abstinence from tea, coffee, and cocoa. In one letter, she expressed her hope that readers would "work while it is called to-day, for the social, physical, and spiritual improvement of your day and generation." In another, she described herself as "a new creature in Christ Jesus" and framed her advocacy of vegetarianism and teetotalism in explicitly Christian terms. In the same correspondence, she expressed grief over the loss of her husband, writing in 1865 that she felt "more and more the loss of my dear husband."[7]
Horsell remained active in the movement from her home inLee, Kent, which at the time was a developing village on the outskirts of London, and continued her advocacy until her death.[3]: 12 She died on 12 June 1874 at Sydenham Cottage, aged 76.[5] She was buried inLewisham on 18 June.[8]